Be Tech. Be Innovative. Be Bold.

The extraordinary accomplishments that have been presented at the Top In Tech Innovation Awards 2021 were truly remarkable. As we continue to outmanoeuvre the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, companies and startups must build the "next normal".

We have seen how technology has been speeding up, especially through digital adoption and this certainly creates rapid response today, shapes the journey to the future, and sets tomorrow’s standard.

Therefore celebration of remarkable innovations shall always be in unison. This award was specially introduced to recognize all the tech-savvy innovators and give them the opportunity to open doors to new commercial possibilities.

The inaugural Top In Tech Innovation Award was brought to you by Malaysiakini and Digital News Asia, with the support from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI).

In his launching speech, YB Dato Sri Dr. Adham Baba, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) said that the recognition of the Awards to companies, agencies and individuals who bring positive socio-economic impact to society is timely as it can serve as the motivator for the industry community and others to always be mindful of innovation. This effort also complements the national development agenda based on the spirit of Keluarga Malaysia. MOSTI hopes that the winners will be able to drive their aspirations further and inspire others too.

“Driven by the technology revolution, the future of the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators has just begun. So let us create more opportunities out there for those who have the motive to invent and innovate,” added Syed Zulkifli Syed Ismail, Vice President, CEO’s office, Technology Park Malaysia said during the award opening ceremony.

“These award is very meaningful to us because we want to showcase all the outstanding contributions that the recipients have made to the community and economy through digital adoption and innovative thinking, in the midst of an unprecedented socioeconomic crisis,” Premesh Chandran, CEO of Malaysiakini said.

“Knowing that there are many leaders who have responded with courage and conviction in the face of the pandemic on leveraging technology to create positive impact, we therefore must play our role in recognising these achievements and hope the awards will inspire others to adopt a similar positive and innovative mindset,” Karamjit Singh, CEO, Digital News Asia added.

Our Special Appreciation and Gratitude to all of our Partners and Sponsors

This year’s Awards were proud to have on board our:

Innovation Partner -Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI)
Strategic Partners - MyDigital, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Malaysian Consortium of Mid-Tier Companies (MCMTC)
Digital Tech Education Partner - Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation
Tech Ecosystem Partner - Cyberview
Gold Sponsors - redONE & Dagang NeXchange Berhad
Sponsors - ICT Zone, Time dotCom, SmartMore, HSBC and Idea River Run (IRR)
Ecosystem Partners - PIKOM, SIDEC, Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC), Digital Penang, SME Malaysia, Exabytes Network, Internet Alliance and Digital Marketing Association Malaysia (DMAM)
Product Sponsor - Oppo Malaysia
Media Partners - Marketing Magazine and KiniTV

A Big Thank You to Our Amazing Lineup of Judges and Panellist

We were honoured to have a peerless group of innovative leaders from Corporate Malaysia who led the judging panel in their respective award categories:

1) For Most Promising category: Panel judges led by Dr Sivapalan Vivekarajah, Senior Partner & Co-Founder, ScaleUp Malaysia Accelerator

and the Panellist:

Dr Melissa Foo, Head, Sunway iLabs Venture
Lavinie Thiruchelvam, Founder & CEO, Babydash Sdn Bhd

2) For Best Pivot category: Panel judges led by Joel Neoh, Co-Founder, Fave

and the Panellist:

Lennise Ng, CEO & Co-Founder, Dropee
Jason Tan Yik Long, CFO and Co-Founder, Rainforest Life Pte Ltd

3) For Most Innovative category: Panel judges led by Ganesh Kumar Bangah, Executive Chairman, Commerce.Asia,

and the Panellist:

Mohd Safuan Mohd Zairi, Chief Ecosystem Development Officer, Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI)
Professor Dato’ Dr Halimah Badioze Zaman, Chairholder/ Emeritus Professor, Institute of Informatics and Computing in Energy (IICE), UNITEN

4) The Best Brick & Mortar Adoption category: Panel judges led by Raja Teh Maimunah, Managing Director Wholesale Banking, Ambank Group

and the Panellist:

Dato’ Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi, Senior Advisor, ASEAN Advisory Singapore
Richard Wong, Founder, Vistage Malaysia

5) Most Impactful Public Sector Agency Driving Digital Adoption: Panel judges led by Dato' Seri Wong Siew Hai, President, Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association

and the panellist:

Datuk Dr Wong Lai Sum, Former CEO of MATRADE
Sharizal Shaarani, Director & Co-Founder, Zer0Hunger Sdn Bhd

6) The Most Impactful Academia-Industry Collaboration: Panel judges led by Thillai Raj, Senior Technology Advisor, Wise Al

and the panellist:

Naguib Mohd Nor, CEO, Strand Aerospace Malaysia
Nik Amlizan, CEO, Kumpulan Wang Persaraan [KWAP]
Tay Kay Luan, past Vice Chancellor, International University Malaya Wales

7) The Young Innovator of the Year category: Panel judges led by Thillai Raj, Senior Technology Advisor, Wise Al

and the panellist:

Sharala Axryd, Founder and CEO, The Center of Applied Data Science (CADS)
Elain Lockman, CEO & Co-Founder, Ata Plus

8) The Innovator of The Year category: Panel judges led by Afzal Abdul Rahim, Chief Executive Officer, TIME dotCom

and the panellist:

Sharala Axryd, Founder and CEO, The Center of Applied Data Science (CADS)
Suresh Thiru, Start-up Advisor, Angel Investor

Exclusive Prizes

The winners of the respective categories were honoured for their technological ingenuity that brings innovation to life for a better future. The winners received:

a custom designed Trophy by Biji-Biji Initiative
Ad space worth up to RM 30,000 from Malaysiakini and Digital News Asia

Access to programs offered by MDEC that include
- Equidam Valuation Report
- Green Lane for funding programmes
- Free access packages for the Mentor+ platforms

and Products sponsored by Oppo Malaysia.

Congratulations to all of our Top In Tech Innovation Awards Winners, Merit Mentions and Finalists!

1) Top In Tech Innovation Awards 2021 Innovator of the Year:
Johnson Lam Hooi Liang for KakiRepair
Merit Mentions:
Muhammad Haris bin Harun for MyKSSR

2) Most Promising Startup:
Proficient Software Solution
Merit Mentions:
Servedeck Innovation

3) Most Promising Growth Company:
BloomThis Flora
Merit Mentions:
EasyParcel
Innov8tif Solutions

4) Best Pivot Startup:
Go Class for ModernLMS

5) Best Pivot Growth Company:
Meraque Services

6) Most Innovative Startup:
Pandai Education
Merit Mentions:
Ticket2U

7) Most Innovative Growth Company:
BeliGas
Merit Mentions:
SS Rõver

8) Best Brick & Mortar Adoption:
Manulife Insurance
Merit Mentions:
Skynet Worldwide

9) Most Impactful Public Sector Agency Driving Digital Adoption for Federal Level:
Employees Provident Fund (EPF)
Merit Mentions:
Halal Development Corporation Berhad
University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

10) Most Impactful Academia-Industry Collaboration:
NANOCAT, University of Malaya
Merit Mentions:
Forward School

11) Young Innovator of The Year:
Team S.A.T for Enhance
Merit Mentions:
Brandon Chin Min Qiao for Project Leo
Team Backstreet for PL Detector (People Limitation Detector)

Nur Alya Qistina and Sarah Farhana from Team S.A.T

Continue to create a dynamic and positive impact in the landscape and society through technology innovations. No matter if you are a new startup, an SME, or a large company, all of your innovation stories matter. Pursue your outstanding innovations and inspire others in your journey.

If you missed the award ceremony, you can watch the replay of the Top In Tech Innovation Award 2021 here. You can also visit our award photo gallery here.

See you at the Top In Tech Innovation Awards 2022!