The seventh edition of the Petaling Jaya startup festival brings more than 2,000 visitors together with investors, policymakers and technology innovators across two days.
The PJ Startup Festival 2026 opened at MBPJ Civic Hall on 15 August, bringing together startups, investors, policymakers and industry leaders to explore Malaysia’s growing digital economy.
The seventh edition of the festival runs until 16 August. The event is free and open to the public, giving entrepreneurs, jobseekers, students and technology enthusiasts an opportunity to connect with the wider startup ecosystem.
The festival opened with a welcome address by YB Tiew Way Keng, Senator, followed by a keynote address from YB Gobind Singh Deo, Minister of Digital.
Strengthening Malaysia’s Startup Ecosystem
Parlimen Damansara organised this year’s festival with MBPJ Zone 7, 10, 12, 16 and 21 councillors.
The event also partners with the Selangor Information Technology & Digital Economy Corporation (Sidec), MDEC, Cradle and Tourism Selangor.
Sidec is participating throughout the two-day programme. Its involvement includes a dedicated presentation and a Day 2 panel featuring Dr Lee Hing Wah, Sidec’s Technical Director.
The festival brings together key players from Malaysia’s startup and digital economy ecosystem. It also provides a platform for entrepreneurs to engage directly with investors, technology companies and policymakers.
Five Panels Explore Malaysia’s Digital Economy
Day 1 featured five panel discussions covering major areas of Malaysia’s digital economy.
The first session, “Accelerating Malaysia’s Digital Economy – Lift Everyone Up!”, examined how Malaysia can drive more inclusive digital growth. The panel featured MDEC Chairman Ganesh Kumar Bangah, Cradle CEO Norman Vanhaecke, Oracle Managing Director Royce Teoh and MIMOS Holdings CEO Razman Jaafar.
The festival also explored urban innovation through “Living City, Design for Culture & Mobility.” Speakers included Asia Mobiliti CEO Ramachandran Muniandy, MIGHT Assistant Vice President Anusha Magendram and Ficus Capital VC Managing Partner Abdullah Hidayat.
Meanwhile, “Fundraising & Money – Unlocking Capital at All Stages” focused on startup funding and access to capital. The session brought together Carsome Chief of Staff Jenny Zhang, pitchIN Co-Founder Kashminder Singh and MyStartr Founder and CEO Goh Boon Peng.
Healthcare innovation was another key focus. The “Medical Innovations & Healthcare Economy – What’s Next” panel featured Luness Health Co-Founder Hazleena Hashim, Panacean Group CEO Dr HM Goh and Medical Device Authority Deputy Director Mariammah Krishnasamy.
The final panel, “Digital Banking & Fintech – What’s Next in the Journey,” explored the future of financial technology. Speakers included PolicyStreet Chief Digital Officer Tang Siew Wai, AEON Bank Chief Technology Officer Kang Yew Jin and TradeVSA Founder and CEO Rianne Chin.
The programme also featured a corporate presentation by Affin Group and a crowdfunding issuer presentation by pitchIN.
Career Opportunities and AI Take Centre Stage
Beyond the main stage, the festival offered several parallel programmes.
The Theatrette hosted the “Festival Kerjaya MYFutureJobs” career fair, organised by SOCSO/PERKESO. The programme offered walk-in interviews and job-matching services for visitors seeking new career opportunities.
The festival also featured an “AI Sunday” startup workshop stream. A Kids STEM Space Camp provided younger visitors with an opportunity to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
More Than 2,000 Visitors Explore Startup Innovations
Across the two-day programme, more than 2,000 visitors attended the festival at MBPJ Civic Hall.
The event featured 100 exhibitor booths showcasing startups and technology innovations. Current participants in the Deep-X and Token-X tracks also took part in the programme.
Returning exhibitors included Green Advantex, Dataverse, Pixelence, Xtractify, Ever AI Technologies, Simplifi.my, Tsuin AI and HiTerra.
Meanwhile, new participants included AIoTMission, WorkAce AI, POLA AI, Algae Decarbon, iWealthX and Senimatik.
With its mix of startup showcases, investment discussions, career opportunities and technology programmes, PJ Startup Festival 2026 highlights the growing breadth of Malaysia’s startup and digital economy ecosystem.
