Cradle and Microsoft collaborate to empower Malaysian startups
KUALA LUMPUR, 09 August 2022 – Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd (Cradle), the agency under the Ministry
of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) in Malaysia has committed to collaborate with
Microsoft to provide startups with a global platform to scale their innovations.
By incorporating Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub within their MYStartup platform, digital natives in Malaysia will have access to upskilling opportunities, personalized technical guidance, access to the Microsoft Mentor Network along with free access to GitHub Enterprise and productivity boosts with Microsoft 365 as well as Azure cloud credits of up to $150,000 to build their products.
According to YB Dato’ Sri Dr. Adham bin Baba, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, the cooperation between Cradle and Microsoft will ensure a sustainable startup ecosystem.
Startups should also take advantage of the expertise and knowledge available at large companies such as Microsoft to explore international markets. “MOSTI believes that this collaboration will be a catalyst for more active growth and development for startups in Malaysia.
This is in line with the Government’s desire to empower the technology ecosystem in Malaysia, in addition
to being a leading startup ecosystem by 2030 and further achieving inclusive, responsible, and
sustainable socio-economic development,” he said.
YB Dato’ Sri Dr. Adham bin Baba added, “The collaboration between Cradle and Microsoft is not
only to provide access to digital technology for entrepreneurs, but also to ensure economic
resilience, digital skills and knowledge can be mastered and further provide a trusted and secure
digital environment for businesses to thrive.”
As Malaysia accelerates towards realizing its MyDIGITAL ambitions, building a digital workforce
across businesses and organizations will be key in empowering the nation’s inclusive digital
economy. To help achieve this, startups under Cradle will have access to Microsoft Azure
Fundamental courses, to build digital literacy on cloud computing, infrastructure as a service (IaaS),
platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS).
These courses will equip participating startups with the skills to realize their ambitions and innovate product offerings while getting awarded a globally recognized certification that affirms their digital competencies.
“We often observe startup companies in Malaysia facing challenges in realizing their ideas. Most of
them have potential and are competitive but struggle to make full use of existing technology. As
such, Cradle is excited to work closely with Microsoft as a collaborative partner in improving
technology expertise and to develop a more sustainable startup ecosystem in Malaysia,” said
Norman Matthieu Vanhaecke, Acting Group CEO of Cradle.
