By Sheeda Fathil
SHAH ALAM, Aug 5 — The state government always strives to provide the best business ecosystem to ensure entrepreneurs based in Selangor can thrive.
Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said the initiative does not only help traders but also serves to open up employment opportunities for residents in the state.
“The Selangor government is very proud of the achievements of all established and successful companies in this state,” he said in a Facebook post.
Amirudin commended two companies which received special recognition from the Selangor Information Technology and Digital Economy Corporation (Sidec) during the recent Jelajah Selangor Penyayang roadshow in Batu Caves.
They include the car e-commerce platform Carsome, recognised as a unicorn technology startup company with a total valuation of over US$1 billion (RM4.46 billion)
The company is based in Selangor and began operating in 2015, and was recognised as Malaysia’s first unicorn company in 2021.
Similarly, business-to-business wholesale platform Dropee, an alumnus of the Selangor Accelerator Programme (SAP), reached soonicorn status, a term used to refer to companies valued at US$100 million (RM445.6 million)
Previously, SAP operated by Sidec managed to attract 225 applications from start-up companies as of this June, a 36.4 per cent increase compared to 165 applications last year.
This is indicative that a growing number of start-up companies look forward to expanding their businesses, with Sidec’s help and guidance.
Since its launch in 2018, SAP, which focuses on five main areas including health technology, financial technology, smart city, green technology and agricultural technology, has managed to successfully produce 120 e-commerce entrepreneurs as of this June.