By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Aug 14: The Sarawak Business Angel Network (SBAN) and Malaysian Business Angel Network (MBAN) today inked a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to connect Sarawak’s investor community with national and regional networks, expand access to quality deal flow, and share best practices in angel investing.
The MoA was signed by SBAN chairman Dato Patrick Liew and MBAN president Peter Wee, with Deputy Minister for Youth, Sport and Entrepreneur Development II Datuk Dr Ripin Lamat, along with representatives from Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC) and Cradle, witnessing the ceremony.
In a speech delivered on behalf of Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Dr Ripin said the formation of SBAN marks Sarawak’s declaration to grow its own community of angel investors who invest in people, ideas, and the State’s future, as well as to help Sarawakian innovations scale beyond the State’s borders.
“With the formation of SBAN, Sarawak is making a bold declaration: We are ready to grow our own community of angel investors—individuals who are not just investing in businesses, but in people, ideas, and the future of our State.
“We want to see Sarawakian startups backed by Sarawakian investors. We want to see Sarawak-born innovations scale beyond our shores,” he said during the official launch of SBAN held at Makeramai Makerspace, Plaza Merdeka.
He called on investors to look beyond financial returns and also consider “return on impact” in supporting rural entrepreneurs, women-led ventures, Indigenous innovators, and new generations of changemakers.
To startups, he urged them to dream boldly, tackle real problems, and build with purpose and integrity, assuring them that SBAN would provide a growing network of support.
An initiative by SDEC, SBAN aims to strengthen Sarawak’s early-stage investment ecosystem and accelerate the region’s innovation-driven economy.
Also present were SDEC chief executive officer Dato Ir Ts Sudarnoto Osman, Cradle group chief executive officer Norman Matthieu Vanhaecke, as well as SBAN committee members and MBAN Council members. — DayakDaily
