At 1337 Ventures, we’ve always believed that great startups don’t just ride trends — they solve real problems that matter. This philosophy came to life once again at the Alpha Startups Pre-Accelerator Cohort 64 Demo Day, where Fluxion and EngageRX emerged as winners, and EAGL took home the Crowd Favourite title.
Held at WORQ KL Gateway, Demo Day marked the culmination of our 10-week pre-accelerator programme, where early-stage founders turned raw ideas into validated business models, built their MVPs, and prepared to meet investors. This round saw over 100 applications, with 18 shortlisted and 9 finalists pitching their innovations before our judging panel of ecosystem leaders.
The finalists included EAGL, EngageRX, ESGee, FlowHub, Fluxion, Gray Matter Solutions (SG), Jomskor, Publico Claims, and Sentic.AI; a strong reflection of Malaysia’s growing appetite for innovation across AI, education, and enterprise solutions.
Spotlight on the Winners
Fluxion (Dax and Tanay Agrawal) transforms post-click journeys with AI landing pages that personalise, adapt, and sell autonomously to maximise conversion and engagement.
EngageRX (Natalie Kwok) aims to redefine pharmaceutical sales through the deployment of AI sales agents to address challenges faced by pharmaceutical firms, such as high sales rep turnover.
EAGL (Arlia Hashim), the Crowd Favourite, turns educational videos and audio into “visual blueprints” that help learners absorb, retain, and recall information more effectively.
These startups demonstrated that AI, when applied thoughtfully, can enhance efficiency and impact without losing sight of the human problem at its core.
What the Judges Saw
Our panel of judges, Daphne Choong (Microsoft), Jasdeep Maan (Gobi Partners), and Bikesh Lakhmichand (1337 Ventures) — evaluated each team on innovation, market validation, scalability, and clarity of execution.
“I’m still drawn to founders solving problems that truly matter and not just building because it’s trendy. What excites me about this cohort is how the teams used AI where it made sense, not as a gimmick. Fluxion and EngageRX are great examples of how technology can be applied thoughtfully to real, validated problems, and that’s exactly the kind of innovation we want to keep backing,” said Bikesh Lakhmichand, Founding Partner of 1337 Ventures.
Founders Who Rise to the Challenge
The Alpha Startups journey aims to push founders beyond their comfort zones, from ideation and validation to investor readiness. Both winning teams shared how the programme shaped their journey:
“Alpha Startups taught us how an early-stage startup should think and prioritise actions. Their detailed weekly workbook provided a comprehensive checklist covering every aspect, from idea validation to defining clear value propositions, identifying our ideal customer profile (ICP), and differentiating ourselves from competitors. The accelerator pushed us to precisely define what we are offering, why our ICP values it, and how to build an MVP and complete all this rapidly. It truly challenged us to think rigorously, execute decisively, and validate thoroughly even before officially calling ourselves a startup.” said Dax Percey Abraham, co-founder of Fluxion.
“Alpha Startups challenged us to level up quickly. It provided the ideal platform for us to thrive and has been a constant sounding board and thought partner, guiding us in the right direction throughout the journey. ” said Natalie Kwok, co-founder of EngageRX.
Beyond Demo Day: Ongoing Support for Founders
Winners received USD150,000 in Azure Cloud Credits from Microsoft for Startups, alongside GitHub Enterprise, LinkedIn, and Visual Studio Enterprise access. They also earned Hot Desk Memberships for six months at any WORQ location (worth RM8,400 per team).
But at 1337 Ventures, Demo Day isn’t the end of the journey, it’s just the beginning. Every participant joins our exclusive alumni network, gaining continued access to mentorship, digital rewards, and investor connections to help sustain momentum long after the programme ends.
A Decade of Empowering Founders
Over the past decade, the Alpha Startups Pre-Accelerator has helped over 4,000 founders validate ideas, find product-market fit, and raise capital. Across 64 cohorts, we’ve seen alumni such as Senang Insurance and Pod scale regionally, while ParkEasy and Eat Cake Today celebrated successful exits.
Even now, growth-stage alumni like Vircle continue to thrive — proof that early-stage guidance and structure make a lasting difference.
What’s Next: FemTech Takes the Stage
Applications will open in November 2025 for our next Alpha Startups Pre-Accelerator: INNO4HER, a FemTech-focused vertical designed to support women-led innovation in health, wellness, and tech.
Founders looking to get early feedback can also pitch at our weekly Pitch Tuesday, where startups get insights directly from investors and mentors. 👉 Book your slot: https://1337.ventures/pitch-tuesday
At 1337 Ventures, we’re committed to backing founders who build with purpose, validate with rigour, and innovate with impact. Cohort 64 proved once again that when great minds meet great mentorship, real innovation happens.
