#Asia 10 cool startups that caught our eye at MaGIC’s inaugural demo day

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Fifty startups from the MaGIC Accelerator Programme (MAP) pitched their ideas to 150 international investors at MaGIC’s hub in Cyberjaya

MaGIC Demo Day 1

The Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC), launched in 2014, held its first Demo Day marking its four-month inaugural MaGIC Accelerator Programme (MAP) in its hub at Cyberjaya on Monday.

As many as 50 regional startups across all verticals (though a good portion of them are into e-commerce) pitched their business models to around 150 international angel investors and VCs.

According to MaGIC, about half of the investors are local, while the rest hail from 20 countries such as Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, India and China, as well as the US.

Also Read: The Malaysian tech ecosystem is blooming; here’s what it looks like

Cheryl Yeoh, CEO of MaGIC, believes that MAP has prepared its startups for the daunting task of showcasing their products to a room packed with potential investors.

“The whole point of demo day is that after four months of growing the company, they are now ready to raise money through private capital, not just government grants. So the goal is that six months from now, we hope to see at least 20 per cent of our companies raise funding. Some of them have already started raising funding… Hopefully, we can hit 50 per cent,” said Yeoh.

One example of this is Bloomthis,  a Malaysia-based e-commerce flower delivery service (similar to a US-based startup with an identical-sounding name Bloomthat). It recently raised an undisclosed amount from 500 Startups.

Also Read: In videos: Meet 15 startups who came to Echelon Malaysia

Here is a sneak peek at 10 startups that caught our attention.

1.Door2DoorDoctor

It offered free health screenings during the demo day. Epic win!

It offered free health screenings during the demo day. Epic win!

This Malaysia-based startup wants to simplify and quicken the process of getting medical care. Using mobile health technology and logistic solutions, Door2DoorDoctor is an online outpatient healthcare platform where patients can request for doctor house calls, home nursing, home physiotherapy or transport to medical centres around the clock. Founded by Dr Prathaban Raju, who also sits as CEO, the startup has served more than 1,200 patients since its launch in January this year.

2.DF Automation & Robotics

The coolest contraceptions sometimes come in the most unassuming forms.

The coolest contraptions sometimes come in the most unassuming forms.

The Malaysia-based IoT startup has created an industrial mobile robot that aims to reduce reliance on manual labour to transport heavy goods. Using pre-programmed routes and tracks, DF Automation & Robotics’ robot is able to perform tasks such as transporting heavy trolleys in manufacturing plants.

3.BorderPass

BorderPass

Another IoT startup based in Malaysia, BorderPass wants to facilitate travel among ASEAN tourists in the region by replacing paper immigration papers with online profiles.

Each ASEAN traveller’s profile is first cleared by the respective destination governments. After that, tourists can then skip the immigration queue and enter through the BorderPass automated gate upon arrival.

BorderPass 1

BorderPass has already raised US$150,000 from the Malaysian government and has garnered interest from four other countries in the region.

4. TaniMac

All four of them are brothers

All four of them are brothers

Like DF Automation & Robotics, Tanimac aims to ease the hassle of manual labour.

Its focus? Farmers across all countries.

The Malaysia-based startup enables farmers to do away with laborious conventional seeding methods, which can take up to 20 minutes per seed tray, by using a vacuum seeding device.

Just pour seeds into it and shake it, and they will be evenly spread. Farmers then press the device into soil, allowing the seeds to be planted. This process takes only a minute.

Also Read: Startup in Spotlight: How dengue helped create Malaysia’s BookDoc

While they are other seeding planting tools in the market, Tanimac claims that its product is both more efficient and cheaper. It retails for RM 899 (US$205), which is substantially lower than its direct competitor, which is priced at RM 24,000 (US$5,480).

5. IslamicTunes

IslamicTunes

Islamic e-commerce is a burgeoning market. Muslim e-commerce took in US$4.8 billion in 2013.

Malaysia-based startup IslamicTunes wants to leverage on e-commerce to modernise “Halal” entertainment. Its B2B2C platform aims to be a “one-stop location for those seeking Islamic music, video, movie and books.”

It also has a social element to it, allowing content creators and consumers to collaborate and interact with each other.

It is seeking to launch apps for the Indonesian and Malaysian market and also has partnerships with record labels in the US, Germany and Malaysia.

6. Printcious.com

In case you didn't notice, the Co-founders are twins

In case you didn’t notice, the Co-founders are twins

Malaysia-based B2C platform Printcious allows you to customise gifts such as t-shirts, mugs, smartphone cases by adding your own design, photos or messages. Designers can also submit their own designs and earn commissions when customers purchase gifts with their designs

7.PLink

Plink

Philippines-based startup PLink‘s Founder Jim Zandueta, spurred by the frequent blackouts caused by the lack of sufficient electricity in his hometown in the Philippines, wants to help people manage energy efficiently.

PLink short for (Power Link) is an energy management and monitoring system designed to help reduce energy costs in homes and businesses. The IoT device connects to user’s smartphone and appliances, allowing them to monitor energy usage remotely.

8. Gamurai

VEON Gamurai

Singapore-based startup Gamurai wants to disrupt the hairstyling industry, and save you from a bad haircut, with its SaaS platform.

Its VEON@Hair Experience is a modelling software that allows you to try out different hairstyles through a 3D avatar. The software also helps hair salons manage their business operations.

9. Katsana

Katsana

When Syed Ahmad Fuqaha, Managing Director of Malaysia-based startup Katsana took the stage, he had a sombre message for the audience – Malaysia has one of the highest number of car accidents in the world. To add insult to injury, it is ranked sixth in the world when it comes to the rate of vehicular theft incidents.

To tackle, this pain point, Katsana is offering an advanced GPS tracking system for vehicles called Katsana Insight. It allows you to monitor and track your vehicle easily via a smartphone app. Katsana claims that it has recovered 97.8 percent of stolen cars that used its GPS system.

In addition, it also wants to enable  insurance companies to carry out more accurate driver risk assessments by leveraging on its location information.

10. SPOTNews

SPOTNews

Malaysia-based SPOTNews is an app that allows users to personalise news feeds similar to Flipboard. It, however, has a strong focus on domestic and regional news channels and feeds such as Berita Harian and the New Straits Times. It aims to release an app for each country in Southeast Asia.

SPOTNews has received considerable traction, with an average of 75,000 users reading a total of 5 million articles per month. Its existing investors include Douglas Khoo, Co-founder of Qunar, CC Puan, Co-founder of P1 WiMax, and regional VC firms, Golden Gate Ventures and Segnel Ventures.

Also Read: What is the Malaysian e-commerce market size in 2015

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