KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7 (Bernama) -- E-business specialist, Skali Group, has teamed up with a pre-seed funding firm, Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd, to create world-class Malaysian technopreneurs via the Cradle Investment Programme (CIP) Fund.

In a statement here today, Skali said its unit, Skali E-Ventures, would identify and develop up to 25 potential technopreneurs a year,

The potential technopreneurs, to be selected from its SPIKE graduates, would be assisted to apply for CIP Fund.

SPIKE is a programme to re-train information and communications technology (ICT) graduates to match the industry’s current requirements.

Skali Group’s president, Aimi Aizal Nasharuddin, said the collaboration would add value to the SPIKE Programme as it provided a choice avenue for the participants to get the necessary funds to start their own businesses.

"This will surely boost their confidence as they just have to work hard to prove their mettle as the fund is there waiting for them to utilise," he said.

The CIP Fund programme aims to stimulate the growth of Malaysian technopreneurs by providing pre-seed funding and commercialisation support for innovative technology ideas to groups of individuals, research institutes and institute of higher learning.

It will cover ICT, non-ICT and high-growth technology industries that are capable of being developed and commercialised.

The SPIKE Programme has so far produced 300 students, with 253 of them currently attached to Skali as apprentices working on the Managed Portal Services, a national ICT project undertaken by Skali Group for the government.

"SPIKE programme expects to produce more than 4,000 graduates during the three-year programme, which is being administered and managed in Perak, Kuala Lumpur and Kuala Terengganu," Aimi said. -- BERNAMA