In 2020, PETRONAS and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) joined forces to establish an incubator hub for entrepreneurs to convene and build their ideas from scratch and turn them into profitable and scalable businesses.

This incubator hub, SEEd.Lab, or Social Enterprise Education Laboratory, focuses on building social enterprises aimed at creating significant societal change. It enables social entrepreneurs to combine purpose and profit while tackling specific social pain points.

SEEd.Lab, through research and dialogue with community leaders, has identified social challenges in four key areas: Food and Agriculture, Health and Hygiene, Education and Skills, and Personal and Financial Security.

The ventures in SEEd.Lab's cohorts address these community pain points.

Participants, known as SEEd.lings, undergo a 12 to 18-month journey to transform their visions into impactful enterprises. After 18 months, they graduate as social enterprise owners and continue to receive support for an additional 12 months.

"At SEEd.Lab, we aim to empower passionate changemakers and equip them with the right tools and support to build purposeful, sustainable, and scalable businesses that can effect change in Malaysia," says Aidonna Jun, Head of SEEd.Lab.

SEEd.Lab is a first of its kind in Malaysia, modelled around the TCS Digital Impact Square (DISQ) in Nashik, India which incorporates an end-to-end journey that spans over the essential stages of a start-up's growth.

In the Ideation phase, participants use PETRONAS' Working Backwards (PWB) methodology and Design Thinking tools to map problem statements to target beneficiaries and create a sound business model. During Incubation, ideas are tested, and MVPs (minimum viable products) are developed to assess desirability, feasibility, and viability. Successful teams move to Commercialisation, where they refine business models and develop solutions for market launch.

SEEd.Lab's programme requires full-time participation, offering participants a monthly allowance and a grant of up to RM50,000 at the prototype stage. Each team is mentored and coached on business operations. Leveraging PETRONAS and TCS' resources, SEEd.Lab organises an Open Day for ventures to connect with potential investors before graduation.

Aidonna reflects on the necessity of flexibility in business, "Running a business requires the ability to pivot. SEEd.Lab works with the ventures on taking a step back and deciding when to pivot based on market demands."

She also highlights a significant observation regarding gender dynamics within the programme, "Heading SEEd.Lab has been a rollercoaster ride, with constant learning. A surprising discovery was the unconscious bias assuming most ventures are male-led. In reality, the gender ratio is balanced, with half of the eight graduated ventures led by all-women teams."

These ventures include Sejolly, ENOKU, Teman, and SAPOT.

Sejolly developed Rootin, Malaysia's first digital tool on Autism Early Intervention for continuous therapy collaboration between therapists and parents of children with autism.

"In Malaysia, neurodivergent children are often rejected from preschools or directed elsewhere due to lack of support. Rootin addresses the gap between educators, therapists, and parents, facilitating continuous collaboration," says Khadijah Yunos, CEO of Sejolly.

Rootin has reached more families, with parents reporting significant progress in their children, such as speaking for the first time. Sejolly also secured a spot as a finalist at the Dubai Expo Live 2024, earning a grant of up to USD50,000.

"This achievement highlights Sejolly's potential and the effectiveness of SEEd.Lab's ecosystem in nurturing and propelling ventures towards impactful success," says Khadijah.

SAPOT offers mental health services through Malaysia's first accredited peer supporters' platform, digital self-care tool, and social support platform.

CEO Najiya Ilya Md Arif reflects on their journey building a mental health platform without tech industry experience.

"Diving into the tech industry without a tech background, we taught ourselves essential skills and created our website. PETRONAS Group Digital's in-kind sponsorship boosted our vision into reality," says Najiya.

SAPOT was recognised as one of the top five most impactful initiatives by Women in Tech APAC.

ENOKU empowers and supports People with Disabilities (PwD) by creating employment opportunities.

During their time in SEEd.Lab, ENOKU realised the need to pivot based on market needs. "SEEd.Lab has been a journey for us. Initially, we aimed to solve financial literacy issues for small-to-medium businesses. Using the PETRONAS Working Backwards (PWB) methodology, we discovered a group of beneficiaries who were overlooked and unemployed," says Lily Azura, CEO of ENOKU.

"We then shifted our focus to equal employment for PwDs and have continued on this path," shares Lily.

She hopes to see more professionals emerge from the PwD community and receive the respect they deserve.

"Hiring PwDs often revolves around quotas or charity, which can be limiting. It's time to change this mindset. It's crucial to establish structure and professionalism to compete effectively in the broader talent pool. At ENOKU, we aim to bring a professional approach to hiring PwDs and empower them with the right skills to thrive," adds Lily.

Teman Malaysia provides care companion services for the elderly.

"During the Movement Control Order in 2020, we realised many elderly people had no support system for routine activities," says Nurul Ezzati Mohamed Nasir, CEO of Teman Malaysia. Temanions, the caregivers at Teman Malaysia, assist senior citizens in need.

"One of the greatest joys of my entrepreneurial journey is when people recommend my service without knowing I am the founder," adds Nurul Ezzati.

SEEd.Lab's dedication to fostering changemakers has positively impacted nearly 22,000 lives through the ventures it has nurtured.

"I am grateful that PETRONAS and TCS invested time and resources into this programme. We have abundant resources at our fingertips, creating multiplier effects for communities by turning ideas into sustainable businesses," says Aidonna Jun, Head of SEEd.Lab.

"We have found a good synergy between PETRONAS and TCS, passionate about progress and belief-building."

Looking ahead, SEEd.Lab aims to continue nurturing promising ventures and supporting their growth and impact beyond borders.

"Women are just as strong and capable as men in entrepreneurship. Tapping into their feminine traits unleashes amazing ideas and solutions. Women are at the forefront of impactful changes, and we are proud to support women-led social enterprises," adds Aidonna.

For more information about SEEd.Lab and to sign up, please visit https://www.seedlab.my/.