BFM 89.9

HIGHLIGHTS 
Podcast  >  Enterprise  >  Enterprise Explores  >  Budget 2025: Hits and Misses for the Startup Scene

Budget 2025: Hits and Misses for the Startup Scene

Bikesh Lakhmichand, CEO and Founding Partner, 1337 Ventures | Gokula Krishnan Subramaniam, Founder and CEO, Vircle

24-Oct-24 12:00

Budget 2025: Hits and Misses for the Startup Scene

Should Penjana Kapital and MAVCAP have been merged into Khazanah? In this episode of Enterprise Explores, we dive into that and other key reactions to Budget 2025 and its impact on the startup ecosystem.

Last Friday, the government unveiled a record RM421 billion budget, with significant allocations for startups and tech innovation, including:

- RM1 billion for the National Fund-of-Funds (NFOF) under Khazanah, with RM300 million earmarked for venture capital fund managers in 2025.

- RM1 billion for the Dana Perintis fund, with RM200 million allocated for 2025 to support local startups.

- RM65 million for Cradle Fund to help startups expand regionally and globally.

But do these measures meet the expectations of the startup community?

Joining us to discuss the potential hits and misses of the budget are Bikesh Lakhmichand, CEO and Founding Partner at 1337 Ventures, and Gokula Krishnan Subramaniam, Founder and CEO of Vircle. We’ll explore whether these initiatives truly address the needs of startups, what the community is looking for, and more.

This BFM Budget 2025 Special is brought to you by Mah Sing – Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life.

Produced by: Kishan Sivaswamy

Presented by: Roshan Kanesan


This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories:  marketstechnologyeconomygovernmententrepreneurssponsored content

Tags:  startupsbusinessfundingventure capitalventure buildingBudget-2025-Mahsing ⁠Budget 2025





Play / Pause

Listen now : Today I Learned: We unpack the idea of sleep with psychologist Julian...

Today’s Shows



6:00 AM

The 6AM Stretch

Thought-provoking discussions on ideas, people and events shaping our lives.

7:00 AM

World Market Watch

Tim Waterer, Chief Market Analyst at KCM Trade tells us where international markets are heading.

7:15 AM

Morning Brief

We recap global and local headlines from today's papers and portals.

7:30 AM

Morning Brief

Dr. Azmi Hassan, Senior Fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research shares his thoughts on political meetings held over the weekend.

7:45 AM

Morning Brief

Sulaiman Saheh of Rahim & Co discusses the outlook for Malaysia’s property market amid Johor’s residential boom and Kuala Lumpur’s office market challenges.

8:00 AM

The Breakfast Grille

Yeo Tien Seng, Executive Director of Guan Huat Seng Holdings Berhad discusses his company's upcoming listing on the ACE Market.

8:30 AM

Morning Brief

Cheah Wai Seng, Energy, Resources and Industrials Leader at Deloitte Malaysia, shares insights into Malaysia's energy utilisation and power availability.

8:45 AM

Morning Brief

Ragunath Kesavan, Former President of the Malaysian Bar Council, provides insight into the Attorney General’s Chamber's decision over Zahid Hamidi's Yayasan Akalbudi legal case.

9:00 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) Tim Waterer, Chief Market Analyst at KCM Trade tells us where international markets are heading.

9:15 AM

Opening Bell

Ahmad Maghfur Usman, Equity Analyst at Nomura Malaysia discusses the impact of US tariffs on ports.

9:35 AM

Pinnacle Perspectives

Hamish Munro, CEO of IPSOS APEC, shares insights into Malaysians' expectations and sentiments heading into 2026.

10:05 AM

Open For Business

Sagtec Global’s Kevin Ng on listing on the NASDAQ, the 50% stock drop, and their planned expansion to "Robot-as-a-Service" and AI analytics for their F&B customers.

11:05 AM

P&L

Startups have speed; scale-ups have bureaucracy. But with the right AI tooling, can a mature company of hundreds fight with the agility of a solo founder in a garage? StoreHub’s Fong Wai Hong shares his experience.

12:00 PM

Enterprise Explores

IIAM’s Suhailah Abdulla and Philip Rao discuss their Risk in Focus 2026 report, getting into why cyber and AI breaches persist despite boards being aware of the risks.

2:05 PM

Discovery Hour

An eclectic selection of BBC shows, curated with variety in mind.

3:05 PM

Earth Matters

We explore Klang Valley’s overlooked green spaces, the communities protecting them, and how Fragmented-Connected invites us to rethink urban nature and reconnection.

4:05 PM

Health & Living

Medical lab technologists do vital work in analysing patient samples and helping doctors detect and diagnose diseases. Tune in to find out more about their work.

5:00 PM

Top 5 at 5

A countdown of the 5 biggest stories of the day, to catch you up on all you need to know!

6:00 PM

Today I Learned

We unpack the idea of sleep with psychologist Julian Lim and find out how we can achieve a good night’s sleep amidst hectic lifestyles.

7:00 PM

Just For Kicks

8:00 PM

A Bit of Culture