MaGIC Activate goes regional

Ashran (centre) with the local partners of Asean Activate and their certificates of membership

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC) has partnered 17 Southeast Asian entrepreneurship community builders to form Asean Activate, a regional extension of the MaGIC Activate platform.

According to a press release issued on Tuesday, Asean Activate aims to establish a Corporate Entrepreneurship Responsibility network, faciliate cross-border partnerships and deals, provide regional market access for entrepreneurs and startups and foster a united Asean innovation ecosystem.

“As Asean celebrates its 50th birthday this year, we need to plan what the region can do to stay relevant, influential, and competitive for the next 50 years. It is important to foster the culture of innovation early as we prepare for the future economy. 

"This is why we are excited to take the lead in uniting Southeast Asia’s business community with the thriving entrepreneurship scene, helping the region realise its true innovation potential,” said Ashran Datuk Ghazi, CEO of MaGIC.

Through Asean Activate, local activate partners will collaborate with MaGIC to run the Startup Corporate Innovation Challenge in their respective countries. 

Together, they will curate challenges from the corporate sector, invite startups to participate in the platform, shortlist applicants and facilitate meetings with corporates, and keep tabs on progress.

The Startup Corporate Open Innovation Challenge Platform is a MaGIC initiative conducted in partnership with the Techstars Startup Program, which provides the platform access to more than 3,000 startups.