Kuala Lumpur, 22 October 2025: Continuing its regional showcase of entrepreneurship, ERIA hosted the third pre-event of the One ASEAN Startup Award 2025 at the Sunway Resort Hotel, held in conjunction with Future X Connect by Sunway iLabs. The Malaysian round brought together entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, academics, and innovation enablers to celebrate outstanding startup talent across the region. This year’s competition focused on two transformative themes – Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Zero Emission – representing the twin engines of ASEAN’s future: digital advancement and sustainable development.

Driving Innovation for a Sustainable ASEAN

Delivering the opening remarks, Dr Intan Murnira Ramli, Senior Policy Fellow at ERIA, introduced the award programme, which was launched in 2024 by the ERIA Digital Innovation and Sustainable Economy Centre (E-DISC). E-DISC fosters cross-border collaboration and knowledge-sharing amongst digital economy stakeholders, aiming to promote innovation-led, inclusive, and environmentally responsible growth across ASEAN and East Asia.

‘We are witnessing a surge in AI-driven innovations across ASEAN, alongside a rising wave of startups dedicated to mitigating climate change and advancing the energy transition, ’ said Dr Intan. ‘This year’s One ASEAN Startup Award recognises and empowers innovators shaping the region’s sustainable future through AI and Zero Emission solutions.’

Strengthening Regional Collaboration

The pre-event was co-organised by ERIA, the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Cradle Fund, and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), with support from Think Zone, Sunway i Labs, East Ventures, and Golden Gate Ventures.

Mr Anuar Fariz, Chief Executive Officer of MDEC, highlighted the event’s role in deepening regional connections: ‘The partnership between Malaysia and Japan is thriving, driven by a shared commitment to advance the digital economy. MDEC is strengthening strategic collaborations with partners like ERIA and JETRO to turn our shared aspirations for innovation and investment into tangible results. This event marks an important milestone toward a dynamic digital ecosystem that empowers startups, accelerates growth, and connects our nations and the wider Asian region.’

Mr Harmender Singh, Senior Vice President of Super PMO & Special Projects of Cradle Fund, emphasised the central role of innovation and cross-border co-operation: ‘Innovation is the engine powering ASEAN’s next phase of growth. As Malaysia’s startup focal agency, Cradle is proud to support initiatives like the One ASEAN Startup Award, which strengthen collaboration and empower early-stage startups to scale globally.’

Spotlighting ASEAN’s Brightest Innovators

This year’s Malaysian round attracted 150 startup applications through self- and peer-nominations. Following a rigorous review, five finalists in each category were selected to pitch their ideas before a distinguished panel of policymakers, industry experts, and startup leaders from across the region.

ERIA proudly announces the two winners, each receiving a US$10,000 research grant to advance their innovations:
• Cexup (Tele Cexup Indonesia) from Indonesia – Winner, Artificial Intelligence Category. Cexup is an AI-driven provider of telehealth services and medical devices.
• Tigasfera Greentech from Malaysia – Winner, Zero Emission Category. The startup develops distributed energy systems converting waste into energy.

During the award ceremony, Dr Intan congratulated the winners and expressed confidence in their potential to drive inclusive, sustainable growth: ‘The winning startups exemplify ASEAN’s entrepreneurial spirit and capacity to lead global innovation in AI and sustainability.’

Towards the Final Round

The winning teams will advance to the One ASEAN Startup Award 2025 Final Round, to be held on 26 October 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, where they will compete with winners from the Ho Chi Minh City (May) and Bangkok (August) rounds for the top regional honour.

To complement the pitch session, the Kuala Lumpur pre-event also featured a panel discussion titled ‘A New Era for ASEAN Startups: AI & Zero Emission Unlocking Global Opportunities.’ The discussion brought together startup founders and venture capital executives to explore how innovation ecosystems across ASEAN can accelerate sustainable, tech-driven growth.