- Sole M’sian to compete with startups from 53 nations for US$300k grand prize
- 250 companies invited to participate in a 3-day bootcamp, with 100 selected
Asia Mobility Technologies Sdn Bhd, a leading mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions provider, is the only Malaysian startup from 100 worldwide selected to compete for a share of US$1 million (RM4.48 million) at the Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC) Global Finals.
The EWC, co-hosted by the Global Entrepreneurship Network and the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority in Saudi Arabia, Monsha’at, is one of the largest and most diverse pitch competitions and support programmes for up-and-coming founders.
Every year, entrepreneurs compete for a share of US$1 million in cash prizes and investment, support and publicity. The finals are from 9 to 12 March at Biban 2023, the largest event for entrepreneurs and small– and medium-sized enterprises in Saudi Arabia.
“We are extremely proud to be Malaysia’s sole flag bearer in this prestigious event,” said Ramachandran Muniandy (pic), co-founder and CEO of Asia Mobiliti. “The mobility-as-a-service industry has huge potential in Southeast Asia, and being shortlisted from amongst the world’s best affords us the opportunity to showcase what we’ve been building for the world to see.”
Since launching in 2019, EWC has attracted more than 400,000 registrations from 200 countries and connected founders with over US$3 million in cash prizes and another US$256 million worth of perks and free support and services.
[RM1 = US$0.223]
The 100 finalists, known collectively as the EWC 100, were selected after succeeding in qualifier competitions and activities around the world. The top performing 250 companies were invited to participate in a three-day bootcamp, with 100 selected to pitch at the Global Finals.
“These companies and their founders have wowed us at every stage of the competition,” said Jonathan Ortmans, president of the Global Entrepreneurship Network. “They are on course to change lives with innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.”
The EWC 100 are based in: Africa (6), Asia (17), Europe (28), Middle East (12), North
America (14), Oceania (2), South America (20) and the Caribbean (1).
“Being the only Malaysian startup selected to compete in the Entrepreneurship World Cup Global Finals is a testament to the innovative spirit of Asia Mobiliti and we are proud to have them representing Malaysia on a global stage,” said Ewon Benedick (pic), Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperative.
“We are excited to see what Asia Mobiliti will bring to the table and look forward to seeing their continued success in the future, and inspire many other Malaysians to follow its footsteps,” said Ewon.
While in Riyadh, the EWC 100 will experience Saudi Arabia’s emerging startup scene. In recent years, the ecosystem has seen transformational growth, reporting record highs in venture capital investments in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
In addition to competing for the grand US$300,000 prize, startups will also vie in specialised categories based on sector (including tech and space and sustainability and environment) and impact (including social impact, sustainable development goals and women-led companies).
All 100 global finalists will receive US$100,000 in in-kind services from partners such as AWS, Freshworks, Google Cloud, Hubspot, Stripe, Zoom and more.
The EWC is made possible with support from a collection of national and global partners including One Valley, The Global Education and Leadership Foundation (tGELF), Entrepreneurs’ Organization, King Abdullah University for Science and Technology and Startup Genome. The Misk Foundation is a founding partner.
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