Tammy Cho, left, and Grace Choi, cofounders of the startup BetterBrave, work on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017 in San Francisco, Calif. BetterBrave is a new startup that just launched an online portal where victims of sexual harassment in the technology workplace can find resources and connect with a lawyer. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group/TNS)
Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC) has started a pre-accelerator bootcamp specifically for women founders to push for women-led startups.
The programme, Pre-Accelerator Bootcamp: Female Founders Edition, aims to help womenpreneurs validate their business ideas, develop a working prototype, and create a focused go-to-market strategy.
During the two-week bootcamp, participants will get mentorship from key industry players and insights from Malaysia’s leading womenpreneurs, plus a chance to pitch their startups during a demo day.
MaGIC chief executive office Ashran Ghazi said women are often under-represented among the entrepreneur population, though with the new bootcamp, MaGIC seeks to empower women within the entrepreneur ecosystem and provide them with a platform to turn their business ideas into a reality.
“To address this gender gap, we need to ensure that we understand the specific challenges which exist for womenpreneurs and that in trying to overcome these challenges we are doing our best to open up market access and provide more targeted support for women,” he said, in a press release.
According to the SME Association of Malaysia, despite growing numbers of womenpreneurs, they still account for about 20% of registered SMEs.
Ashran said these womenpreneurs are often unable to realise their true potential due to issues like societal perception, lack of equal opportunities and smaller funding size available among others.
The programme is open to women founders and from Malaysia and South-East Asia, with application open until May 21, at this website.
MaGIC will announce the top 25 participants who qualify for the two-week programme in mid-June, while shortlisted participants will be narrowed down further to 15 to participate in the Demo Day where they can pitch their refined ideas to investors.
The winner of the Demo Day will receive a company incorporation package, post-programme mentoring sessions and access to MaGIC’s co-working space at its campus for three months.
The programme also provides free accommodation to all participants during its duration.
Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.
