The SEMAI Summit 2024, held in collaboration with CSED and PurpoSE, took place from June 26th to 28th at the Asia School of Business. This event aimed to advance social entrepreneurship from grassroots initiatives to wide-reaching stakeholder involvement, gathering ecosystem players for a sustainable future in social entrepreneurship.
One of the key highlights was the launch of SE Day by YBM Datuk Ewon Benedick, who also unveiled the SEMY accreditation logo. Datuk Ewon took the time to visit 50 SE booths, learning about their impacts and purchasing products. Success stories were shared by OA Organik, Discover Muaythai, and Earth Heir, showcasing their impact and the beneficiaries’ stories. In the session on “Growing Your Social Enterprises,” Pichaeats and Pandai discussed their growth through accelerators, grants, global programs, and corporate procurement, while SEED.Lab shared insights on their incubator program. Another session, “Unlocking Opportunities,” featured ecosystem players presenting programs and funding opportunities for SEs, including ASBhive Hasanah Impact Challenge, Continuum Sparks Awards, Catalyst 2030, and KakSE by Insken. Bank Negara Malaysia hosted an invite-only session on innovative financing solutions, encouraging financial institutions to explore new ways to support SEs.
The summit also featured multiple capacity-building workshops covering presentation skills, investment term sheets, software and tech, and sustainable business models. The Pitch@ASB session provided SEs with valuable feedback from judges. An interactive session with the Fishbanks sustainability board game taught participants how to run a business while considering ecosystem sustainability.
Throughout the summit, various moments stood out. It was heartening to see a diverse range of impact businesses showcasing their products and stories. Pn Maimun from OA Organik shared how SEs have significantly improved her family’s income and life. Ten SEs from Sabah traveled to ASB to share their stories, with some wearing traditional costumes. Dr. Billy from PWD showcased his innovative aquaponic system and sold Tilapia ice cream, demonstrating the creativity within the SE community.
The summit attracted over 600 attendees, with marketplace sales exceeding RM 15,000. The next SEMAI Summit will be held in Sabah in September. Highlight session recaps will be posted in upcoming blog posts. A heartfelt thank you to all speakers, participants, and organizers for making the SEMAI Summit 2024 an impactful and memorable event.
Stay tuned for the recaps of key sessions and more stories from the summit in our next blog posts.
