Microsoft launches its Startups Founders Hub in Malaysia to boost local start-ups

• Cradle Fund will collaborate with Microsoft in the Microsoft for Start-Ups Founders Hub program to provide opportunities to improve skills, provide technical guidance to start-upbetweens in Malaysia.
• The collaboration  Microsoft and Malaysia will also provide start-ups access to the Microsoft Mentor Network.

Four months after launching its Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub in Asia, Microsoft this week announced that it is incorporating its hub within the MYStartup platform in Malaysia, continuing its mission to fuel innovation amongst ambitious startups in the country who are eager to make their mark on the global stage. Through a collaboration with Cradle Fund, Malaysia’s early stage start-up influencer, Microsoft provides opportunities to local startups to upskilling opportunities, and personalized technical guidance.

The US giant signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) in Malaysia yesterday, making way for the incorporating of Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub within the country’s MYStartup platform. MYStartup was set up earlier this year in line with the country’s Startup Ecosystem Roadmap (Super) and it consists of several accelerator programmes that will be carried out throughout the year with the objective to strengthen the start-up ecosystem and community in the country. 

That said, the MoU will lead to startups having access to the Microsoft Mentor Network along with free access to GitHub Enterprise and productivity boosts with Microsoft 365 as well as Azure cloud credits of up to US$150,000 to build their products. “As Malaysia accelerates towards realizing its MyDIGITAL ambitions, building a digital workforce across businesses and organizations will be key in empowering the nation’s inclusive digital economy,” Microsoft Malaysia said in a statement yesterday.

Therefore, startups under Cradle will also have access to Microsoft Azure Fundamental courses, to build digital literacy on cloud computing, infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS). These courses will equip participating startups with the skills to realize their ambitions and innovate product offerings while getting awarded a globally recognized certification that affirms their digital competencies.

“We often observe startup companies in Malaysia facing challenges in realizing their ideas. Most of them have potential and are competitive but struggle to make full use of existing technology. As such, Cradle is excited to work closely with Microsoft as a collaborative partner in improving technology expertise and to develop a more sustainable startup ecosystem in Malaysia,” Cradle’s action CEO Norman Matthieu Vanhaecke said during the signing ceremony in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Mosti’s minister Dr Adham Baba said this move by Microsoft Malaysia and Cradle is in line with the government’s desire to empower the technology ecosystem in the country, in addition to being a leading startup ecosystem by 2030 and further achieving inclusive, responsible and sustainable socio-economic development. The minister said he is committed to have his ministry provide support to more than 5,000 start-up companies with the target of five of them achieving “unicorn” status by 2025 and at the same time, increasing the number of “coders” to 10,000 people by 2030.

Launched in March this year, Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub is a platform that offers over US$300,000 worth of benefits and credits, giving startups free access to the technology, tools, and resources they need to build and run their business. It is also designed specifically for early-stage startups to lower the barriers of business creation, be a catalyst for entrepreneurship and innovation, and contribute to easing the journey from an idea to a unicorn. 

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