Kuala Lumpur, 5 May 2021 – Aimed at boosting awareness on the benefits and possibilities that Equity Crowdfunding (ECF) and Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Financing offers, Ata Plus is partnering with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Malaysia’s lead agency in digital transformation, to organise an Education Series in conjunction with MDEC’s Alternative Funding Programme. Ata Plus is an online ECF platform and a registered Recognised Market Operator with the Securities Commission Malaysia.
Initiated by MDEC in 2020, the Alternative Funding Programme is focused on supporting the startup and tech communities severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. This programme offers alternative channels, specifically via ECF and P2P, to access funds for their business sustainability or growth and expansion.
“This Education Series will not only focus on the benefits of ECF and P2P, but will also familiarise attendees with the preparation required for companies to get listed and to help them identify the ingredients for a successful fundraising campaign,” said Elain Lockman, Co-Founder and Director of Ata Plus. “Our endeavours always go back to the purpose of Ata Plus – which is our commitment to help entrepreneurs and SMEs access funds via our platform in their growth and expansion journey, irrespective of industry or the stage of their business,” Elain added.
Following the success of the programme in 2020, this will be MDEC’s second consecutive year running the Alternative Funding Programme led by its Global Growth Acceleration Division (GGA). A total of RM19.89 million was raised by 16 companies last year, with an expression of interests from 98 companies. “With the Covid-19 pandemic still affecting the recovery of businesses, we believe that ECF and P2P are viable funding options for startups. We would like to see more tech startups and businesses fundraise via these alternative funding avenues as these companies become more aware and informed through this Education Series with Ata Plus. We hope that companies will take advantage of this learning opportunity to equip themselves better before they embark on their crowdfunding journey,” Gopi Ganesalingam, MDEC Vice President, Tech Ecosystem and Globalisation Division said.
Jointly held at The Orbit FinTech Hub, the first of the Education Series kicked-off with an Open Day held both physically and virtually in compliance with SOP regulations under the Covid-19 guidelines. In its coming series, the programme will feature topics such as the ‘Art and Science of Valuation,’ ‘Marketing Campaign Secrets,’ ‘Effective Financial Projections,’ ‘Preparing Winning Pitch Decks’ and ‘Building Your Investor Community.’
