As alternative financing gains popularity in Malaysia as local businesses look to raise funds, 1337 Ventures and Leet Capital are hosting the ‘ECF Accelerator Programme’ to support the funding landscape.
The programme exists in the form of a three-day fundraising boot camp that will guide up to 20 Malaysia-based growth-stage entrepreneurs on fundraising methods and strategies through venture capital, private equity, and equity crowdfunding (ECF).
1337 Ventures and Leet Capital explained that the boot camp will cover stakeholder mapping, go-to-market strategy, financial modelling, marketing, pitching, and other topics necessary for launching a successful ECF campaign and fundraising exercises.
The culmination of the boot camp sees the top three companies gaining an exclusive opportunity to showcase their potential at Leet Angel Club – a strictly invite-only gathering of discerning angels and sophisticated investors, curated by Leet Capital.
Bikesh Lakhmichand, founder of 1337 Ventures, explains trends he has seen when SMEs look for fundraising: “In the journey of fundraising, many SME entrepreneurs hit a wall when it comes to building solid financial models, crafting a bulletproof fundraising strategy, or nailing a killer pitch. That’s a real concern.
“Our local Malaysian businesses aren’t short of potential, they just need the right pointers to understand the fundraising landscape. And yes, learning to pitch effectively to investors is a game-changer that many are missing out on in their capital raising efforts.”
In 2022, the ECF Accelerator programme had two successful cohorts. QMED Asia, the winner of the first cohort, raised over RM5 million in ECF from 110 investors on Leet Capital.
Arus Oil, from cohort 2, was recently invested in by Shell as an initiative to encourage Malaysians to recycle their used cooking oil and continue to provide cleaner and sustainable energy solutions.
Cohort 3 begins in August 2023 and will begin 4 August 2023. Registration for interested Malaysian SMEs and pre-IPO companies closes on 28 July.
