By Danial Dzulkifly
SHAH ALAM, March 6 — Selangor is actively working towards producing and nurturing additional unicorn companies across diverse industries in the state, mirroring the success of online used-car platform Carsome.
State executive councillor for trade and investment Ng Sze Han said this effort can help drive Selangor’s economic growth further forward.
Speaking at the State Legislative Assembly, he said the state administration is dedicated to offering support through various programmes and schemes to startups showing promise for growth and advancement.
“We remain fully committed to supporting startups across all sectors, prioritising companies within the state that exhibit potential for expansion and maturation.
“For instance, Selangor boasts the country’s only unicorn company, Carsome, which is headquartered in the state.
“This company stands as a source of pride for Selangor, and the state is committed to assisting more startups in realising their potential and achieving international success, subsequently attaining unicorn status,” he said today.
He was responding to a supplementary question by Kampung Tunku assemblyman Lim Yi Wei regarding the state government’s initiatives to identify and support startups in Selangor and groom them into unicorn companies.
Earlier, Ng said Selangor has implemented various initiatives to foster a robust startup ecosystem in the state.
Among them are programmes such as the Selangor Xccelerator Programme (ECX) and the Selangor Accelerator Programme (SAP), which are designed to facilitate business enhancement for the startup community.
This year’s SAP is scheduled to take place for four months from June to October 2024.
While the programme is open for registration to all startup companies, only 50 will be selected, with 20 to be shortlisted for a presentation session — expected to be held in October — before 10 winners are chosen.
Ng said other initiatives include the provision of co-working spaces, incubator centres, and digital innovation spaces; digital training and education through the Selangor Digital School (SDS); and collaboration with the private sector.
