CARSOME and Sunway Innovation Labs spurring innovation through Southeast Asia’s first auto ecosystem-focused accelerator program in Malaysia
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| Networking session between Chief Innovation Officer of Sunway Group and Director of Sunway iLab Matt van Leeuwen and CARSOME Co-founder and Group CEO Eric Cheng exchanging insights with some of the startups. |
Five mobility startups presented their innovative pilot projects today during the CARSOME Mobility Lab Demo Day before industry leaders and investors at McLaren Kuala Lumpur.
Established in partnership between CARSOME and Sunway Innovation Labs (iLabs), the 4-month CARSOME Mobility Lab Accelerator Program is the first auto ecosystem-focused accelerator in Malaysia and ASEAN, that aims to support up and rising startups in their innovation, funding and scaling journey.
“We look forward to continuously supporting these startups alongside CARSOME, who have been a very engaging partner in strengthening the talent pool and accelerating innovation in our ecosystem.” said Matt van Leeuwen, Chief Innovation Officer of Sunway Group and Director of Sunway iLabs.
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| CARSOME Co-founder and Group CEO Eric Cheng stating that CARSOME will look forward to supporting the entrepreneur and automotive communities, creating the most trusted vehicle ownership ecosystem, powered by technology and data. |
Five outstanding startups were shortlisted into the final pilot round from an initial list of 40:
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Company |
Solution/offering |
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Asia Mobiliti Tech |
Smart mobility solutions |
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Carmen Automotive (SG) |
Vehicle data analytics solutions |
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Moovby |
P2P car-sharing marketplace |
|
MyBump Media |
Leading crowd advertising platform |
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SparexHub |
Genuine car spare parts marketplace |
In addition to potential commercialisation of successful pilots, startups at the end of their respective pilot projects stand to receive an investment of up to US$25,000 from the CARSOME Mobility Lab, to further extend their impact and complement CARSOME and Sunway in the wider automotive ecosystem.
As a fellow startup founder himself, CARSOME Co-founder and Group CEO Eric Cheng shared his excitement upon witnessing the birth of next generation mobility startups. “We are honoured to play an integral part of the accelerator program and provide guidance to up-and-rising startups. Through this program, we hope to find a partner capable of delivering cutting-edge innovation to strengthen our ecosystem and offering as we continue to deliver an elevated car ownership experience to our customers.”
Under the mentorship from CARSOME and Sunway iLabs, these five startups brought forward unique propositions and presented their progress to CARSOME and Sunway's management team, prominent venture capitals, angel investors and industry leaders.
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| Head of Sunway iLabs Ventures Dr. Melissa Foo giving the opening remarks, sharing the journey of the 4-month CARSOME Mobility Lab Accelerator Program between CARSOME and Sunway iLabs. |
Throughout the program, these five and other shortlisted startups were given access to a range of assistance and expertise including:
- Mentorship and hands-on workshops organised by entrepreneurs and industry experts in collaboration with relevant CARSOME and Sunway business units
- Tapping into CARSOME and Sunway’s funding network of angel investors and venture capital firms
- Up to US$100,000 per startup in AWS Activate credits ranging from tech support, workshops, to events access from AWS
- Up to US$150,000 per startup in Microsoft Azure credits, mentorship and technical guidance as part of Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub
- Leverage CARSOME’s digital expertise and gain insight into collaborations
- Test and validate solutions in CARSOME and Sunway’s thriving ecosystem
- Access to technology talents from Sunway University and 42KL
CARSOME is committed to continue innovating the mobility ecosystem and collaborate with synergistic startups to drive business growth, create new products and services, and optimize productivity through project integrations within CARSOME’s ecosystem. These partnerships complement CARSOME’s ongoing efforts to eliminate industry pain points, instill greater trust and transparency in the ecosystem, and ultimately bring about a delightful customer experience.
