(L-R): 500 Startups mentors Poh Soon Tew, Nicholas Ho, Katrina Too, and Andrew Gnananantham. On the far right is Dropee’s mentor from Petronas, Mohammed Syarin Mohammed Yussof.
Last week, Dropee graduated from the pioneer batch of startups at PETRONAS FutureTech, an accelerator programme. In partnership with Silicon Valley venture capital seed fund and accelerator, 500 Startups, PETRONAS FutureTech aims to encourage local innovations and support Malaysian startups. Nested under the PETRONAS Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) arm, PETRONAS FutureTech aims to contribute to Malaysia’s tech-driven startup scene by discovering and nurturing local technology entrepreneurs. Dropee was one of 19 startups handpicked from a pool of over 150 applicants.
The programme’s inaugural Demo Day last week showcased diverse technology-driven business solutions – pitched by the 19 startups to an audience comprising of hundreds of venture capitalists, high-level executives from Malaysian Government Agencies and GLCs, and other key members of the Malaysian and regional startup ecosystem.
Among all the participating startups, Dropee is proud to have been awarded the title of “Fan Favourite”, which was granted based on votes opened up to the hundreds of attendees at the PETRONAS FutureTech Demo Day pitches.
PETRONAS President and Group CEO Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin said that the need for innovation is more pivotal amidst the evolving energy landscape.
“PETRONAS is committed to redefine the future of energy with innovative approaches to project, technology and engineering to maximise and deliver sustainable energy for tomorrow, aligned to our Statement of Purpose. The PETRONAS FutureTech will pave the way for PETRONAS to nurture Malaysia’s tech startup ecosystem with the aim to provide them with the opportunity and support to scale their ventures through acquisition of new capabilities and skillsets as well as exploring non-traditional partnerships, making them global-ready to solve business challenges with local innovations,” he added.
Throughout the eight-week programme, the startups were exposed to a series of lectures, workshops, and coaching from expert mentors from Silicon Valley and 500 Startups’ global network, as well as industry talent experts from PETRONAS’ businesses that act as industry mentors. POMEN, GA Alliance, and AdEasy were chosen as the top 3 startups, and will be participating in a two-week global immersion programme hosted by 500 Startups in San Francisco early next year.
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