The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step
Malaysia Rice Bowl Awards 2018
Established back in November 2012, Malaysia’s New Entrepreneurs Foundation (MyNEF) started the Asean Rice Bowl Startup Awards to reward and recognize outstanding startups from all over ASEAN countries and coming together to celebrate the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship in the startup ecosystem.
Eve Writes | 25 October 2018
Business & Entrepreneurship: Biz Happening
Malaysia Rice Bowl Startup Awards
was held on 28 September 2018
About Eve was invited for the Malaysia’s Rice Bowl Startup Awards recently by MyNEF and we were glad to be part of such important ceremony for many startup companies in Malaysia. It was a proud moment for many of the startups as they were able to showcase their business, philosophy, and passion towards improving Malaysia’s startup ecosystem as well the country’s economy as a whole.
Held at Oasis Ara Damansara, the atmosphere was electric with many young and enthusiastic entrepreneurs connecting and networking, all collectively aimed towards empowering and growing their businesses. It was refreshing and encouraging to see many fresh young faces who are clearly very passionate about what they do and believe in the changes they’re making in Malaysia’s economy.
This year’s Malaysian Rice Bowl Awards paid tribute to the tech industry as this year’s nomination was surged with startups who are in the said industry. MyNEF received a whooping 120 company submission and these expanded into 18 categories. The 18 winners of each category will represent Malaysia at the ASEAN Regional Rice Bowl Awards, due to be held in December.
"Last year we were worried that there was a startup slowdown in Malaysia. But we see a jump in this
year's number."
Lilyana Latiff, CEO of MyNEF
The Minister of Communications and Multimedia, Gobind Singh Deo, presented the main awards for the night. Arriving in a black suit and his signature laid-back demeanor, Gobind received a warm welcome by the guests. In his speech, he emphasized on the importance of the tech industry as a key economic pillar in Malaysia. He encouraged all startups to be more actively and aggressively involved in the fourth economic revolution in order to keep up with the pace of the economy in current age.
He further explained the Ministry’s commitment to improve the telecommunications and content infrastructure in Malaysia.
"Only with fast and efficient Internet, networks,
and cloud infrastructure can the new industries
and tech-driven communities be created
Gobind Singh Deo, Minister of Communications & Multimedia
CEO of MyNEF, Lilyana Latiff (left) pictured
with Gobind Singh Deo during the Malaysia Rice Bowl Awards 2018.
Credit: ASEAN Rice Bowl Startup Awards
Other than the awards ceremony, MyNEF took the opportunity to bring exposure and pay tribute to the Malaysian tech industry through an exhibition showcasing the timeline of growth from 1996 to 2018. The ceremony also paid a moving tribute to the late CEO of Cradle, Nazrin Hassan, who suddenly passed away on 14 June earlier this year.
As refreshing and encouraging as it was to witness many innovative and creative startup companies, it was a little disheartening to see the crowd environment during the night. About Eve would be remiss if we failed to mention how many of the attendees didn’t show the appropriate amount of respect for the ceremony so much so there was a din during speeches by key guests of the night.
While it’s understandable to the point of given for one to be excited and enthusiastic meeting other like-minded people, the Silicon Valley-esque vibe and feel was a little out of place and perhaps taken too far by some of the guests. Don’t get us wrong, there is nothing wrong in having fun and connecting with people who are on the same wavelength as you, but we were expecting a little more sense of decorum among so many professionals who are supposedly the future movers and shakers of Malaysia’s economy.
However, the energy of the host and the awards presented that night made up for the otherwise boorish noise that was apparent throughout the event.
About Eve was excited and especially proud of the winners of the Malaysia Rice Bowl Awards this year and we hope to see more good things from the many startups who attended the event that night.
We wish all winners all the best in the Regional Rice Bowl Award and we hope for big win for Malaysia’s winners!
If you're a startup or an aspiring startup, head on to MyNEF and ASEAN Rice Bowl Awards social media pages to be updated on the latest news and events surrounding Malaysia's startup ecosystem!
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