The 1st Pitch and elimination round of the Swiss Innovation Challenge Asia (SIC Asia) was prestigiously held on the 29th and 30th March 2017, in UTM Kuala Lumpur. This event is among the seventeen (17) events lined-up for 2017, specially tailored to the selected 100 participants from various industries, researchers, students and new businesses in Malaysia. A total of 53 Teams pitched their innovations and business projects in a 3-minutes Elevator Pitch, to a panel of selected jury from the industry and academia. This event, is in sync with Malaysia’s vision to become an innovative-driven nation, building and sustaining wealth creation in the process.
The Swiss Innovation Challenge Asia (Malaysia) Jury Members, Coaches and Team
This exciting 2-day event witnessed innovative ideas transforming into feasible business plans, exposing the concept of “internationalisation” to potential innovators of the nation. Prior to this event, participants were carefully guided by selected “coaches” from the International Business School, UTM, as well as from selected individuals and businessmen from the industry, via personalised business consulting sessions. A few of the coaches and jury members came all the way from Switzerland to provide professional mentoring and evaluations of participants’ progress. This fits the aim of SIC Asia – to become a unique platform for innovation and knowledge sharing at an international level, and an exciting avenue for Swiss-Malaysian networking.
Professor Dr. Tomoya Tsuji of MJIIT UTM, pitching his innovation
The Swiss Innovation Challenge Asia Project is a project in collaboration with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) and UTM International Business School, and sees a line-up of seventeen events running in 2017. The official signing ceremony between both universities was conducted on the 1st November 2016, witnessing the MOSTI Minister and the Switzerland Ambassador to Malaysia gracing the event. The Grand-Kick Off followed in January 2017, again, witnessing both individuals, as well as respected officials from the Ministry of Higher Education, MACCRI, MDEC, Akademi Sains Malaysia, and a few established NGOs, plus renowned entrepreneurs as invited audiences.
Details of this Challenge can be found at www.facebook.com/sicmalaysia2017/, or you may contact Dr. Rahayu Tasnim at 016-7024622 or rahayu@ibs.utm.my.