PlaTCOM Innozine Issue 5

July - September 2014

01www.platcomventures.com

July - September 2014

PlaTCOM Ventures Sdn Bhd (1079744-P)Editor : Dr. Viraj PereraAdvisor : Biruntha Mooruthi

Subscriptions: PlaTCOM Ventures Sdn Bhd, 3501, Level 3, Quill Building 3, Jalan Teknokrat 5, 63000 Cyberjaya,MalaysiaE-mail: [email protected]: (603) 8319 3116 / Fax: (603) 8319 3499www.innovation.my

Publishing Consultant:

LexisNexis Malaysia Sdn BhdT1-6, Jaya 33, 3, Jalan SemangatSeksyen 13, 46200 Petaling JayaSelangor Darul Ehsan MalaysiaTel: (603) 7882 3500 / Fax: (603) 7882 3506

Commercial Director, Southeast AsiaAmitabh SrivastavaManaging Editor, Southeast AsiaAnnie YeohSenior Legal EditorJasmine Halili

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PlaTCOM InnoZine is the official publication of PlaTCOM Ventures, published quarterly in collaboration with LexisNexis Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

This newsletter is written as a general guide only. It is not intended to contain definitive legal advice, which should be sought as appropriate in relation to any particular matter. The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the authors are theirs alone, and do not reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of PlaTCOM Ventures or any employee thereof. All users are permitted to view the content of this newsletter, without prejudice to the intellectual property rights belonging to PlaTCOM Ventures. However, any unauthorised reproduction, duplication, transmission or alteration, in any form or by any means, whether in part or in whole, of this newsletter, is strictly prohibited. PlaTCOM Ventures also prohibits the use of this newsletter and all or any of its contents herein, for commercial and/or personal gain, profit or sale.

© 2016 All rights reserved.

Enquiries on advertising:Kajendran Arumugam – [email protected]

Article contribution:PlaTCOM Ventures welcomes letters, articles, views and news (including photographs) for possible inclusion in this newsletter. However, PlaTCOM Ventures reserves the right not to publish or to edit those published for content, clarity, style and space considerations. Contributions and enquiries may be directed to [email protected].

ContentsAbout PlaTCOM 02

From the Editor In-Chief 03

Lifestyle

What’s the point of patenting, if…? 05The Basic Marketing Know-How for Start-Ups 07

Technology Transfer: Lets Look Beyond Bottom Line, Shall We? 09

4 minutes to attract your dream investor 11

Alcohol in Food, Beverage, Fragrance and Medicine 13

Cover Story

SME 100: Awarding Malaysia’s Fast Moving Companies 15

Hot Picks

A Flat Jack System for Static Pile Load Test 18

Slidable Wheelchair 20

BioApps: Prosthetic & Orthotic Services 21

Fetal Heart Rate Detection Using a Non-Invasive Optical Technique 22

Dragon Fruit Plant As CoagulantsIn Latex Concentrated Waste Water 23

Events

Event Reporting: Training on Technology Transfer and Commercialisation (2015Q3)

24

The Gladiator’s Pitch Unearthed at IMC 2015 25

My Story

Interview with Mr. Liew Chung Peng from Eclimo Sdn Bhd 27

Editor’s Message


Volume 5/January 2016Volume 5/January 2016July - September 2014

From the Editor In-Chief

Recently I had a relative of mine asking me why business innovation is important. This very question led me to writing a few words as to why it is important in today’s fast paced business environment. There are several reasons why the generation of new ideas can be critical to your business’s success. Although every organisation will have its own priorities and sector-specific issues to balance, businesses that fail to innovate run the risk of losing ground to competitors, losing talented employees, or simply continuing to operate inefficiently. Innovation can be a key differentiator between market leaders and market followers.

Innovation can help you discover what opportunities exist now, or are likely to emerge in the short, medium or in the long run. Successful businesses not only respond to their current customer or organisational needs but often anticipate future trends and develop an idea, product or service that allows them to meet this future demand rapidly and effectively. Innovation will help you stay ahead of your competition as markets, technologies or trends shift. All organisations should include innovation as a key part of their overall business plan.

Innovation is not only about designing a new product or service to sell, but can also focus on existing business processes and practices to improve efficiency or productivity, find new customers, cut down on waste and increase profits. Constantly innovating and improving business practices is also likely to help you attract better

staff members and retain more of your existing staff, something that is crucial to the long-term health and performance of your business.

Consumers often see innovation as something that adds value to a company or to its products or services. Implemented strategically, innovation can give you a commercial advantage, especially in saturated or rapidly shifting markets. Your customers may even be willing to pay more for your well-designed, novel and innovative product or service, rather than choosing a cheaper, but less exciting rival.

The aim of PlaTCOM InnoZine is to offer a lifestyle magazine for innovative businesses and knowledge creators such as universities, research institutes and a variety of other organisations that businesses rely on in attracting new knowledge, new technology and expertise to innovate. In this respect we strive to entertain our readers with articles relating to “Innovation Lifestyle” while also providing technology “Hot Picks” for relevant businesses to consider engulfing. The “Events” section reveals recent events in the innovation and commercialisation space. The interviews section portrays discussions with distinguished innovators from academia and industry with regards to their inventions.

I would like to convey a few words of thanks; I must say that PlaTCOM Ventures is an inspiring collaboration between Agensi Inovasi Malaysia (AIM) and SME Corporation Malaysia (SME Corp). As such, I first want to acknowledge our collaborator SME Corporation Malaysia and would like to convey my heartfelt thanks to Dato’ Hafsah Hashim (CEO, SME Corp) and Ms. Karunajothi Kandasamy (Deputy CEO II, SME Corp) for their incredible support and encouragement. I am also very grateful to Mr. Mark Rozario (CEO, AIM) and Mr. Naser Jaafar (COO, AIM) for their insightful guidance, support and leadership in making PlaTCOM Ventures – and hence PlaTCOM InnoZine - a reality. Furthermore, thanks to our writers and to you, all our readers, for making it all real.

I welcome you to the fifth issue of PlaTCOM InnoZine and I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to drop us a line anytime with your thoughts, questions, comments, and feedback at [email protected].

Dr. Viraj PereraCEO/Editor in Chief

PlaTCOMVentures Sdn Bhd

A National Brand

PlaTCOM Ventures Sdn Bhd is the national technology commercialisation platform of Malaysia. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary company of Agensi Inovasi Malaysia (AIM) formed in collaboration with SME Corporation Malaysia under one of its six High Impact Programmes (HIPs) in SME Master Plan 2012-2020.

PlaTCOM Ventures has a mission: to turn the creative ideas of our inventors and entrepreneurs into successful products and services that change the world.

PlaTCOM Ventures is designed to discover and support innovations wherever they may be, assess ideas very critically, explore them systematically, and turn the best ones into successful products and services. Rather than following traditional technology transfer models, PlaTCOM Ventures has designed a model that facilitates any segment of the entire commercialisation process (end-to-end facilitation) from idea to products and services. The whole approach will be market driven in supporting industrial innovation and competitiveness. The model is more suited to the innovation environment in

the South East Asia region in providing commercialisation support for the fledgling businesses, innovators and entrepreneurs including those from academia and public research institutes.

PlaTCOM Ventures is not just another technology commercialisation initiative. It is a company with ‘national innovation’ at its core, and with creativity running through every detail of the way it is modeled, organised and operated. It is an association of restless individuals who will settle for nothing less that being at the leading edge of technology commercialisation thriving to help inventors and entrepreneurs to achieve commercial success.

PlaTCOM Ventures model was approved for implementation in December 2013 by the National SME Development Council (NSDC) of Malaysia and the Governance Council (GC) of Agensi Inovasi Malaysia (AIM), both chaired by the YAB Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak.

02 www.platcomventures.com

Lifestyle


Volume 5/January 2016

What’s the point of Patenting, if…?

Protection of intellectual property (IP) is of utmost importance regardless of whether you are an inventor, entrepreneur, investor or even a country aspiring to transforming the nation into a knowledge-led economy.

A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention. In other words, a patent is an exclusive right to a product or a process that generally provides a new way of doing something, or offers a new technical solution to a problem. To get a patent, technical information about the invention must be disclosed to the public in a patent application.

Protection of IP via patents confer the IP owner with a 20 year monopoly period during which a copycat has no legal right to commercially make, use, distribute, import, or sell in the countries where the IP is protected without

the patent owner’s consent. However, the patent owner may give permission to, or license, other parties to use the invention on mutually agreed terms. The owner may also sell the right to the invention to someone else, who will then become the new owner of the patent. We call this IP transfer or IP assignment. Once a patent expires, the protection ends, and an invention enters the public domain after which anyone can commercially exploit the invention without infringing the patent.

The patent filing process usually involves three steps; namely, searching, drafting and filing. A patent agent usually conducts the patent search to determine the novelty, inventiveness and industry applicability of the invention – the so called ‘patentability criteria’. However, these searches although typically look for similar inventions that have been protected or described

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP)Stepping up the game

At PlaTCOM we help you to strategise your innovation by providing you a complete IP service and advisory

IP Audit & Landscape Analysis

An IP audit will help you to capitalise on the potential benefits of your IP assets and extract their full value. PlaTCOM reviews IPR portfolios identifying the relevant IPR, assessing its ownership, status and/or validity and highlightingany gaps in protection.

Patent Search & Prosecution

At PlaTCOM Ventures, we handle the entire patent prosecution process with attention to detail and sheer dedication.We advise on the most appropriate way of providing our clients with cost-effective clearance for the new product or process development.

Trademarks

PlaTCOM advises you on the suitability of your trademark as well as the most cost effective strategy to protect your trademark in Malaysia and around the world. Our Trademark Specialists are well versed with practice deals in all aspectsof trademark work.

Industrial Designs

A copyright does not protect ideas; rather it is the representation of those ideas that are protected. We advise our clientson documenting and identifying their copyrighted works and their ownership to strengthen our clients’ position in the event of a dispute in the future. Our team is experienced in handling copyright issues in all fields of creative endeavour.

Copyright

We can advise you on all design matters, whether you require advice on the potential bene�ts of registering your design, the likelihood of obtaining protection for your design or indeed if you have a concern about registered design infringement, we are here to assist you.

Trade Secret

A trade secret is basically any know-how that is unique and valuable to your business but is not known to people outside of your business. There are two sets of agreements associated with the transfer of a know-how agreement:(a) the disclosure; and, (b) the non-disclosure agreements, which are not separate parts of the principal know-how agreement. Our experts provide advice in safeguarding your trade secrets and guiding you through the process.

PlaTCOM Ventures Sdn Bhd (1079744-P)3501, Level 3, Quill Building 3, Jalan Teknokrat 5, 63000 Cyberjaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, MalaysiaTel: +603 8319 3116 Fax: +603 8319 3499Email: [email protected]

In collaboration with

Lifestyle Lifestyle

06 07www.platcomventures.com www.platcomventures.com

Volume 5/January 2016 Volume 5/January 2016

Start-up marketing is an intricate science. Some great ideas have failed whilst other great ideas have spiralled to billion dollar fame. Unfortunately, the “build it and they will come” theory doesn’t hold much weight and those overnight success stories you hear about are often the result of behind the years of hard work. Start-up marketing is a unique challenge often times because of the limited resources, whether it’s time, money or talent.

The secret to start-up marketing is the combination of right marketing channels with proper planning and execution. Before you jump into marketing your start-up, make sure you have the following bases covered.

Selecting a Market

It is common for start-up founders to believe the whole world will love their products. After all, founders eat, sleep and breathe their products. The reality is that only a small portion of the population is interested in your product. Marketing your start-up to everyone may not be the right approach. The key is to identify a niche target market and promote it aggressively. There are four main factors to consider your market:

Dr Viraj PereraChief Executive OfficerPlaTCOM Ventures Sdn BhdE-mail: [email protected]

The Basic Marketing Know-How for Start-Ups

1. Market Size - Are you targeting a regional demographic? Male? Children? Know exactly how many potential customers are in your target market.

2. Affluence - Does this market have the money to spend on your product?

3. Competition - Is the market saturated? Who are your competitors

4. Value Proposition - Is your value proposition unique enough?

Branding

Most start-ups consider bringing a marketing function on board is a very late stage in the company’s and product’s life cycle. There’s much evidence suggesting that lack of marketing input is one of the main reasons start-ups fail. An effective logo and brand design for a start-up business is vital to its success. A well-crafted, concept driven logo that reflects the business’s core values, key messages, its target market and services. Most Malaysian start-ups tend to skimp on the design of their website. This is a big mistake as your website represents your company. It is your product and reputation. Designing a good website is essential to sell your business. The content creation and message on this platform should be clear, concise and engaging. In addition to building your website, remember to have a good analytics tool. Marketing collaterals should have consistency in terms of design, colour logos, taglines and essential information of the product or business.

Setting a Budget

Start-ups usually perceive marketing as a waste of money and effort. This is simply because start-up founders usually come from a technical background, and they don’t always see the value of marketing. They don’t understand or “speak” marketing and as a result, they don’t like dealing with it. Allocating a budget for marketing activities is crucial for a start-up. It is reported while inbound marketing leads cost 61% less than outbound marketing leads, they are not free. Set a budget early in the game and accept that limitation. More importantly, start-ups must carefully plan to divide that budget.

in the public domain (called ‘prior art’), the searches do not reveal if the invention under consideration is commercially viable. This is one of the notorious gaps in the patent filing process where the patent strategy (or the IP protection strategy) is not directly aligned with the commercialisation strategy.

The sole reason for filing a patent is to protect IP of ‘value’. The question is ‘What’s the point of patenting an innovation if it’s not aligned with commercialisation of the said patent?’. Patenting itself does not create value to the IP owner but translating that IP into commercial reality or any other means to derive value creates wealth and impact. In other words, one’s patent strategy must align with their commercial strategy prior to making the filing decision.

Who is supposed to (or have the right skills and resources to) conduct the patent searches as well as determine their commercial viability? Should it be the IP owner, the technology transfer manager (if the IP owner is a university or a research organisation), the patent agent or the national intellectual property office (NIPO)? Prior to answering this question let us have a look at what resources are needed in order to conduct a meaningful patent search as well as a sensible commercial appraisal. Access to a good patent search database with analytics is essential to conduct a meaningful patent search. Further, searching patents is a skilled art and multiple methodologies can be used just like there is more than one way to skin a cat. In order to conduct a sensible commercial appraisal, one needs to have had developed the skills in doing so and must have access to privileged market information that can be obtained via market research databases, facts and figures from reputable sources on the internet and also through subject matter experts and industry networks and links. The party conducting both the patent search and the commercial appraisal must be able to align the patent strategy with commercial strategy. This is yet another skill that is required in the process.

As is evident from the above, most IP owners may not have the required skills, access to the right databases (which are expensive subscription services), and the right experts and industry links especially for conducting a meaningful commercial appraisal. Most technology transfer offices of universities across the word are under-resourced and do not have access to the right skilled individuals (that is, skilled technology transfer managers) and the information resources required. Patent agents conduct patent searches but do not conduct commercial appraisals due to the lack of the required skills and this activity is also beyond their scope of IP protection work.

The alignment of IP protection with commercial strategy is also beyond the scope of the NIPO since its primary function is to design, implement and regulate the national intellectual property laws. Although, a NIPO would conduct patent searches, its primary function does not provide commercial appraisals to align patent strategy with its commercialisation strategy.

So who should conduct such alignment of IP strategy with commercialisation strategy? For this, skilled individuals who are well versed in both patent searches and commercial appraisals who also have access to the right resources (patent and market research databases, subject matter experts and good industry linkages and networks) would be able to do a decent job. Such pre-patent-filing alignment is crucial to maximise the likelihood of deriving value from the patent being filed. The process will also reveal whether there is commercial ‘legs’ to the opportunity and if this is not the case, the IP owners would save themselves time and money they would have otherwise wasted on a worthless patent.

Lifestyle Lifestyle



Social Media

Social media is one of the best ways to promote your content and reach influencers. Since a great content promotion plan brings potential customers to your website and influencing the influencer can generate thousands of new leads, social media is invaluable to start-ups. Start-ups tend to choose the social media networks they engage on without much strategy. The two most common mistakes are trying to master every network and trying to master certain networks just because the competition is doing it. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram, are some of the most popular social networks today. All of them can be good content promotion tools, but they all have unique characteristics. Each social network ‘works’ differently, as in, how the community takes, interprets and digests your sharing and content varies.

Craft Meaningful Positioning Statements

Much like a great elevator pitch should lie in the mind of any entrepreneur, an engaging positioning statement is vital. Start by identifying what the product is and how it will affect others. Think of the product as the solution created to solve a worldwide problem. This is an important measure to remember when marketing and selling the product. Don’t think of it as selling a product. Think of it as solving a problem. Positioning statements are used to market the product and pitch it to the media. To ensure success, it is important that these statements not only articulate what the product is capable of, but that they clearly describe its value proposition as well.

Biruntha MooruthiVice President,Commercialisation SpecialistHead of IP Services, Registered Patent, Trademark, ID AgentPlaTCOM Ventures Sdn BhdE-mail: [email protected]

No technology transfer office, even the best in the field, can ever predict the exact monetary impact of technology transfer efforts in the short term. One hard fact remains, the bulk of technology transfer’s financial impacts are low-amplitude and takes place over a long period to materialise. However, only minority of the stakeholders fully understood the nature of this game, which resulted a glaring critique of the university technology transfer office. That critique is founded upon the fact that many university technology transfer offices fail to bring in enough funding through licensing or other activities to cover their own costs let alone make money for the university. In Malaysia, technology transfer offices (and really, the administrators above them) have been too focused on using revenue generated as a metric for success or even as the core justification for their very own existence within university. Casting a short-sighted vision on a long haul undertaking of technology transfer is certainly lethal.

Technology Transfer: Let’s Look Beyond Bottom Line, Shall We?

Indeed, only a handful of universities around the world appear to make substantial amounts of revenue from technology transfer. It took those institutions years of investment to achieve their sustainability and generate returns. Few took less than 10 years; some took more than that period to mature depending on the culture, innovation ecosystem, government initiatives etc. Benchmarking, learning and emulating best practises from those success institutions are definitely the right way forward. However, the real precursor of success depends on the willingness to persevere and constant adaptation in fine-tuning the best approach. Constructing a new structure, building up teams and creating effective frameworks take enormous amount of time, effort and resources. Unrealistic expectations on the return of investment, especially within a short timeline often cast shadow of doubts on the continuity of any initiatives. Time is needed to allow Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio to mature; it is unlikely for any license agreement to yield significant return for the first few years. Regularly, university technology transfer offices are required to justify their performance, metrics such as potential revenue generation, invention disclosures, patents granted, patents applied for, patents licensed, number of start-ups and other traditional metrics still have some place in the game. Nevertheless, beyond all the numbers, what are real impacts and benefits of university technology transfer?

Universities’ general mission has always been to ensure public good. Multi million investments in blockbuster research were all justified based on this fundamental value. We truly believe in the roles of university to generate knowledge new discoveries but often, we forgotten the process how those research outputs are being disseminated to the society. Technology transfer is the missing or rather neglected link that enables university to fulfil its larger missions in addressing social, economic, medical, environmental, or technical problems, which ultimately improve the quality of life of human beings. It encourages the use of inventions developed using taxpayer money to benefit society and demonstrates research relevancy and values. The quality of life improved at a global scale is beyond any royalty number can express.

Reach Out to Journalists

Engagement with journalists prior to reaching out is key. This is something not many Malaysian start-ups do. Start-ups should request to send information on a story that may interest them prior to meeting to the writers. Writers may decline, but by continuing to build on the relationship created positively, you could potentially convince them to accept in the future.

Engage with your customer

Too many start-ups focus on the problem instead of the solution. This is because founders design a solution for the problem, which makes the problem a founder’s first love. Unfortunately, it’s the solution that appeals to potential customers. Start-up marketing is all about the customer and establishing an authentic relationship. Having a relatable story to tell is a boost. Apart from social media, choose the right marketing channels such as newspaper, TV, radio broadcast or magazines to relate to your target audiences.

Use Your Resources Well

Your team is one of your biggest marketing tools. Their passion for what your start-up is doing is called evangelism. Send them out into the world to tell your start-up’s story to anyone they meet. Create the buzz from a trending topic by writing a blog post on it or creating a video about it. Run a contest to drum up some hype. Be sure you are not overlooking any marketing resources, big or small.

Lifestyle Lifestyle



In healthcare for instance, the significance of transferring technologies for medicines and vaccines is well recognised by World Health Organization (WHO). This was reflected clearly in the WHO’s Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property Rights (GSPoA). Millions if not Billions have been invested in medical research and the returns can only be generated through effective technology transfer mechanism. This initiative is responsible for promoting innovation in the discovery, development, production and delivery of essential health technologies. It calls for the promotion of transfer of technology and production of health products in developing countries through identification of best practices, and investment and capacity building provided by developed and developing countries where appropriate. A good publication by International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) entitled, “Technology Transfer: a Collaborative Approach to Improve Global Health”, gave a good example of 50 successful pharmaceutical technology transfers carried out around the world. The greater impact of technology transfer in healthcare is also evidently demonstrated in IFPMA’s strong track record of sustaining programs to improve the health of patients in low and middle income countries, by strengthening local healthcare capacity, by educating patients and populations at risk, and by conducting research and development (R&D) in diseases of the developing world. Obviously, sufficient time and confident have been invested on these initiatives for them to generate the envisaged benefits. Can all this be quantify is strict dollar and cents? It can to a certain extend but never a fair representation.

Apart from healthcare sector, the transfer of advanced technology is essential for the economic development

of any country regardless of its status (low, medium or high income nation). In this era of open innovation, the boundaries between a firm and its environment have become more permeable; innovations can easily transfer inward and outward. Technology advancement is no longer limited to the expertise or R&D residing within the four walls of a company. Companies cannot afford to rely entirely on their own research, but should instead acquire processes or inventions (i.e. patents, trade secret, know-how etc.) from other companies. If we look from a country perspective, technology transfer is one means by which low- and middle-income countries can accelerate the acquisition of knowledge, experience and technology related to advanced, innovative industrial products and processes. Local SMEs can leverage universities as their research powerhouse to acquire their much needed knowledge and technology at fraction of the investment. The value of this process in once again cannot be extracted to a single monetary figure. At a macro level, it has been credited with the potential to increase the reliability of supply and decrease reliance on imports; raise the competence of the local workforce; and reverse the “brain drain” from low and middle-income countries, by increasing local “high-tech” employment opportunities. These are all the problems very close to home, a very good food for thought indeed.

In summary, creating a conducive technology transfer ecosystem is indeed a mammoth task but once all elements are aligned, technology transfer can be truly transformational. No single party can do it alone, the technology transfer profession must continue to communicate the many benefits of technology transfer and work collaboratively with various stakeholders to elevate technology transfer as a respected field. Perceiving technology transfer as a transaction is fundamentally flawed, viewing it as a long term collaboration is more likely the way forward. Distilling a numerical direct return on investment for technology transfer is complex and near impossible if all the tangible and intangible benefits are considered. Overemphasize on this matric might have an adverse effect on any technology transfer initiatives. It cannot be denied that individuals, businesses and communities stand to benefit directly or indirectly from a vibrant technology transfer ecosystem. Technology transfer must be understood beyond the simple bottom line.

Dr. Ng Sing KweiManager, Commercialisation SpecialistPlaTCOM Ventures Sdn BhdE-mail: [email protected]

Imagine you are at a speed dating event and you are sitting in front of your dream partner. He/she is the perfect looking person possessing all the traits you are looking for in your ideal partner. You can already see yourself in the arms of this person and having the romantic affair you have always wanted. Then suddenly the bell rings and you know that this is your chance to impress the person in front of you in the next 4 minutes.

You have practised your pitch to sell yourself almost 10 times before, and you are confident that you can deliver it

4 Minutes to Attract Your Dream Investor

smoothly again in order to leave a good first impression. However, instead of introducing yourself like you would normally do, you start to stutter and you completely forget your opening line. You look at the person in front of you and notice that he/she is not looking at you anymore and is slowly losing interest. Now you start to sweat and your heart rate increases by the second. Instead of getting back your calm, you continue to stutter some words that make absolutely no sense. That’s it. You wasted your 4 minutes. Game over.

Lifestyle Lifestyle



Maybe you have not experienced such an embarrassing situation at a speed dating event, but this may have happened when you were trying to pitch your business to a dream investor. Just like in speed dating, sometimes you only have a few minutes to grasp the attention of an investor and clinch a follow up meeting to present your business plan. It is therefore of utmost importance that you have prepared a sleek pitch and communicate your business in a crisp and clear manner. You may think that this is common sense, but I am still surprised at how poorly some entrepreneurs communicate their business pitch to investors.

So here are 5 common mistakes made by entrepreneurs pitching to investors:

1. Overemphasis of science or technology. Unless you are certain the investor is an expert in

the science or technology that you are developing, do not spend too much time talking about this. Investors are more interested to hear whether the technology works and if you are able to build a competitive advantage (such as the filing of a patent or first mover advantage) around your offering.

2. Use of jargon. This comes back to the first point. Always use

plain, layman language. My former mentor used to say that your pitch is only effective if your mother is able to understand it. Please also avoid using abbreviations as not everyone will know what it means. And you don’t want people to ponder about the meaning of the abbreviation while you are already trying to convey your next point. Once you lose your investor’s attention it is hard to get it back.

3. Underestimation of competition. Never ever say that you have no competitors

as you are guaranteed to lose people’s interest immediately. And even worse, you lose credibility in whatever you have to say after that. Your technology may be revolutionary or disruptive, but it is likely that you still face indirect competition from incumbent industry players or new start-ups. So do your homework and provide a thorough competitor analysis.

4. Poor time management and structure of the pitch.

There is nothing worse than a half-baked pitch that lacks the key points, leaving investors confused and frustrated. If you only have 4 minutes, try to

Matt van LeeuwenAssistant Vice President, Commercialisation SpecialistE-mail: [email protected]

INTRODUCTION

Alcohol is being used in foods, beverages, fragrances and medicines on a regular basis and it raises a concern among the Muslims as to whether the use of alcohol in these items are considered acceptable or Halal or it falls under the prohibited items or Haram. This article provides an insight into the topic in order to create awareness on the presence of alcohol in the aforementioned items.

DEFINITION OF ALCOHOL

Alcohol is an organic compound derived from carbon chain, hydrogen and oxygen and the formula for alcohol is R-OH, where R is hydrocarbon compound or alkyl group (CnH2n+1) and the functional hydroxyl group (OH) binds carbon atom. Examples of commonly used alcohols are ethanol, propylene glycol (1,2-propanediol), xylitol, sorbitol, glycerol, isomalt, isopropanol (2 propanol) and others. Alcohol in food labeling is known as ethanol, which is also the main component derived from fermentation.

INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS OF ALCOHOL

There are a variety of applications of alcohol across different industries. Examples of these applications are listed below according to the respective industries.

Alcohol in Food, Beverage, Fragrance and Medicine

FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY

• Best solvent• Food grade alcohol industry• Disinfectant for food preparation and manufacturing

equipment and utensils

Food cooked with wine will enhance and provide distinct and specific taste. Alcohol is also used as a preservative by lowering the pH value and gives colour and flavour to the food. The yeast present in beers may help in raising dough apart from helping in tendering meat fibers upon margination.

COSMETIC AND FRAGRANCE INDUSTRY

• Act as a medium for absorption of ingredients to skin care product

• Facilitate in dissolving fragrances and assist in removal of stringent smell upon application to skin

• Non-food grade (denatured alcohol or synthetic alcohol)

PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY• Food grade alcohol• Used in mouthwash and cough syrup• Disinfection of bacteria

cover at least the following points (i) introduction about yourself and your track record, (ii) the problem you are solving, (iii) your solution and value proposition, (iv) target market, (v) business model, and (vi) funding requirements and break-down of how you will allocate this. I am always surprised to hear when entrepreneurs fail to mention how much money they are raising as this should be the main objective of the investor pitch.

5. Treating the investor like they are from a different planet.

I have a secret for you: investors are just human beings. So if you want to get their attention, try to have a normal human to human conversation and don’t pitch like a robot. Try to relate to them by telling stories or illustrate your value proposition by giving real life examples.

At the end of the day it also comes down to practise, practise, and practise. Even the best presenters, like the late Steve Jobs, spend hours of gruelling practise on their presentations to make it seem effortless and to get their audience’s attention. Try also to grab every opportunity to pitch your business at pitching events.

Recently, PlaTCOM Ventures organised a speed pitching event in conjunction with the Innovation Malaysia Conference (IMC) where 22 local companies were selected from PlaTCOM, Cradle and CGP to pitch to a group of 45 local and international VCs and Angel investors. The entrepreneurs had 4 minutes to present their business followed by 4 minutes of Q&A. We called the event The Gladiators’ Pitch where the entrepreneurs had to pitch for their lives like real gladiators. Some of the companies did really well and secured a follow up meeting with one or more investors. The other companies had an enriching experience and received some valuable feedback.

Please contact us if you are an entrepreneur interested to pitch at one of our future pitching events or if you are an investor and want to become part of our PlaTCOM Angels Group. Don’t contact us if you are interested in speed dating though ;-).

Cover Story


Volume 5/January 2016Lifestyle



• Extraction of active ingredients• Dissolving compounds in drug formulation • Act as a preservative

ISLAMIC RULING ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL FATHWA COUNCIL

According to the Islamic Ruling (Fathwa) by the National Fathwa Council for Islamic Religious Affairs of Malaysia in July 2011, every wine contains alcohol, but not all alcohols are wine. Alcohol that is extracted from the wine making process is ruled as prohibited (Haram) and impure.

However, alcohol that is not produced through the wine making process is not ruled as impure, but is still ruled as prohibited (Haram) from being consumed in its original form as it is a poison and is potentially harmful.

In soft beverages processed or made not for the purpose of producing wine and containing alcohol lower than 1% v/v are permissible to be consumed and vice-versa.

Food and beverages containing natural alcohol such as fruits, nuts, grains or their respective juices, or alcohol that incidentally forms during the production process of certain food or beverages is not considered impure and is permissible to be consumed.

In addition, food and beverages with flavouring or colouring that contain alcohol for stabilisation purposes are permissible to be consumed provided that the alcohol is not produced from the wine making process. The quantity of such alcohol in the final product is not intoxicating and the level must not exceed 0.5% v/v.

As for medicines and perfumes which contain alcohol as a solvent are not considered as impure and are ruled as permissible provided such alcohol is not extracted from wine making process.

Izham Shah Datuk Arif ShahCommercialisation Specialist, Halal Certification ConsultantPlaTCOM Ventures Sdn BhdE-mail: [email protected]

Malaysia’s bestselling business magazine, SME Magazine, became hosts to an evening of grandeur presenting an award ceremony par excellence, the SME100 Awards 2015. Often regarded as Malaysia’s Fortune 500 of small companies, the SME 100 is the annual milestone of progress for the small and medium enterprise sector. The Awards presents the top 100 industrial blue bloods that stand as the true symbol of success, as exemplars of ingenuity and inspiration!

The listing of the top 100 bestows the much deserved recognition to Malaysia’s finest companies that have stood strong and tall in the face of adversities. Year 2015 has proven to be more of a challenging year than its predecessor creating a more unpredictable economic climate; the onset of GST, the ebb and flow of politics, depreciating currencies home and abroad have placed many of the companies, even some of the top performers on testing waters. SME100 went through great lengths to analyse, scrutinize and acknowledge those companies which, despite the obstacles have achieved their goals through resilience and sheer determination.

SME 100: Awarding Malaysia’s Fast Moving Companies

Co-organized with Small and Medium Enterprises Association (SAMENTA), the SME 100 is not just an ordinary award system but one which follows a stringent world-class framework of Identification, Authentication, Recognition, Assistance, Mentoring and Globalization. Credit Bureau Malaysia of Bank Negara Malaysia was maintained as the official credit bureau in providing financial data of the participating companies while Cheng & Co Chartered Accountants were the official auditors.

Surveying 5000 SMEs in Malaysia between April and September this year, the SME team in order to ensure the quality of recipients, initiated a 100% site audit process where approximately 90% of the nominees were subjected to a physical inspection by representatives, while the remaining were scrutinized through phone interviews and detailed background checks. A total of 697 companies responded to the program, with the selection of the top 100 among the respondents based on quantitative criteria such as revenue growth and profit, and qualitative criteria such as business outlook, investment in training, and R&D efforts, to receive the SME 100 Awards.

Cover Story



“SME 100 is the most prestigious awards to recognize the fast moving small & medium enterprises with a focus on growth and resilience. From my point of view, the key differentiating factor for SME100 is the stringent selection criteria based on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, and there is quota for number of winners from the same industry grouping. In short, it is definitely not easy being selected as a winner,” said Tan Aik Keong, Director of Agmo Studio.

“Now in its seventh year, SME 100 has taken a whole life of its own. A record number of nominees each year put their names down for opportunity to be accorded the ultimate recognition for SMEs. From a single annual award for Malaysia, the SME 100 has now gone regional and sub-regional. Close to 700 SMEs, including many of last year’s entrants, submitted their entries this year. We took months to sieve through the entries, including extensive site visits to verify and interview each and every one of the nominees. The result is the identification of the true crème de la crème of SMEs in Malaysia,” said Dato’ William Ng, group publisher and editor-in-chief of SME Magazine at the award ceremony.

The ‘Telecommunications & ICT’ industry topped this list for the third consecutive year, continuing to be the largest industrial group of winners in the top SME100 listing. Though telecommunications and ICT continue to lead in an ever demanding market for computing technology, the SME100 list showcases the growing strength of SMEs in a challenging sector of oil, gas, mining and energy. Despite the volatility of the global economic markets, SMEs in Malaysia have taken all the risks in this sector and have come out ahead of the rest.

The SME 100 survey revealed that a boost in the engagement of the small and medium enterprises could significantly contribute to Malaysia’s economic growth. SMEs in Malaysia continue to grow despite global economic uncertainties and increasingly competitive markets. The data showed proof of this; among the top 100 companies, revenue grew 32.7% to an average of RM 31.8 million, while profit grew by 143.5% to an average of RM 2.25 million on the back of a recovery from the global financial crisis of 2011-2013. For a number of SME 100 winners, they acknowledged the pressing challenges that they are currently facing, but they are also hopeful of a better economic future especially with AEC and TPPA around the corner.

For the winners of the night, the SME 100 awards provided them with the recognition for their companies to move forward and achieve more. As stated by Alex Yong, CEO of Albatrozz Sdn. Bhd: “I think the potential is actually very good, the SME 100 Awards provides a platform for recognition for a company to move forward. SMEs should not only look into opportunities in the local market, they should start looking for prospects outside to widen their playing field and secure themselves.”

The black-tie evening gala that involved a grand opening ceremony, distribution of awards, exquisite haute cuisine and delightful performances ended with much splendour, making SME 100 Awards 2015 truly an evening to remember.

PlaTCOM Ventures Sdn Bhd was one of the SME 100 Awards 2015 winning companies.Photo: (from left) Biruntha Mooruthi, Vice President of PlaTCOM Ventures, Dr. Viraj Perera, CEO of PlaTCOM Ventures receiving the SME 100 awards from Datuk Dr. Abu Bakar bin Mohamad Diah, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology & Innovation and Dato’ William Ng - Group Publisher / Editor in

chief of SME Magazine

Innovation Business Opportunities Hot Picks Hot Picks Innovation Business Opportunities



SNAPSHOT

This invention presents the utilisation of flat jacks to conduct bi-directional static pile load tests on all types of piles ranging from small driven to large bored piles. This invention is by far the best compared to conventional method such as using kentledge blocks. The invention solves problems by cost saving (30 - 50%); time saving (from 10 days to 1 day in preparation); and eco-friendly green and safe.

INTRODUCTION

Piled foundation is a substructure working underneath the ground surface. End consumers don’t often pay attention to its existence when it is transferring loads from a structure to the soil or bedrock safely and as planned. However, possible shortcomings in the pile design or implementation are easy to observe when settlement occurs. Unfortunately, at this point, correcting those shortcomings are already too late or, at the very least, expensive. The static and the dynamic pile testing methods are the two main types of pile tests that are

A Flat Jack System for Static Pile Load Test

periodically used to assess the pile load capacity. The static pile load test is conducted at maintained load procedure and takes longer time than the dynamic pile load test, which is conducted at considerably faster.

Currently, there are limitations and disadvantages of pile test methods using:

a. Static Method, using kentledge blocks or anchor piles• Expensive, USD30-100 per tonne for land pile

test• Too costly for offshore pile test• Long durations, min 10 days for setup, test &

dismantle• Large setup space, not suitable for congested

sites

b. Dynamic Method, using Case Method and CAPWAP• Erroneous results in many correlation studies

published in international conferences• Low competency rate because very technical in

wave theory• Not valid for long piles especially offshore piles

This innovation is to solve limitations and disadvantages of conventional static and dynamic tests. This invention features flat jack technology with greater performance and works perfectly for all types of piles. It is cheaper & better than other technology, which is using piston jack. In addition, it is durable, versatile, mobility and easy to install.

POTENTIAL MARKET

Construction industry growth rate in 2013:• Global 4.5%• Asia 7.5%

Global output in 2013: USD 7.5 trillionGlobal market:

• North America (23% of world market)• Indonesia, China, India (30% of world market)• Europe (24% of world market)• Middle east (6% of world market)

Piling Market Value: 10% x Construction Market ValueStatic Load & Bi-directional Test: 5% of Piling Market Value

Conventional Method Flat Jack MethodExpensive EconomicalSlow and Tedious Fast and SimpleLarge Work Platform Environmental GreenLimited Test Load Unlimited Test LoadNot for Offshore Piles For All Types of PilesDangerous Safe

Dr. Ng Sing KweiManager, Commercialisation SpecialistPlaTCOM Ventures Sdn BhdE-mail: [email protected]

What’s Next?The inventor is looking for interested investors to take this product to the market

Intellectual PropertyThis product is protected by Patent




Muhammad Lofty Abd KarimAssistant Vice President,Commercialisation SpecialistPlaTCOM Ventures Sdn BhdE-mail: [email protected]

In Brief:

This is an innovative design concept with a modern and sporty look wheelchair with added features such as it can help users to be more independent. The wheelchair is design differently from the traditional wheelchair.

Background

A wheelchair is a chair fitted with wheels. The device comes in various designs allowing either manual propulsion by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand, or electric propulsion by motors. There are often handles behind the seat to allow it to be pushed by another person. Wheelchairs are used by people for whom walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, or disability. People who have difficulty sitting and walking often make use of a wheelbench. Most of the existing wheelchairs in the market require an able person to assist the disable to able to sit onto the chair as the design has few limitations.

Realizing the need for additional features such as to make it easy for the disable person to be more independent, a group of students have invented this new design that can be offered to the industry.

Slidable Wheelchair

The product has been designed to provide alternative the current product in the market. The design has special features and mechanism where users can slide the seat either left or right. Furthermore, users can also easily move or shift their body to higher levels without any help or being exposed to the risks of injuries. Other than that, the sitting design structure is improved by implementing a lifting mechanism where it can be lifted up and down

Slidable Wheelchairmore efficiently. Lastly, the added features are locking and braking system and also the swing away footrest to make the user feel comfortable when using it. The product also has a small carriage box at the back of the wheelchair for users to bring any small luggage.

Market Potential

Generally the product is part of rapidly expanding medical industries for years to come. According to Frost & Sullivan report, particularly in Asia Pacific market, the medical devices market is projected to grow at CAGR of 13.2% to $98.97 billion from 2013 to 2018. In addition, approximately 70 to 90% of medical devices are imported. Measures to reduce import by 8 to 10% toward 2018 are considered priority by most countries, including Malaysia. In 2011, the value of Malaysia’s healthcare industry is estimated at around $8.4 billion, with total expenditure on healthcare estimated at 4.75 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). Government and private funding currently account for around 55 percent and 45 percent of total health expenditure in Malaysia, respectively. There were 145 public hospitals, 2,880 health clinics, and 165 mobile health clinics nationwide. In the private sector, there were 217 private hospitals, 34 maternity and nursing homes, 36 ambulatory care centers, and 6,442 medical clinics.

In Brief:This is a new generation of prosthesis that can replace a missing body part to give valuable support to the amputees.

What is prosthetic?

A prosthetic is a device that replaces a missing body part to give support to the amputee. Prosthetic limb are basically artificial legs, hands and arms that are all classified to the following types:

i. Transtibial Prosthesis – Involves the replacement of a leg amputated below the knee

ii. Transfemoral Prosthesis – Involves the replacement of a leg amputated above the knee

iii. Transhumeral Prosthesis – Replaces an arm, amputated above the elbow

iv. Transradial Prosthesis – Replaces an arm amputated below the elbow

Prosthesis components and systems have been evolved tremendously in the recent decades to the level that amputees can even participate in the Olympic Games. However, even with key advances in prosthetic device research and development, still many amputees are reluctant to use prostheses due to various physiological and psychological problems.

BioApps Services:

Talking about conventional technology, there are various types of prosthesis available in the market. However, the application of those prostheses can be painful, most technologies are not affordable by the patients, there were also cases of mechanical system failures, donning and doffing are troublesome and noisy suspension system.

The researchers from Universiti Malaya have developed the solutions to those problems with:

i. Polyethtlene f Oam linerii. Silicone liner with shuttle lockiii. Seal-in lineriv. Magnetic Prosthetic Suspension System

The technology uses magnetic system to enhance the performance of the prosthetic device. Based on UM research, the developed technology reduces the pain during donning and doffing. These enhances the quality of life of amputees.

Market Potential:

Generally the product is part of rapidly expanding medical industries for years to come. According to Frost & Sullivan report, particularly in Asia Pacific market, the medical devices market is projected to grow at CAGR of 13.2% to $98.97 billion from 2013 to 2018. In addition, approximately 70 to 90% of medical devices are imported. Measures to reduce import by 8 to 10% toward 2018 are considered priority by most countries, including Malaysia. In 2011, the value of Malaysia’s healthcare industry is estimated at around $8.4 billion, with total expenditure on healthcare estimated at 4.75 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). Government and private funding currently account for around 55 percent and 45 percent of total health expenditure in Malaysia, respectively.

BioApps: Prosthetic & Orthotic Services

Muhammad Lofty Abd KarimAssistant Vice President,Commercialisation SpecialistPlaTCOM Ventures Sdn BhdE-mail: [email protected]




What’s Next?The inventor is looking for interested investors to take this product to the market

What’s Next?This innovative solution is market-ready and available for commercialisation via licensing.

SNAPSHOT

This innovation is a low-power, non-invasive fetal heart rate detection system. It consists of software (GUI) and hardware (fetal probe, finger probe and probe holding Velcro belt) that uses optical techniques to detect fetal heart rate through the mother’s abdomen.

TECHNOLOGY HIGHLIGHTS

• Safe and non-invasive (reducing infection risk) • Simple and low-cost • User-friendly • Re-usable probe • MRI-compatible

COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITY

Fetal Heart Rate (FHR) detection is the primary methodology for antenatal determination of a fetal well-being, assisting in identification of potential hazards such as hypoxia and distress to a fetus. Expected outcome of this early detection is to reduced risk of fetal morbidity and mortality.

Current FHR detection methods, such as Doppler Ultrasound, are being used in hospitals and other settings. Although this technology is becoming less expensive and smaller in size, it is facing challenges with accurate sensor alignment and sensitivity to motion artifacts. In addition, it requires expertise to operate it and lacks evidence on safety after long-term exposure of the fetus to ultrasound waves.

There are more than 28,000 fetal monitoring systems spread over 3,400 hospitals in the US alone. As women increasingly wait until they are older before they have children the demand for fetal monitoring is on the rise. Another potential market is for home monitoring and remote patient healthcare.

This technology has been proven in the laboratory, and underwent a successful clinical trial with 15 expectant mothers. The prototype is being tested by industry experts, and the team are now looking for industry partners able to manufacture and bring this product to market through existing distribution channels.

POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS

• Short-term and long-term FHR monitoring for high risk pregnant women

• Home-and hospital-based system• Suitable to monitor FHR in MRI environment

Fetal Heart Rate Detection Using a Non-Invasive Optical Technique

Matt van LeeuwenAssistant Vice President, Commercialisation SpecialistE-mail: [email protected]

Intellectual PropertyThis product is protected by Patent

Intellectual PropertyThe invention is protected under a patent.

Samantha LeongAssistant Vice PresidentPlaTCOM Ventures Sdn BhdE-mail: [email protected]

SNAPSHOT

This innovation presents an effective plant based natural coagulant utilising dragon fruit foliage for the treatment of concentrated latex effluent. This method offer an eco friendly option compared with ferric sulfate, a chemical coagulant.

INTRODUCTION

This innovation presents an effective plant based natural coagulant utilising dragon fruit foliage for the treatment of concentrated latex effluent. This method offer an eco friendly option compared with ferric sulfate, a chemical coagulant.

Dragon fruit is a round and often red-colored fruit with scales-like texture and is native to South American countries, which is also cultivated and heavily marketed in Southeast Asian countries. Its foliage represents a part of its overall plant system. It can be found abundantly but of no particular usage. In commercial production of the fruits, proper foliage thinning is important in achieving a good fruit size and yield

Latex effluent is one of the main byproduct from rubber processing factories in Malaysia. Currently, Malaysia is the third largest natural rubber (NR) producer in the world with total productions of natural rubber in 2011 is 996,210 tonnes for both dry and latex amounted to almost RM 13,278 million. It is estimated that in average, 20 tonnes of rubber and 410 thousand litres of effluent per day are produced by rubber factory and some reported 80 million litres of untreated rubber effluent are discharged daily into streams and rivers from the rubber processing factories in Malaysia. Untreated latex concentrate effluent comprises a large quantity of water for washing and cleaning of raw materials, small amount of uncoagulated latex, and serum (protein, carbohydrate, lipid, carotenoids, and salt). Highly contaminated water with high BOD depletes dissolved oxygen present in the water and eventually affects aquatic life.

Three main parameters were investigated, namely chemical oxygen demand (COD), suspended solids (SS), and turbidity of effluent. It is concluded that the foliage showed tremendous potential as a natural coagulant for water treatment purposes. The foliage could be used in the pretreatment stage of Malaysian latex effluent prior to secondary treatment.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES:

• Cost effective• Non-chemical and all natural based• Highly effective• Sustainable

MARKET POTENTIAL:

The total water treatment chemicals market in Southeast Asia was worth $812.2 million in 2012, with the demand from the industrial end users being the highest. Coagulants and flocculants are expected to contribute $282.5 million mainly because of the use of chemicals in treating raw water and wastewater from industries and municipalities. Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia are expected to hold the highest potential in terms of growth. Alternative technologies, such as natural based non-chemical offerings are emerging quickly and are expected to gain sufficient traction in certain end-user industries in the more developed regions as environmental awareness increases. The total water treatment chemicals market in Southeast Asia is expected to witness a CAGR of 4.3% and reach $1,087.1 million in 2019. Non-chemical alternatives will certainly gain market share as eco friendly awareness and green practices become mainstream.

Dragon Fruit Plant As CoagulantsIn Latex Concentrated Waste Water

Events Events



15th September 2015 – PlaTCOM Ventures recently conducted its last technology transfer series course for year 2015. A total of 23 participants across 14 different institutions attended the one-day training, which was held at IP Training Centre (IPTC), MYIPO in Kuala Lumpur. PlaTCOM runs series of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation Courses (basic to advanced) periodically thought the year, aimed to build up the capabilities of commercialisation professionals in the country. These series was attended by more than 150 participants across multiple Institute of Higher Learnings (IHLs), Research Institutes (RIs) & private companies in 2015.

This recent training, entitled “Advanced Technology Licensing, Part 2” dissected issues regarding Trademark, Copyright and Trade Secret licensing. Part 1 of the course, which was conducted earlier on, explored in-depth the various case studies regarding Patent licensing. All course materials were prepared based on real licensing cases conducted domestically and abroad. These advanced courses offered participants in depth knowledge on licensing by examining clause by clause a licensing agreement and all key term in a license.

Our training courses were well received by our participants and below are some of the testimonial we received.

“PlaTCOM’s short courses targeting practical issues in technology transfer hits the mark with its experienced facilitators and real life examples and case studies. Being an active part of the ecosystem gives PlaTCOM an advantage in framing the programmes. We look forward to more.”Professor Dr Rofina Yasmin Othman,Director, University Malaya Centre for Innovation & Commercialisation (UMCIC)

“The course focused exactly on what really matters in technology licensing. The trainers were friendly, extremely knowledgeable and shared every vital experience. The course organizer was very responsive and professional too. Thanks for the exceptional course”Professor Dr. Mohd Ridzuan Mokhtar, Director, Collaborative Research and Innovation Centre (CRIC), Multimedia University

“Very well organised and implemented. Trainers were excellent, combining theory and examples that enhance participants understanding. A lot of lessons learned for me, that I will definitely share with colleagues.”Ahmad Faizal bin Salleh,Deputy Director, Centre for Entrepreneurship Development, Commercialisation & Intellectual Property Management (E-CIP), University Malaysia Perlis.

As the national technology commercialisation platform of Malaysia, PlaTCOM plays a key role in training and developing our technology transfer professionals. The goal is to empower relevant parties (technology transfer managers (TTM), researchers, companies etc.) to obtain invaluable knowledge on the entire technology transfer process, from evaluating technology opportunities to negotiating licenses and forming spinout companies, and thereby to learn technology transfer best practices.

More exciting courses will be designed for 2016. Stay tuned!

For more information, please contact: [email protected]

Event Reporting: Training on Technology Transfer and Commercialisation (2015 Q3)

What can you achieve in eight minutes?

If you’re an entrepreneur, these eight minutes in the Gladiators’ Arena is life-changing and spells the make-or-break moment of the years of blood, sweat and tears put into your work.

PlaTCOM Ventures hosted The Gladiators’ Pitch at the Innovating Malaysia Conference (IMC) 2015 on 28 October at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, which involved a total of nine non-IT companies chosen to be the ‘Gladiators’ for this pitching session.

These ‘Gladiators’ pitched their ideas simultaneously, where each table consisted of a company representative to present their ideas to three to four investors seated at the table with them.

The ‘Gladiators’ were given four minutes to pitch their ideas, followed by another four minutes of Q & A between

the entrepreneurs and the investors. Once the eight minutes was up, the entrepreneurs would then move on to the next table to pitch their ideas to different investors.

The Gladiator’s Pitch Unearthed at IMC 2015

Cover Story


Volume 5/January 2016 My Story


Events



A few of the Gladiators that caught our attention:

1. Shoes with Removable Heels Christine Pamela who is the CEO of MESTRAE

Consultancy, proposed a technology that make shoes with removable heels for the modern working woman. This is something that would be beneficial and convenient for women who are constantly on the go and are not able to have 2-3 pairs of shoes with them at all times.

2. Lega Ng Zim Guan, Managing Director of Formedic

Technologies Sdn Bhd, invented a handheld medical device called Lega that clears congested

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. I always believe in “doing well by doing good”. As long as you do good, things usually fall into place. Few years back, MTDC requested for us to develop an inclusive innovation, something which can benefit the poor and from this we started working on our next innovation, Eclimo Power, following the success of our electric scooters. Eclimo Power is a Li-ion power pack.

2. Who will benefit from your technology? There is a need and demand for energy mobility for the following:i) Off-the-grid users (e.g. rural areas still vast in

Asia)ii) On-the-move users (e.g. police booths or

checkpoints, fishermen, night market operators)iii) Back-up or emergency users (e.g. natural disaster

victims, frequent power interruption victims, etc.)

3. How is it different from existing solutions? An example of existing solutions is the petrol generator. Pasar Malam operators spend a significant amount on petrol and maintenance costs. People in Sabah and Sarawak can attach a solar panel to charge up Eclimo Power, hence eliminating the petrol cost. Other benefits include low carbon emission and low noise pollution.

4. What inspired the ideation or invention of this technology? Eclimo is short for “Eco Life Mobility”. Battery cells used in our electric scooters are considered as having reached their “end of life” by users when the capacity drops to 70%. I thought of transforming this “scheduled waste” into something useful. This brought about “Eclimo Power”, a Li-ion power pack for energy mobility which can contribute to society.

lungs of mucous secretion. His five year-old son inspired the invention back in 2008 when the boy suffered from general lung disease. The invention did wonders in easing his son’s breathing, and has benefited many others.

3. Smart Street Lights Raymond Tang proposed smart street lights for

smart cities. The smart street lighting provides maximum value for utilities and cities - cutting energy costs, increasing operating efficiency and ensuring economic growth.

4. Disease-Free Fish Hatchery Not forgetting the environment-friendly idea,

Steven Lee pitched a system for disease-free fish hatchery, which is a nursery for fish that is disease resistant, free from harmful parasites and infection. Hence, breeders will be able to produce cleaner and healthier fish.

These are just a fraction of the ‘Gladiators’ who braved through many a-pitfall to enter the pitch to share their tremendous ideas. The Gladiators’ Pitch was a successful stepping-stone for these new entrepreneurs to share their ideas that has potential to enhance their growth and profitability by working together with prominent investors.

Interview with Mr. Liew Chung Peng from Eclimo Sdn Bhd

IMC 2015 OFFICIAL SPONSORS

www.innovation.my/imc2015/

Cover Story


Volume 5/January 2016My Story


About Eclimo Sdn Bhd

Eclimo Sdn Bhd is a 100% Malaysian-owned Electric Vehicle company, founded in June 2008 to champion our nation’s contributions towards sustainable energy, and unveiling the wonder of the exciting global revolution of electric vehicles.Initially embarking on green technology research and development, Eclimo soon focused its efforts on products contributing to energy sustainability, building its way towards manufacturing electric motorcycles (ES11 and EB25) and Lithium Ion battery packs (Eclimo Power).

Built on a solid foundation of engineering expertise and proprietary technology, Eclimo holds in its name, patents for non-spot welding battery pack technology and its direct-drive electric motor. Eclimo’s headquarter, which houses its Research, Development and Manufacturing facilities, is located on Penang island’s Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone. Eclimo’s Corporate & Business Centre is in Tanjung Tokong, Penang, Malaysia.

5. How did you fund your idea? The initial prototype and development was funded by funds raised from the Directors. Thanks to High Impact Programme 2 (HIP2), the project is now funded by PlaTCOM Ventures to address the gap towards commercialisation.

6. Share with us the challenges you faced when commercialising your technology. Because people in the lower income bracket form a big segment of our market, our sales package needs to be tailored in a way that does not over-burden them. Pasar Malam operators are happy to pay RM5/day to buy petrol for their generators because such payments are spread out throughout the year. As such, we offer installment options for usage of Eclimo Power.

7. From your experience, how has PlaTCOM helped to facilitate this process?PlaTCOM has a very professional team which helps inventors to value and commercialise their innovations. They provide a lot of helpful insights and assist us to go international. The funding for us to do testing and to certify the product will make us stay long in the industry especially when we enter the global market.

8. What is Eclimo’s next big move within the coming year? Eclimo targets to sell Eclimo Power to our first 1,000 Pasar Malam operators in Penang before we go nation-wide. The next customer will be the Police force, followed by rural area residents in Sabah and Sarawak.

9. What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs? “Do well by doing good”

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