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Corporate venturing gains traction in Malaysia – a boost to local tech startups

To attract direct investments from companies, strategic reforms are needed to unlock the sector’s full capabilities, market observers say

 Tan Ai Leng
Published Tue, Jan 28, 2025 · 01:51 PM
    • A recent market survey indicates that Malaysia’s venture capital ecosystem could double in size, reaching RM1.1 billion by 2030.
    • A recent market survey indicates that Malaysia’s venture capital ecosystem could double in size, reaching RM1.1 billion by 2030. PHOTO: AFP

    [KUALA LUMPUR] As Malaysia pushes to climb the value chain in the technology sector, its fledgling corporate venture capital landscape is beginning to show promise, with rising investments fuelling opportunities to reshape the country’s tech ecosystem.

    Several key developments in Malaysia’s corporate venturing space – or corporate venture capital (CVC), where corporations invest directly in startups – lend hope to its potential, even as the country ranks among the top three in South-east Asia for funding, but lags regional peers in activity.

    In December last year, the country’s sovereign fund Khazanah Nasional lent its heft to crank things up in the CVC space, with the launch of two strategic investments totalling RM1 billion (S$307.5 million) under its Dana Impak Initiative.

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