Dr V. Sivapalan is one of the many alumni of TAR UC who has made a name for himself in the corporate world. He graduated with a Diploma in Commerce (Business Management) and obtained his ICSA professional qualification from the then TAR College back in the 1980’s. In terms of his career, Dr V. Sivapalan is one of the founders and Chief Evangelist of Proficeo, a company which designs and conducts coaching programmes for entrepreneurs. He is also the President of the Malaysian Business Angel Network (‘MBAN’), the official trade association and governing body for angel investors and angel clubs in Malaysia. He recently visited TAR UC with the keen interest of joining the ecosystem of the TARC Incubator as an investor. In this exclusive interview, he shared some insightful thoughts for aspiring entrepreneurs.
- What are your thoughts on the current entrepreneurial landscape in Malaysia and what are the areas that we need to improve on to intensify entrepreneurship in Malaysia?
- As a potential investor for projects in the TARC Incubator, what are the key areas that you would be looking out for before deciding to invest?
As an investor, there are two main areas that I would look for before investing. The first is the founders of the company. I would assess if they have the right skillsets, talent, experience, motivation and strategies to be able to execute their business plan effectively. The second area I would focus on is the business idea itself. I would evaluate if the business idea has a huge market potential and in the long run would it be able to yield a return on investment for me. In addition to this, I would also be interested to know the growth potential of the company in penetrating a wider market. It is important for me to know the type of business model that will be used by entrepreneurs in expanding their market reach.
- What is your aspiration for the TARC Incubator?
As an alumnus of TAR UC, I have always believed that TAR UC’s aim is to inculcate in students the skills and knowledge which will pave the way for them to excel in their careers and life. In the same manner, I believe the TARC Incubator would be a great stepping stone for young entrepreneurs to transform their business ideas into successful business ventures and will be able to contribute back to the society and nation as well as to TAR UC. As TAR UC has excelled in developing great talents, the TARC Incubator should be known for developing great companies.
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Could you share an example of a successful incubator and what can TARC Incubator learn from this successful incubator?
In my opinion, we have one of the best entrepreneurial landscapes in the region. We have a progressive government that has done a lot for young and aspiring entrepreneurs in terms of funding, training, skills and human capital development as well as easing the process for new start-ups to set up and run their business. As such, it is certainly one of the best places in Asia to start a business. In terms of improvement, entrepreneurs in Malaysia are facing a shortage of qualified workers. Our education system is not competitive enough to produce qualified graduates, and as such, entrepreneurs in Malaysia are forced to employ qualified graduates from other countries. Therefore, it is important that our younger generation is provided with better quality education to ensure they are capable of meeting the standards required by the entrepreneurs in the country.
One prominent technology start-up incubator worth mentioning is the Watch Tower and Friends accelerator which was founded by Sam Shafie. Why I say his incubator is a success is because many of the companies under the incubator have received funding and have transformed to be successful businesses. As Sam is an entrepreneur himself, he understands the struggles and needs of aspiring entrepreneurs. On top of that, Sam also works closely with the incubator ecosystem which includes the funders, mentors, government agencies and other relevant stakeholders. Having said that, it is very important that an incubator should be holistic in nature where the ecosystem is made up of all the relevant stakeholders. TARC Incubator’s ecosystem is very comprehensive as it is made up of all the necessary partners such as the government, mentors, funders, investors, community and business support services providers. It would also be wise to include the alumni of TAR UC in the TARC Incubator ecosystem as there are many TAR UC alumni who are very successful in their careers. Just like me, I am sure there are many of them who would want to contribute back to their alma mater and the TARC Incubator is one of the appropriate channels for them to do so.
