Tech firms could flourish in Malaysia’s new political landscape

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Hi there,

Something I never thought could happen might actually be happening.

For years, India’s Bengaluru has been at the receiving end of jokes on how bad its traffic is – an issue that has even contributed to the demise of some social relationships (mine) and gotten others to “fall in love”.

And now word on the street is that things might just be getting better courtesy of a top cop who has a doctorate in traffic management. He has been brought in just in time before the next batch of local elections.

A combination of good intentions and right tools can do wonders – early reports coming in from Malaysia indicate that things might just be starting to look up for the country’s tech firms. After all, the new prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, has shown an interest in greater tech adoption in Malaysia.

Today we look at:

• Making sense of Malaysia’s new PM and tech reforms
• Greentech firm Fairatmos banks US$4.5 million in seed funding
• Other newsy highlights such as the latest on recession and Tesla’s Thailand launch.

P.S.: If you’re an entrepreneur looking for funding, fill out this form to get your company featured on our list of fundraising startups.

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Notes from Malaysia

Image credit: Timmy Loen

Here are the highlights from our latest tech dispatch from Malaysia:

• Leaders matter: Folks with a track record of spearheading important tech initiatives while serving in the cabinet have been reelected as lawmakers and could be seen in Anwar’s government. This is significant because Malaysian government officials, including those helming state-owned VCs and tech agencies, do not have their ears to the ground.

• The wallet-keeper: While there’s general optimism, it’s still unclear who the country’s next finance minister will be. In Malaysia, all state-owned VCs, tech agencies, and government-linked institutional investors – including sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional – are answerable to the finance ministry as well as the prime minister.

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