Malaysia will host the first Global Entrepreneurship Community (“GECommunity”) event in Kuala Lumpur on 2-3 November 2016. The GECommunity will offer a platform for Malaysian, ASEAN and global entrepreneurs, policymakers, industry leaders, investors and other startup community participants to connect and participate in specially curated programmes designed to build strategic linkages and drive real change.
The GECommunity, part of a week-long Malaysia Entrepreneurship Week, reinforces the government’s strong commitment to transform Malaysia into the world’s next innovation capital. The event, announced yesterday by Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak in Jakarta, is a programme under the National Entrepreneurship Development Office (NEDO) under the Ministry of Finance, the Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC) and supported by Community Partner the Global Entrepreneurship Movement (GEM).
In his speech, the Malaysian Prime Minister referenced that, “Malaysia has put in place a robust entrepreneurship and ecosystem framework. We recognise that entrepreneurs are key drivers of the nation’s economic and social progress, helping build new economies critical to sustainable development. The GECommunity will help to strengthen and develop an inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystem, putting in place platforms and policies that catalyse cross-border partnerships and affect real change. We are excited that GECommunity will put Malaysia on the map for global entrepreneurs and unleash greater opportunities for startups to engage and collaborate on solutions for the new economies of the future.”
The GECommunity will focus on 12 main business clusters: Biotechnology, Food and Agriculture, Retail and Tourism, Smart Cities, Alternative Resources, Education and Finance, Media and Creative Industries, Healthcare, as well as Transport and Logistics. Each cluster will bring together 100 key players from the sector to exchange ideas, share industry best practices and leverage on the knowledge-based economy to integrate local businesses into the global market place. The event also aims to initiate cross-border collaboration and partnership, as well as create real and measurable impact on the future of the global entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Aside from the cluster discussions, the GECommunity expects another 1,200 entrepreneurs to attend special fireside chats or mentoring sessions with key personalities from each of the business clusters. Members of the public could also participate in the GECommunity by attending the event’s open exhibition for promising startups as well as research and innovation agencies.
To cater for startups in the later stage of business growth, the GECommunity will also hold a Malaysian Commercialisation Year segment, the result of a partnership with the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI). The segment will offer commercialisation opportunities for Malaysian entrepreneurs within the technology, innovation and research space.
The GECommunity will conclude with the Global Startup Awards ceremony, where the world’s best startups will be celebrated after months of careful curation, screening and judging process. Although the GECommunity is by-invitation only, interested entrepreneurs are invited to visit www.gecommunities.org and explain how and what they can contribute to the event.
Tan Sri Dr. Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, Secretary General of the Treasury, Ministry of Finance Malaysia as well as Chairman of MaGIC and Patron of GEM, said: “Entrepreneurs are a critical component of the drive for Malaysia to achieve fully developed nation status by 2020. Through their innovation, creativity and inherent willingness to embrace risk, entrepreneurs make invaluable contributions to our country’s growth. They are the cornerstones of the knowledge economy and integral to helping achieve our goal of becoming a high income nation. Through GECommunity, we intend to create a global entrepreneurship ecosystem in which growth-oriented entrepreneurial business can thrive and contribute to innovation, employment and the economy.”
