Close
Exit

MALAYSIANS are an increasingly tech-savvy bunch and nowhere is this more evident than in the nation’s fascination with mobile apps. According to the Top 10 Smartphone Apps South-East Asia ranking from July 2013 (based on Nielsen Informate Mobile Insights), the average Malaysian smartphone user spends 66 minutes a day on apps, one of the highest in the region.

So it’s hardly surprising that more young Malaysians are looking to initiate their own tech startups to develop apps, especially with the government allocating RM375mil to provide financial support for start-ups under the Budget 2015.

But the reality is, an aspiring app developer does not an entrepreneur make.

“They’re basically developers and designers who know how to make apps. But what about team work, project management, branding, finances and other business elements?” said StartupHouse programme director, Inbaraj Suppiah.

Head start: StartupHouse gives young tech developers the opportunity to build up their app with the support of other app programmers and mentors before pitching the apps to investors.

Head start: StartupHouse gives young tech developers the opportunity to build up their app with the support of other app programmers and mentors before pitching the apps to investors.

Currently in its pilot phase, StartupHouse is a programme where aspiring tech entrepreneurs are hand picked (after making pitches) to develop their fledgling app ideas, which they will then have to design and complete by April.

During the three-month programme, the five teams selected have to live together and are given invaluable coaching on how to develop key entrepreneurial skills and refine and validate their ideas before building their apps, the aim being to mould them into business-minded entrepreneurs rather than bare-bones app developers.

After the programme ends, all the entrepreneurs are given the opportunity to meet and pitch their apps to potential investors.

RELATED STORY: Meet the teams at StartupHouse and the apps they’re working on

The mentors involved in StartupHouse are programme director Inbaraj, MaGIC Startup Academy director Dr Lau Cher Han, entrepreneur and consultant Daniel Walters, GeoMash founder Damien Santer and GeoMash chief technology officer Tim Chandler.

According to Walters, StartupHouse provides these teams with the best chance to succeed because it allows them to experiment, make mistakes and learn. And with the support from other teams as well as mentors, participants are able to learn relatively quickly.

Walters, who has 15 years of IT experience in Australia, and five years as senior director at Experian Malaysia, added that the mentors are also trying to teach participants how to prioritise their work, verify their concepts as quickly as possible at a low cost, deal with setbacks and prepare business plans and presentations for their apps.

After spending two months in the programme, participant Haimi Edzwan Hashim, 37, said it provides a supportive environment for him to work on his app.

“The problem with startups is you don’t have a support group. If you’re in trouble, nobody will understand why you’re doing something that won’t earn any money,” he said, having given up his job in the oil and gas industry after 10 years.

He has been in the startup scene for a year and he and team member/co-founder Mazlan Paiman, 31, have been working on their app Transit Watch for three months.

(From left) Haimi Edzwan Hashim, Muhammad Shahrir Bahar and Mazlan Paiman are among the lucky app developers selected to join StartupHouse.

(From left) Haimi Edzwan Hashim, Muhammad Shahrir Bahar and Mazlan Paiman are among the lucky app developers selected to join StartupHouse.

“At StartupHouse, you are surrounded by similar-minded people and mentors who have been through the journey and made it. Without them, our progress won’t be this fast.”

As for Dean Nazmuddin, 24, who does design and marketing for meal invitation app Jioness, StartupHouse serves as a learning curve for him, especially when it comes to app design.

The computer science student at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia explained that this programme is not a competition, so everyone helps each other to complete their apps on time.

Jioness co-founder Yong Shen Feng, 24, said participants are also encouraged to test out their app to get the validation they need to improve.

Fellow participant Syed Muzani Syed Ahmad Safri, 29, agreed that it is important to analyse the market. That was why he, along with his teammates Muhammad Shahrir Bahar and Asmahani Abu, launched their app Recipe Diet Atkins in late January.

“We wanted to see the public’s response to the app. Within 24 hours, the app had more than 1,000 downloads and feedback from 44 people! And with that feedback, we were able to continue working to make it better for our users,” he said.

RELATED STORY: Here are five basic tips to launch your own tech startup

(From left) StartupHouse programme director/mentor Inbaraj Suppiah and fellow mentors Tim Chandler, Daniel Walters and GeoMash staff Gabriele Pallaver will coach participants on app development as well as the business side of things, which is where many talented developers fall short.

(From left) StartupHouse programme director/mentor Inbaraj Suppiah and fellow mentors Tim Chandler, Daniel Walters and GeoMash staff Gabriele Pallaver will coach participants on app development as well as the business side of things, which is where many talented developers fall short.

But it’s not just about having a great idea. Walters emphasised that it’s more important that the teams have direction, openness to evaluating their progress and determination.

Inbaraj added that when investors are involved, they tend to evaluate the team or the company rather than just the app because if the app fails, the team can come up with a new idea and develop another app.

“Once the teams are done with their apps, we’ll be inviting our current sponsors, other partners and investment groups to have a look at the ideas and hopefully invest. So it’s not a competition, but an opportunity for them to do what they love and grow,” said Inbaraj.

About

Our entertainment and celebrity news expert who happens to be disturbingly good at laser tag. Graduated with a degree in communications at 21 and went straight into the magazine business. She not only writes for R.AGE now, but also coordinates our long-running BRATs young journalist programme.

Tell us what you think!

BTW…

Championing children’s education

Education director-general Datuk Dr Habibah Abdul Rahim speaks on the importance of empathy-based education, the challenges of adapting education policies in light of the Covid-19 situation, and her “dream” education system.

Read more Like this post3

I lost my mother to the Japanese war

 Whenever Allied planes bombed Sandakan town as part of its campaign to liberate Borneo, Daniel Chin Tung Foh’s grandfather would rush the whole family into a bomb shelter behind their house.  During its heyday, the British North Borneo Company had developed Sandakan into a major commercial and trading hub for timber, as well as […]

Read more Like this post1

A witness to the Double Tenth revolt

 Chua Hock Yong was born in Singapore, but his grandfather moved the family to British North Borneo (now Sabah) to establish their business in 1939 when he was a year old.  The Japanese invaded Borneo shortly after, but the family continued living in their shophouse in Gaya Street, Jesselton, now known as Kota Kinabalu.  […]

Read more Like this post5

An encounter with victims of the Sandakan Death Marches

 When the Second World War came to Borneo, Pelabiu Akai’s mother moved the family back to their village in Nalapak, Ranau.  Although the Japanese were known to be ruthless and brutal conquerors, they left the villagers to their own devices and Pelabiu had a largely uneventful life – until she came across gaunt-looking Allied […]

Read more Like this post4

Sarawak’s only living child prisoner of war

 Jeli Abdullah’s mother died from labour complications after giving birth to him and his twin brother. To his Bisaya tribe, this was seen as a bad omen, and his father did not know what to do with the twins.  Fortunately, an Australian missionary couple decided to adopt the newborns. But misfortunate fell upon the […]

Read more Like this post3

Lest we forget

AFIO Rudi, 21, had never thought much about his grandfather Jeli Abdullah’s life story until an Australian TV programme interviewed the 79-year-old about being Sarawak’s last surviving World War II child prisoner of war (POW). The engineering student then realised that despite living in Sarawak all his life, he also didn’t know very much of […]

Read more Like this post6

A native uprising against Japanese forces

 Basar Paru, 95, was only a teenager when his village in the central highlands of Borneo was invaded by the Japanese Imperial army.  “The Japanese told us not to help the British. They said Asians should help each other because we have the same skin, same hair,” Basar recalled. “But we, the Lun Bawang […]

Read more Like this post2

Left behind in wartime chaos

 Kadazan native Anthony Labangka was 10 years old when the Japanese Imperial Army invaded Borneo during World War II.  Sitting in the verandah of a modern kampung house on a hot afternoon in Kampung Penampang Proper, where he has lived his whole life, Anthony recalls the hardships of the Japanese Occupation.  The villagers were […]

Read more Like this post2
Kajai R.AGE Wan Ifra Journalism Documentaries Digital Media Awards

R.AGE Audience Survey 2019 + Office Tour contest

Want to be in the running to meet R.AGE producers and journalists? Take part in our R.AGE Audience Survey 2019 by Feb 17, 2019!

Read more Like this post2

BRATs Goes to Genting!

The final BRATs camp of the year promises to be the coolest – literally!

Read more Like this post0

The Hidden Cut

Female circumcision is a very common practice in Malaysia, but the procedure is still almost completely unregulated.

Read more Like this post2

#TeamSatpal: Turtle-y in Trouble

The 21st century brings unseen threats to local turtle conservation efforts.

Read more Like this post0
Go top