(Photo above) From left: Datuk Ts. Dr. Mohd Nor Azman Hassan, Deputy Secretary General (Technology Development) at Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation; K Raman, Managing Director at Microsoft Malaysia; YB Dato’ Sri Dr. Adham Bin Baba, Minister of Science, Technology & Innovation; Datuk Yvonne Chia, Chairman of Cradle; Norman Matthieu, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Cradle at the MOU exchange event between Microsoft and Cradle

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KUALA LUMPUR, 09 August 2022 – Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd (Cradle), the agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) in Malaysia has committed to collaborate with Microsoft to provide startups with a global platform to scale their innovations. By incorporating Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub within their MYStartup platform, digital natives in Malaysia will have access to upskilling opportunities, personalized technical guidance, 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 $150,000 to build their products.

According to YB Dato’ Sri Dr. Adham bin Baba, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, the cooperation between Cradle and Microsoft will ensure a sustainable startup ecosystem. Startups should also take advantage of the expertise and knowledge available at large companies such as Microsoft to explore international markets. “MOSTI believes that this collaboration will be a catalyst for more active growth and development for startups in Malaysia. This is in line with the Government’s desire to empower the technology ecosystem in Malaysia, in addition to being a leading startup ecosystem by 2030 and further achieving inclusive, responsible, and sustainable socio-economic development,” he said.

YB Dato’ Sri Dr. Adham bin Baba added, “The collaboration between Cradle and Microsoft is not only to provide access to digital technology for entrepreneurs, but also to ensure economic resilience, digital skills and knowledge can be mastered and further provide a trusted and secure digital environment for businesses to thrive.”

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. To help achieve this, startups under Cradle will 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,” said Norman Matthieu Vanhaecke, Acting Group CEO of Cradle.

Ahmad Kashfi Alwi, Senior Vice President, Ecosystem Development of Cradle commented, “Dealing with the various challenges faced by startups, MOSTI through Cradle has embarked on providing long-term support via its MYStartup Programme to empower startups through comprehensive capacity building initiatives. These initiatives are anticipated to provide benefits and guidance to startups in enhancing their competitiveness and marketability.”

Microsoft Malaysia Managing Director, K Raman shared, “This year marks Microsoft’s 30^th year with Malaysia and we are excited to continue partnering with the nation to help every person and every organization, regardless of size, adopt technology and benefit from it. At Microsoft, we have the technology and unique go-to market capabilities to help power the ambitions of startups in Malaysia. We are glad to further drive the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub in Malaysia and extend this platform as part of our collaboration with Cradle and MOSTI, reaffirming our continued commitment under our Bersama Malaysia initiative.”

Following the collaboration announcement between Cradle and Microsoft Malaysia, a panel discussion themed, “Empowering Startups with Technology” was held and brought together industry leaders including Datuk Ts. Dr. Mohd Nor Azman Hassan, Deputy Secretary General (Technology Development), MOSTI; Azizah Ali, Chief Marketing and Operations Officer, Microsoft Malaysia; Dr Raymond Choy, Chief Executive Officer, DOC2US; and Patrick Hew, Chief Technology Officer, Paywatch to share their experiences and insights on what it takes for startups to stand out in the current competitive landscape.