Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (Huawei) has brought the Huawei Spark programme to Malaysia — a programme which aims to incubate and accelerate company growth and build an ecosystem for businesses in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.
The programme was launched today in collaboration with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation’s (MDEC) Global Acceleration and Innovation Network programme (GAIN) and powered by TM ONE — the enterprise and public sector business solutions arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) — through its Alpha Edge Cloud platform.
The competition was launched online followed by a panel discussion featuring experts from Huawei, MDEC and TM ONE on the tech ecosystem in Malaysia. Representatives from Soft Space Sdn Bhd and Hexa Food Sdn Bhd also shared their insights during the panel session.
The Huawei Spark programme is a hybrid accelerator programme to support deep tech companies in APAC, with a focus on firms that use 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Machine Learning & Analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), Edge Computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, leveraging Huawei’s technological and innovation leadership.
The programme aims to drive output in the areas of e-commerce, Fintech, Healthcare, Manufacturing and Smart Cities.
“There is a rise in demand for digital solutions and deep tech innovations so MDEC’s GAIN programme partnership with Huawei for the Spark Programme is very timely. It will provide local tech companies with the opportunity to gain financial support, test their go-to-market strategies, and connect with mentors, among others,” said Dato’ Ng Wan Peng, Chief Operating Officer of MDEC.
“MDEC will continue to support and partner with programmes like Huawei Spark Malaysia as it fits with our efforts to forge digitally powered businesses that will help shape our digital tech ecosystem and reinforce Malaysia’s goal to be the regional powerhouse for global tech champions,” added Dato’ Ng.
Kick-starting the programme is a competition where companies can submit their pitches during the application period between November 12, 2020 and January 11, 2021, to be selected to join the programme.
The company ranked first in the competition will receive the top prize in the form of a participation in a six-month long Accelerator Programme which includes:
- Financial support in the form of USD 125,000 worth of Cloud credits for the company to build their technology stack.
- The opportunity to participate in the Spark Fire programme, which is a unique value proposition of the Huawei Spark programme designed to boost businesses and brand awareness via business matching and business enablement programmes.
- One-on-one mentoring and networking opportunities with industry experts.
- Online and offline training resources.
- Dedicated Technical Support
- Go-To-Market (GTM) Support, and
- A chance at being immortalised in a “Hall of Fame” by being featured in advertorials published by Huawei and MDEC GAIN.
The companies ranked second and third will get to participate in a six-month long Accelerator Programme, which includes:
- Financial support in the form of USD 80,000 worth of Cloud credits for the company to build their technology stack.
- One-on-one mentoring and networking opportunities with industry experts.
- Online and offline training resources.
- Technical Support.
- Go-To-Market (GTM) Support, and
- A chance at being immortalised in a “Hall of Fame” by being featured in advertorials published by Huawei and MDEC GAIN.
The other seven companies shortlisted will receive one year of incubation support between April 2021 and March 2022, which includes the following:
- Companies ranked 4th and 5th to receive financial support in the form of USD 20,000 worth of Cloud credits for the company to build their technology stack.
- Companies ranked 6th to 10th to receive financial support in the form of USD 5,000 worth of Cloud credits for the company to build their technology stack.
- Online and offline training resources.
- Technical Support, and
- Go-To-Market (GTM) Support.
The Huawei Spark programme was first launched in 2020 by Huawei’s Cloud and Artificial Intelligence (AI) business group and in view of its beneficial value, it is now being brought for the first time to Malaysian shores. – BusinessNewsAsia.com