MIRI: The winning teams from Cyberjaya and Miri will represent Malaysia in the upcoming annual Youth Co:Lab Summit in 2020.
The 2019 edition of Youth Co:Lab Malaysia concluded here yesterday with teams going head-to-head to pitch social impact solutions to solve the nation’s most pressing challenges.
The winning teams in the programme yesterday were #DemiLaut, Timogah and Ishamuzen.
For the past three days, teams had worked with mentors and coaches on refining their pitch to impress the panel of judges comprising Jun Faredda Jabar, Programme Analyst, lnclusive Development and Growth, UNDP Malaysia, Mohamed Yusnee Rahmat bin Mohd Yusof, Director, Asean Centre of Entrepreneurship, MaGIC, and Khairool Adzelan Aman, Ecosystem Strategist, Talent Development, Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA).
The three-day bootcamp, which kicked off on Dec 6 this year, saw teams going through an intensive syllabus designed to pilot their potential innovative solutions, build prototypes, solidify their impact delivery models and refine their pitching for demo day through creative entrepreneurship strategies.
A total of eight teams presented their work at the pitching contest and seven of the teams were Sarawakians.
Youth Co:Lab was co-created in 2017 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Citi Foundation to establish a common agenda for countries in the Asia-Pacific region to empower and invest in youth so that they can accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (5065) through leadership, social innovation and entrepreneurship.
Following its success in 2018, Youth Co: Lab Malaysia continues to provide a platform for knowledge exchange, and capacity development trainings for youth in the startup and social entrepreneurship scene in Malaysia.
In partnership with Citi Foundation and MaGlC, Youth Co:Lab Malaysia aims to instigate, catalyse, and sustain youth innovation by supporting the region’s youth-Ied start-ups and social enterprises.
This year, Youth Co:Lab Malaysia was held in two locations, Cyberjaya, and Miri throughout November and December.
Partnering with state partners, SMA Tegas Innovation Hub and the Miri City Council (MCC), this is the first time the three-day bootcamp is held in Sarawak, in line with the Miri Local Agenda 2021.
Assistant Minister of Corporate Affairs and Sarawak Public Communications Unit (Ukas) Abdullah Saidol, in his opening remarks at the programme here yesterday, reaffirmed the state government’s stand and seriousness to encourage and nurture entrepreneurship amongst Sarawak youths.
“Entrepreneurship is a key lever in driving economic growth and prosperity, especially in today’s digital economy, which allows sellers to connect with customers from all across the globe,” he said.
He said the Sarawak government had long recognised this and worked hard to support and encourage local entrepreneurs.
“Initiatives undertaken by the state government include allocating funds for entrepreneurs and providing crucial training to upskill them,” he pointed out
On yesterday’s Youth Co: Lab 2019, Abdullah lauded the efforts carried out by UNDP as it helped to nurture local entrepreneurship and innovation.
