The team from Cradle Fund led by Razif (back row, fifth left) and iCube team led by chairman Dato Patrick Liew (back row, sixth left) in a photo call with some of the participants.
KUCHING: Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd, an agency incorporated under Ministry of Finance, is reaching out to young entrepreneurs in Sarawak to apply for its funding in order to help their business start-ups grow.
Its acting chief executive officer Razif Abdul Aziz said the agency believes there are a lot of potential in Sarawakian entrepreneurs and that was why the agency came to the state capital to hold its first ever open day programme here.
The programme in collaboration with iCube Innovation Sdn Bhd attracted a sizeable crowd of young entrepreneurs.
It was held at a newly completed wing at iCube’s premises called The Space.
Razif explained that following its portfolio expansion to equity investment in early 2017, Cradle now offers both funding and investment assistance.
Cradle Fund’s product offerings are not only restricted to monetary aid, but also include commercialisation support, coaching and various other value-added services to cater to today’s entrepreneurs’ diversified needs.
Having more than a decade of experience in the nation’s grant funding scene, he said Cradle has further expanded its role from grant provider to investor through the establishment of its venture arm, Cradle Seed Ventures in 2015.
Meanwhile, the participants were happy to take part and learn more about what Cradle Fund has to offer. Trasso Sdn Bhd co-founder Nicholas Chee said it was a fantastic and eventful collaboration between Cradle and iCube to foster the growth of entrepreneurial ecosystems in Sarawak.
Trasso is the developer of Sarawak’s first mobile application that connects customers with repairmen known as i-fix, which had its soft opening recently.
“From a riveting panel discussion with our local experts to a wonderful discussion with members from Cradle and other attendees, we hope to see you all again soon,” Chee said.