The annual Malaysian Rice Bowl Awards 2017 took place in Fuze Club, KL at Jalan Kia Peng this 7th October 2017.

Authorised as the official Southeast Asia circuit for the Global Startup Awards, the ASEAN Rice Bowl Startup Awards (ARBSA) is an international competition to identify the best talents of the global startup ecosystem.

The overall process of the competition consists of 3 different phases: nationals, regional, and global.

Having entered its third year, ARBSA’s goal is to reward innovation, excellence, and the best practice of startups across the region. They put the spotlight on model entrepreneurship and hope to inspire a dynamic circle of startup enthusiasts that will serve as the benchmark to aspiring start-ups and founders of the community.

After a glitzy opening number, this year’s startup winners were announced last Saturday. We saw quite a few winners from the logistics sector, and many of the businesses chosen have also come up with very creative innovations to solve issues within their industries.

Founder of the Year: Aaron Sarma from Touristly

Aaron Sarma is the founder of Touristly, a web platform where tourists can plan and book their personalised trip itinerary by using an interactive itinerary planner.

Touristly has been very busy this year, even collaborating with AirAsia to produce an interactive digital magazine, since AirAsia acquired a 50% stake in their startup.

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Fouder of the year: Aaron Sarma of Touristly

Aaron took to stage to share a few words. “Being a founder is not easy. I just want to thank my family, my wife, my two girls, and my team.”

After the ceremony came to an end, the winners were invited onstage to give a quick word and engage in group photos.

The Malaysian winners will take part in the Regional Grand Finale later this year. From there, the Regional Rice Bowl Winners will represent Southeast Asia at the Global Startup Awards finale in 2018.

Congratulations to the winners and all the best representing Malaysia at the next levels!

Source:https://vulcanpost.com/623138/malaysia-rice-bowl-startup-awards-2017/, 7 Oct 2017