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Huawei Spark, a competition that aims to incubate and accelerate company growth and build an ecosystem for businesses in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, is set to make its second run after its first successful round that culminated last year.

Named Huawei Spark Accelerator 2022 and organised by Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (Huawei Malaysia), this competition aims to incubate, accelerate and boost the innovation of startups as well as deep tech companies in Malaysia.

With an initial focus on firms that use 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Machine Learning (ML), Analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), Edge Computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, the competition has since expanded its area of interest and seeks to drive output in the areas of financial services and insurance solutions, healthcare, agriculture, education, tourism, marketplace solutions, AI and ML analytics and Web 3.0, leveraging Huawei’s technological and innovation leadership.

The competition is a hybrid accelerator for tech startups, partnering with NEXEA, which is known for having experienced mentors and connecting startups with leading Angel Investors, in collaboration with Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI), Selangor Information Technology and Digital Economy Corporation (SIDEC) and Cyberview Sdn Bhd

Through the competition, startups that enter the Huawei Spark Accelerator Programme will be able to obtain support in playing key roles and in defining the disruptive technologies of the future. The competition will also be a step towards Huawei’s aspiration to cultivate potential ‘Malaysian-made’ startups to be new unicorns in the next two to three years.

The collaborative effort behind the Huawei Spark Accelerator Programme 2022 is also in line with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation’s (MOSTI) Startup Development Roadmap Plan to have 5,000 startup companies by 2025, including 5 unicorn companies.

Michael Yuan, Chief Executive Officer at Huawei Malaysia, said the first launch of Huawei Spark was a tremendous success that helped empower several companies.

“We would like to continue and extend this opportunity to more local businesses to help nurture their contributions towards the country’s digital economy. In doing so, we will help advance the digital ecosystem and firmly position Malaysia as the ASEAN Digital Hub,” said Yuan.

He added: “The programme will serve as a platform for Malaysia’s talented and aspiring entrepreneurs to showcase their capabilities and fully realise their digital potential. The Huawei Spark Accelerator Programme will empower startups and help them contribute towards bridging the digital and societal divide. Together, we can catalyse new opportunities and create new value.”

Huawei Malaysia Vice President of Cloud and AI Business Unit Mr Lim Chee Siong said the Huawei Spark Programme aims to build a sustainable startup ecosystem over the next three years.

“Huawei’s Cloud is an open platform that promotes joint innovation with startups, developers and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs). With this competition, we hope to see more start-ups and developers build Huawei Cloud Native apps on our Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) and be part of the Huawei device ecosystem so that they are able to share our network of channel resources who serve one billion global Huawei device users,” he said.

Last year’s Huawei Spark saw Innov8tif emerging the winner for its OkayDoc platform, with DoctorOnCall placing second and MHub coming in third.

In addition to providing financial, technical and networking support, the Huawei Spark Accelerator Malaysia 2022 offers an array of rewards for startups, including potential investments of RM250,000, follow-on funding of up to RM1,000,000, and Huawei Cloud Credits Up to US$125K.

Applications for the competition are now open. For more information on the Huawei Spark Accelerator Malaysia 2022, log on to: https://huaweispark.my/

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