On July 28, 2025, the second edition of Leet Launchpad lit up Microsoft Malaysia with an electrifying afternoon of startup pitches, investor meetups, and meaningful ecosystem connections. Organized by 1337 Ventures and powered by the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, Leet Launchpad Vol. 2 welcomed over 110+ participants—including venture capitalists, angel investors, corporate innovation teams, and emerging founders—all eager to witness the next wave of high-growth startups from Malaysia and Southeast Asia.
If you’re a startup founder looking for investors, or an investor scouting Malaysia’s most promising early-stage startups, this is the room where it all happens.
What is Leet Launchpad?
Leet Launchpad is more than just a pitch event/demo day. It is a quarterly showcase platform designed to give high-potential startups visibility, access to capital, and a chance to forge strategic partnerships with corporate leaders. We believe Malaysia is filled with talented founders solving real problems—but too often, these founders pitch too early, too late, or never get seen by the right people. This event was created to change that.
As Bikesh Lakhmichand, Founding Partner of 1337 Ventures, shared in his keynote, this platform is part of our long-standing mission to build not just startups, but a startup nation—one where underdog founders are surfaced, supported, and celebrated. Startups featured at Leet Launchpad are sourced through our ongoing initiatives like Pitch Tuesday and Alpha Startups™, giving them the chance to pitch in front of real decision-makers who can propel them forward.
Growing Malaysia’s Startup Ecosystem, One Stage at a Time
Bikesh also shared several programme milestones and updates at 1337 Ventures. We recently concluded two exciting initiatives: GXBank Texnovasi POC Accelerator, where the top 3 startups are moving forward with proof-of-concept engagements, and Elevate Batch 3, which supported 20 SMEs and mid-tier companies on the path to pre-IPO readiness. Just this week, we kicked off multiple new programmes: Alpha Startups™ Batch 64 (vertical-agnostic, with 20 startups), the H-Innovator Challenge (focused on HealthTech, with 10 startups), and the Hardtech & Deeptech Commercialization Accelerator, a partnership with Digital Penang featuring 10 promising teams.
Looking ahead, we’re now recruiting for Elevate Batch 4, set to begin in September 2025, where we aim to shortlist 20 high-potential Malaysian SMEs and mid-tier companies preparing for IPO or strategic growth.
Leet Launchpad Vol. 2 kicked off with a networking lunch that quickly transformed into a vibrant exchange of ideas and conversations among founders, investors, and corporate leaders. The formal programme began with a keynote by Bikesh Lakhmichand, Founding Partner of 1337 Ventures, who shared our venture-building philosophy and the future we envision for Malaysia’s startup ecosystem.
This was followed by a series of compelling keynotes. Dave Yang, Head of APAC Online Sales Organization at LinkedIn, spoke about the evolution of B2B influencer marketing and how founders & business leaders can build credibility in niche markets on LinkedIn as content creators. Hildah Hamzah, Deputy CEO and COO of GXBank, took the stage to share insights into building Malaysia’s first digital bank and its accelerator programme, TeXnovasi—culminating in the announcement of the Top 3 POC winners: Finory.tech, Swipey, and CashKu. Wrapping up the keynotes, Julie Bulaklak from Microsoft highlighted how the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub enables early-stage startups to scale globally with access to tools, resources, and strategic support.
The highlight of the afternoon was, without a doubt, the startup pitches. Nine startups took the stage, representing a diverse mix of sectors—from fintech and healthtech to deeptech, agritech, and AI—all united by a bold mission: to solve real-world problems through innovation and purpose-driven technology.
Here are the nine startups that pitched at Leet Launchpad Vol. 2:
- Finory.tech (Kee) – Finory.tech empowers personal finance and lending with AI-driven APIs for statement parsing, transaction categorization, and enrichment—helping banks and corporates deliver smarter financial experiences.
- Needle (Kiyan Foroughi) – Needle is the AI marketing engine helping DTC brands escape the SaaS+agency trap, and scale with orchestrated rhythm.
- Kommu AI (Kean Wei) – Kommu is Malaysia’s first plug-and-play self-driving kit with advanced ADAS features, transforming compatible cars into smarter, semi-autonomous vehicles.
- MyScripts (Kevin Ong & Sharon Lee) – MyScripts is Malaysia’s first pharmacist-led pharmacy management software, built to streamline operations and elevate patient care.
- Rebee Health (Lincoln Dacy) – Rebee is a smart remote rehab platform that guides post-op and pain recovery through real-time exercises and sensor-based support—anytime, anywhere.
- Vircle (Gokula Krishnan) – Vircle is a Malaysian fintech platform that helps parents raise financially responsible kids through a family finance app with digital allowances, spending controls, and child-safe VISA prepaid cards. Raising via ECF at Leet Capital.
- Asia Farms (Dr. Irene Tan) – Asia Farms Network (REAL) is Malaysia’s leading clean nutrition company, delivering minimally processed, tech-enabled dairy for health-conscious families. Raising via ECF at Leet Capital.
- Vespid (Edrea Lee) – Vespid is a gamified mobile app that makes learning personal finance fun and engaging—like Duolingo, but for your money.
- Diolko (Yoann Gueguen) – Diolko is a sustainable last-mile delivery solution using electric vehicles and public transport to move parcels at scale—cutting traffic, emissions, and urban waste in the logistics industry.
Each of these founders delivered high-impact pitches that reflected not just ambition, but real traction and potential. From AI and automation to healthtech innovation and green logistics, they represent the next generation of Malaysian & Southeast Asia startup leaders.
But the event didn’t stop there. As the startup pitches ended, guests continued the conversations over high tea and networking. We witnessed connections forming between founders and investors, between corporate leaders and innovators—and that’s exactly what Leet Launchpad is designed to do. It’s not just about the pitch; it’s about what comes after.
Because visibility matters. Trust matters. And startup founders need more than just hope—they need a launchpad.
Shannon Chow, the Head of Marketing at 1337 Ventures. With 10-years of experience in marketing and advertising, Shannon is a specialist in integrated marketing, no-code/low-code tools, UI/UX, and branding. She mentors entrepreneurs in pitching & marketing. She’s passionate about self-development and women’s empowerment, Shannon strives to simplify the knowledge of starting a startup and ignite the spirit of entrepreneurship among youths.
