Over 20 teams and 40 youth participated in Youth Co:Lab Malaysia 2019

Miri, Sarawak, 8 December 2019 – The 2019 edition of Youth Co:Lab Malaysia concluded today in Miri with teams going head-to-head to pitch social impact solutions to solve the nation’s most pressing challenges. With UNDP’s commitment to leave no one behind, ensuring sustainability, and upholding human rights, themes for the initiatives was centred around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Following its success in 2018, Youth Co:Lab Malaysia continues to provide a platform for knowledge exchange, and capacity development trainings for youth in the startup and social entrepreneurship scene in Malaysia. In partnership with Citi Foundation and MaGIC, Youth Co:Lab Malaysia aims to instigate, catalyse, and sustain youth innovation by supporting the region’s youth-led start-ups and social enterprises.

This year, Youth Co:Lab Malaysia was held in two locations, Cyberjaya, and Miri throughout November and December. Partnering with state partners, SMA Tegas Innovation Hub and the Miri City Council, this is the first time the three-day bootcamp is held in Sarawak, in line with the Miri Local Agenda 2021.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Mr Niels Knudsen, Deputy Resident Representative, United Nations Development Programme for Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei Darussalam said, “At UNDP, we believe in empowering the youth by building skills and opportunities through social innovation and social entrepreneurship. Being here today and witnessing these amazing ideas that are on its way to business validation, it is clear that with guidance and support, the youth are at the forefront of creating innovative solutions for economic or social empowerment in Malaysia.”

Also gracing the event was YB Mr. Abdullah Bin Haji Saidol, Assistant Minister of Corporate Affairs and UKAS, YBhg Datuk Wan Suraya Wan Md Radzi, Secretary General of Ministry of Entrepreneur Development, YBhg Mayor Adam Yii Siew Sang, Mayor of Miri City, and,

Throughout the three days, teams worked with mentors and coaches on refining their pitch to impress the panel of judges comprising of Jun Faredda Jabar, Programme Analyst, Inclusive Development and Growth, UNDP Malaysia, Mohamed Yusnee Rahmat bin Mohd Yusof, Director, ASEAN Centre of Entrepreneurship, MaGIC, and Khairool Adzelan bin Aman, Ecosystem Strategist, Talent Development, Sarawak Multimedia Authority, SMA.

The three-day bootcamp which kicked off on 6 December 2019 saw teams go through an intensive syllabus designed to pilot their potential innovative solutions, build prototypes, solidify their impact delivery models and refine their pitching for demo day through creative entrepreneurship strategies.

The eight teams who presented at the pitching competition in Miri were:

1. The Founders Club

2. Agregory PR

3. Cynerve

4. Timogah

5. Kuching Beach Cleaners

6. Beemo

7. Nil.

8. Ishamuzen

Following this, the winning teams from Cyberjaya and Miri will have the opportunity to represent Malaysia in the upcoming annual Youth Co:Lab Summit in 2020. 

About Youth Co:Lab

Co-created in 2017 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Citi Foundation, Youth Co:Lab aims to establish a common agenda for countries in the Asia-Pacific region to empower and invest in youth, so that they can  accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through leadership, social innovation and entrepreneurship.