KUALA LUMPUR: The two-day inaugural KL20 Summit 2024, which commenced yesterday, witnessed the Malaysian government reaffirming its commitment to attracting more global unicorns through a comprehensive roadmap showcasing attractive packages and incentives.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s (pix) launch of the KL20 Action Plan paper yesterday, highlighting government reform strategies, was seen as a stepping stone for local Malaysian startups to fortify their presence.
The action plan aims to expedite critical areas of the startup ecosystem -- capital, talent, and startup quality -- with the ambitious goal of adding RM400 billion in startup valuation by 2030.
Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli stated that KL20 signifies Malaysia’s ambition to rank among the top 20 startup ecosystems globally.
He emphasised that KL20 initiatives are already underway, including the Venture Capital (VC) Golden Pass, Innovation Pass, Unicorn Golden Pass, Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) Scheme, Innovation Belt, and the Single Window.
Spearheaded by the Securities Commission of Malaysia, the VC Golden Pass aims to streamline registration processes for eligible international VCs set up in Malaysia.
Alongside unicorn focus, sovereign wealth funds like the China Investment Corporation (CIC) also shared plans at the summit, actively exploring private equity investment opportunities in ASEAN.
CIC highlighted Malaysia’s growing appeal as an investment destination due to its strategic location, global market access, and liberalised equity ownership.
High-interest discussions on semiconductors dominated the summit amid current geopolitical shifts, attracting industry players and investors to Malaysia.
The KL20 Summit 2024 witnessed over 25 entities signing ceremonies across four categories: sovereign wealth funds or semiconductor funds, venture capital, cities, and high-tech companies.
The signing entities have a combined assets under management (AUM) valuation exceeding US$1 billion (US$1=RM4.7785).
Malaysia’s Single Window for the Startup Ecosystem (MYStartup), a transformative online platform, was launched at the summit today.
MYStartup aims to unite founders, investors, tech talents, government agencies, and ecosystem players while providing comprehensive data, insights, and resources on starting and scaling a business.
It also assists in navigating funding options and accessing essential support services within Malaysia’s startup ecosystem.
The summit, organised by the Malaysian government and spearheaded by the Ministry of Economy, received support from CGS International, Bloomberg, K3 Ventures, and Founders Forum Group, among others.
