SEEd.Lab Kick-Starts Third Cohort with Partners to Collectively Drive Social Impact

KUALA LUMPUR, 15 November 2023 – SEEd.Lab, or Social Enterprise Education Laboratory, the country’s first 12 to 18 months end-to-end incubation programme powered by PETRONAS and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), has selected 50 aspiring social entrepreneurs for its third cohort with five new partners across diverse sectors.

The new partners namely Tenaga Nasional Berhad, AmBank Group, Taylor’s University, Manggis Group, Korn Ferry and Malaysian Humanitarian Foundation will join existing partners – Digital Impact Square, Zaid Ibrahim & Co and Amazon Web Services – to provide mentorship, industry insights and access to their ecosystem, enabling SEEd.Lab’s social enterprises to effectively address specific social challenge areas, develop effective business solutions and scale up.

SEEd.Lab Head and Programme Manager, Aidonna Jun Ayub said, “In the previous two cohorts, we have benefited from access to PETRONAS and TCS’ resources to create impactful social enterprises. While we continue to leverage on this partnership, we are also very excited about our new partners who will bring a wealth of expertise. This will enhance our capacity to offer more in-depth subject matter coaching as well as diverse support from various sectors to our social enterprises to effectively drive sustainable social impact to their beneficiaries.”

Since 2020, PETRONAS and TCS have been contributing business and leadership mentorship, technical expertise for solution development, funding for solutions and market testing to accelerate the journey of social enterprises.

The partnership has resulted in eight social enterprises, which to date, have impacted more than 15,000 lives through solutions that tackle various community pain points including Malaysia’s first accredited peer support mental health services, employment opportunities for People with Disabilities, a digital tool for early intervention for autism, care companion for the elderly, and financial literacy and improvement insights for street vendors.

PETRONAS Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Downstream, Datuk Sazali Hamzah said, “We started SEEd.Lab to nurture passionate young entrepreneurs whose growth will continue to create a ripple effect of positive change for the communities. We are proud of what we have achieved in the past two cohorts and delighted that SEEd.Lab is joined by more like-minded friends that aspire the same. These partners are leaders in their respective fields, and as we join forces, we look forward to unlocking more possibilities in building a sustainable future together.”

TCS Asia-Pacific President Girish Ramachandran said, “Cultivating steadfast partnerships is at the core of TCS’ ethos. This is a first of its kind in Malaysia, dedicated to weaving together the threads of our social fabric.  We remain committed to fortifying collaborations with our esteemed clients, driving innovation and empowering sustainable growth.  As we continue to strengthen these alliances, we prioritise sustainability initiatives that contribute to nation-building in Malaysia, fostering a future where technology and responsibility intertwine for societal advancement.”

SEEd.Lab’s participants – fittingly dubbed as SEEd.lings – will go through the phases of ideating and crystalising their vision, developing and incubating solutions as well as commercialising their social enterprise to grow and scale.

After the 12 to 18-month programme, SEEd.lings will graduate as owners of their own social enterprises that will provide unique solutions to various social pain points in multiple areas including Education and Skills, Food and Agriculture, Environment, Health and Hygiene as well as Personal and Financial Security.