- The three-day programme featured mentoring and dialogues with ecosystem leaders
- 60 social entrepreneurs from across Malaysia gathered to advance innovation in education, community & the arts
Satu Creative Services Sdn Bhd (Satu Creative), in collaboration with Yayasan Hasanah, has concluded the Creative Sprint HSEF 2025 Bootcamp, completing this year’s nationwide programme to strengthen Malaysia’s social enterprise ecosystem.
Held from 7–9 October at Yayasan Hasanah, Shah Alam, and 14–16 October at Think City, George Town, the programme brought together 60 social entrepreneurs from across Malaysia who are pioneering innovative solutions in education, community development, the environment, and arts and public spaces.
In a statement, Satu Creative said the three-day programme combined knowledge-sharing, mentoring, and experiential dialogues that brought together ecosystem leaders and practitioners to exchange real-world insights and experiences. These sessions helped participants refine their business models, strengthen sustainability strategies, and enhance their readiness for partnerships and investment, it added.
Ahmad Azuar Zainuddin, CEO of Satu Creative, said, “From Shah Alam to George Town, we saw purpose turn into practice. These founders came in with bold ideas and left with validated models, clearer impact narratives, and partners ready to help them scale.
“What stood out most wasn’t the pitch at the end. It was the process in between — the co-creation, the reflection, the resilience. Those moments when teams reframed complex challenges, listened to the communities they serve, and kept building with purpose. That’s how systems change begins: one step, one honest conversation, one prototype at a time,” he added.
The experiential dialogues featured a dynamic line-up of ecosystem leaders and practitioners, including Stanley Siva, head of social enterprise at Yayasan Hasanah; Norhafizah Md Sharif, chief financial officer of Bank Simpanan Nasional; Ibrahim Sani, CEO of Yayasan Peneraju; Izan Satrina Dato’ Sallehuddin and Kishore Ramdas of Think City; Joe Sidek, chairman of the Penang Arts Council; Ambika Sangaran, chief operating officer and co-founder of Mereka; Jehan Omar, senior manager at AVPN Southeast Asia; and Elaine Tan, manager of the AirAsia Foundation.
These sessions explored real-world challenges and opportunities within Malaysia’s impact ecosystem, offering participants invaluable insights into collaboration, innovation, and sustainability.
The dialogues were moderated by Rizal Zulkapli, general manager of corporate communications at OCI TerraSus Sdn Bhd, and Najib Aroff, business editor at Astro Awani, who guided discussions that encouraged practical reflection and cross-sector understanding.
The bootcamps culminated in Pitch Days held in both the Central and Northern editions, where participants presented their business models to a panel of mentors and ecosystem leaders. The sessions not only celebrated their growth but also connected them to potential partners and supporters to help scale their social impact.
“The bootcamps reflect the creative strength and resilience of Malaysia’s changemakers. Through the Hasanah Social Enterprise Fund, we are investing not only in innovative ideas but in the people behind them — the individuals who are transforming challenges into opportunities for collective progress,” said Siti Kamariah Ahmad Subki, managing director of Yayasan Hasanah.
“Our goal is to ensure that Malaysia’s social enterprises have the right ecosystem, resources, and partnerships to thrive and drive sustainable impact nationwide,” she added.
The Hasanah Social Enterprise Fund, an initiative by Yayasan Hasanah and the Ministry of Finance, continues to catalyse Malaysia’s social enterprise ecosystem through grants and strategic partnerships that strengthen the nation’s impact landscape. According to Satu Creative, the Central and Northern bootcamps have cultivated a pipeline of purpose-driven founders ready to collaborate with financiers, corporates, and community stakeholders to scale their initiatives.
These enterprises are now poised to create lasting, meaningful change within their communities — reaffirming Satu Creative’s and Yayasan Hasanah’s shared commitment to fostering a sustainable future through collaboration, innovation, and the empowerment of local communities, strengthening the foundation for a more inclusive and resilient Malaysia.
