KUCHING: Five emerging startups have been named winners of the 8th TEGAS Pre-Accelerator Bootcamp 2026.
The winners — Trigona Bidara, Pangkas, GoAcara, Ritma Insights and Borneo Origin — were chosen from a pool of 25 participating startups after 10 finalists pitched their innovative solutions during the Demo Day finale held at TEGAS Digital Village (TDV) here today.
Deputy Minister for Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment and TEGAS Chairman Datuk Len Talif Salleh, said the eighth edition of the bootcamp had raised the benchmark by integrating an AI-powered curriculum with Growth Through Innovation.
“Today is not just about polished pitches. It is about the resilience, creativity and digital potential of founders.
“In just five days, our cohort has moved beyond ideas to mastering market validation, unit economics and rapid prototyping,” he said.
He said in his speech read by TEGAS Board of Trustees member and Lingga assemblywoman Dayang Noorazah Awang Sohor.
Len said the bootcamp represented an important milestone for Sarawak’s startup ecosystem, with the TEGAS Pre-Accelerator programme having completed eight editions since its introduction in 2018.
He said the initiative remained a cornerstone of the TEGAS Digital Village and Digital Innovation Hub network in supporting aspiring entrepreneurs across the state.
“For this eighth edition, we partnered with Growth Through Innovation to deliver an AI-powered curriculum. Over the past week, our startups went beyond ideas as they worked on AI-driven problem definition, routes to market, B2B and B2C unit economics, and rapid prototyping,” he said.
He encouraged participants to continue developing their ventures beyond the competition by applying the knowledge gained in AI integration, no-code “Vibe Coding” and business fundamentals.
“Do not let your journey end when the pitches finish. Tap into TEGAS Digital Village and our hub network. Let’s build an open ecosystem where we grow together, uplift communities and represent Sarawak with confidence on the global stage,” he said.
The winners received RM2,000 in cash, complimentary co-working access at TDV in Kuching as well as TEGAS Digital Innovation Hubs in Bintulu and Miri.
Through TEGAS’ strategic partnership with Mindswitch, the winners will also receive complimentary intellectual property (IP) masterclass sessions.
The five-day bootcamp, held from July 6 to 10, featured specialised business education covering startup finance, investor expectations and data-driven pitch deck development, before culminating in the Demo Day showcase attended by investors, mentors and corporate partners.
