The startup scenes in Southeast Asia – Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, among others – have been thriving, attracting scores of students and young graduates who want to be part of their local startup movement. And many of these startups, some flush with cash and others eyeing international expansion, are hiring. The problem, however, is knowing which startups are hiring. Conversely, startups looking to hire aren’t exactly sure where to look for the people with the right skill sets they need.
Recognizing the problem, a number of startups and accelerators in Malaysia have banded together to create Launchpad, an online service that aggregates and provides information on startup internship positions in Asia to help graduates and students to decide which jobs are the best fit for them.
“As a company built with the help of interns from around the world, we understand the difficulties students face in finding an internship position that will expose them to a myriad of opportunities and experiences,” says Lee Ching Wei, group CEO and co-founder of financial comparison site iMoney, which hosts Launchpad. “We made it our ‘extra-curricular’ project to create Launchpad, with the help of other start-ups, universities, and partners to spread the word to reach more students.”
This collaborative social project also sees plenty of support from other Malaysia-based startups, such as PiktoChart, EASYUNI and MoneyTree. “We recognize the value of Launchpad, and EASYUNI, as a socially responsible company, decided to jump in to spread the word to universities and higher institutions to direct students to the right career,” says Edwin Tay, CEO of education portal EASYUNI.
Launchpad is also supported by Cradle, an agency under Malaysia’s Ministry of Finance, which manages the Cradle Investment Programme.
