CIMB Group has announced the three winners of the inaugural CIMB ESG-SME Pitch Challenge (which was held at the Cooler Earth Sustainability Summit 2022 in September.
Launched with a keynote address by Tunku Alizakri Alias, Chairman, Malaysia Venture Capital Management Berhad (MAVCAP), the Pitch Challenge was organised in collaboration with pitchIN, the Private Financing Advisory Network (“PFAN”) and PwC Malaysia. The winners, iHandal Energy Solutions, BoomGrow and Yindii received RM30,000, RM20,000 and RM10,000 cash prizes respectively, after going through preparatory workshops and virtual pitches to a panel of judges.
Aimed at bridging the Sustainable Development Goals financing gap for sustainability-focused small and medium-sized enterprises, the Pitch Challenge attracted more than 50 SMEs across ASEAN, mainly from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. These SMEs are ASEAN-based and revenue-generating businesses that focus on a green, social or sustainable impact area, aligned with CIMB Group’s Green, Social, Sustainable Impact Products and Services Framework.
Dato’ Abdul Rahman Ahmad, Group Chief Executive Officer of CIMB Group said, “We are pleased that the inaugural CIMB ESG-SME Pitch Challenge was well-received as a platform to empower sustainability-focused SMEs from across ASEAN. In line with its theme, ‘Financing the Transition’, we see a lot of potential within this space as these businesses are the key drivers and, in many ways, pioneers in advancing a sustainable economy in the region.
In addition to generating increased visibility and greater interest among investors, we hope the SMEs were also able to benefit from the insights and mentorship from our panel of judges and experts in the process. We look forward to continuing catalysing growth among these SMEs and creating opportunities for them in line with our ambition to become an ASEAN sustainability leader by 2024.”
