Malaysian Entrepreneurs Must Overcome Excessive Humility — Amir Hamzah

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 (Bernama) -- Malaysian entrepreneurs must overcome an inherent tendency toward excessive humility and actively build strong storytelling capabilities if they want to secure international venture capital, said Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan.

He said that while local founders possess strong ideas, a major missing link is the ability to articulate their value proposition aggressively to global investors.

“Maybe it's the Asian DNA -- we are all very humble; we do things, but we don't tell people we know how to do it, and we don't push to make things great,” he said at a fireside chat session on “Mobilising Capital for Malaysia’s Innovation Economy” at KL20 2026 here today.

Amir Hamzah said that when potential investors come knocking on the local founders’ door, many tend to take a timid approach, responding with “okay lah” rather than proudly asserting their products’ strengths.

“Fundraising is one of the most critical early-stage skills for any startup, requiring founders to pitch their vision convincingly to attract patient capital,” he said.

Addressing broader ecosystem gaps, Amir Hamzah said that solving startup growth is not merely a matter of throwing money at businesses, as capital alone cannot solve every structural challenge.

“We need to evolve away from the mindset that money solves everything; capital is crucial, but what we really need to bring is capability, mentorship, and opportunities to test ideas,” he said.

He highlighted the government's efforts to build a structured “relay race” model to ensure seamless funding transitions across different growth stages, from seed rounds to public listings.

“Government-linked investment companies are also partnering with global leaders, such as Khazanah Nasional's collaboration with Silicon Catalyst, to provide coaching and technical mentorship alongside funding,” he said.

-- BERNAMA