There is no shortage of innovative and creative talent in our country, such as this zero-electricity fridge created by Malaysian students using knowledge from ancient techniques that don’t require electricity to run. What some people may lack is a proper platform and support to showcase their ideas.
The new reality show INNOVATHON by the Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) and Astro was created exactly for that reason and to produce innovative and technological talents.
On top of that, with a cash prize of RM100,000 for the grand winner and an investment grant of up to RM1 million, it’s no surprise that the auditions for the show received an overwhelming response from Malaysians.
With the support of MOSTI, the participants will also receive help to fund and realise their ideas after the completion of the show to become entrepreneurs. Besides the grand prize winner, four other winners will also receive cash prizes to bring their ideas to life.
Both online and physical auditions were held for the reality show with a whopping total of 1033 entrants, with 803 online participants and 230 walk-ins. The in-person audition sessions were held in various cities from 8 to 16 May. The last location in Kuala Lumpur received the highest number of participants (484) followed by Penang (204), Johor (160), Pahang (111), Sabah (52), and Sarawak (22).
Contestants from the industry, researchers, lecturers, and entrepreneurs attended the audition to present their creative and innovative ideas. Some of the contestants excitedly posted their participation online, such as the company KueMue which aims to help small businesses increase their food production capacities:
A total of 70 contestants were shortlisted from the 305 contestants who made it to the third stage.
The majority of the participants were from 25 to 44 years old. The fields receiving the most ideas were applications, industries, agriculture, education, and medicine.
The best ideas were chosen during the audition stage by the jury which comprised the Malaysian Technology Development, the Ministry, and Astro. The show will air on Astro Ria (Ch 104), 15 July, every Saturday, 9pm.
Stay tuned to see who walks away with the grand prize. You never know, they might become a well-known CEO in the future!