To promote corporate-startup cooperation and innovation-driven growth in Malaysia, eight GLCs granted under BIG
In an effort to promote corporate-startup cooperation and innovation-led growth in Malaysia, the Ministry of Finance (MOF), in partnership with the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) and Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd (Cradle), has announced the successful selection of eight government-linked companies (GLCs) under the Bengkel Inovasi GLC (BIG) program.
“This milestone marks the next transition from design to execution for the program, which was launched in March 2025,” Cradle said in a statement on Friday.
Additionally, each GLC received a matching grant of up to MYR 2 million ($470,000), for a total of MYR 10.7 million ($2.53 million).
The selected GLCs and their innovative projects are:
• Bank Islam – Leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and behavioral tech to enhance micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) financing and financial literacy via a digital finance platform.
• CelcomDigi – Powering next-gen logistics with 5G, AI and robotics for a resilient digital economy.
• EDOTCO – Creating a self-service analytics marketplace and maximizing telco infrastructure utilization.
• Malaysia Aviation Group – Leveraging AI for real-time asset tracking to optimize turnaround ops and enhance passenger experience.
• Sime Darby Property – Effective enforcement of safety practices through AI driven real-time detection and multilingual alerts.
• S P Setia – Empowering every Malaysian to own a home by enabling seamless access to affordable, high-quality housing through technology.
• Tenaga Nasional Berhad – Repurposing electric vehicle (EV) batteries for energy storage and building scam-resistant digital platforms to protect and educate customers.
• Cenviro – Producing sustainable pavers with advanced technology to reduce environmental and landfill impact.
These GLCs were chosen, the statement said, because of their creative use of technology, especially in the areas of digital and artificial intelligence, which clearly show promise for enhancing operational effectiveness and fostering business expansion and scale in their respective sectors.
Furthermore, each showcased robust partnership models with both domestic and international startups, thereby strengthening the BIG program’s collaborative spirit.
“Cradle is proud to have played a central role in designing and delivering BIG alongside MOF, MOSTI and our ecosystem partners, activating a bold new model of corporate-startup collaboration,” said Norman Matthieu Vanhaecke, Group Chief Executive Officer of Cradle, the lead delivery partner for BIG program.
“These GLCs are stepping up as national innovation champions — signalling a growing shift in how corporates view innovation: not as a peripheral activity, but as a core driver of resilience and growth,
“We look forward to supporting them as they move into co-creation and pilot stages with startups,” he added.
The Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI), Chang Lih Kang, went on to say that BIG is an example of how a whole-of-government strategy can connect corporations and startups to hasten the adoption of transformative technology.
“MOSTI is proud to support this through National Technology and Innovation Sandbox (NTIS) and our deep tech networks, advancing resilient industries while strengthening our mission under Malaysia Startup Ecosystem Roadmap (SUPER) to position Malaysia among the world’s top 20 startup ecosystems by 2030,” he said.
As a catalyst for wider corporate innovation, the statement also emphasized that the involvement of these eight GLCs shows a strong commitment to implementing and testing innovative technologies.
Their collaborations with regional venture capitalists and startups, it was mentioned, also support the growth of startups and the nation’s innovation ecosystem.
According to Minister of Finance II Amir Hamzah, the ministry started this journey by determining how it could better assist our GLCs in innovating, experimenting with new technologies, and forming meaningful partnerships with startups.
He claimed that the concepts and the GLCs’ dedication to promoting innovative methods of operation have inspired him.
