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THE Securities Commission Malaysia’s (SC) GROWMatch 2025 continues to attract strong endorsements from both ecosystem partners and agri-business participants, who say the programme plays a critical role in addressing financing barriers and driving strategic growth in Malaysia’s agriculture sector.
GROWMatch connects promising Agri-based micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with a broad ecosystem of alternative capital providers, including equity crowdfunding (ECF), peer-to-peer (P2P) financing, venture capital and private equity.
The initiative will culminate in a Pitch Day on 18 September 2025.
Invest Sabah Berhad (ISB) Chief Executive Officer Dr Firdausi Suffian (Main Pic) described GROWMatch as a key mechanism for supporting agri-entrepreneurs in scaling up.
“From ISB’s perspective, GROWMatch fills financing gaps for high-impact SMEs and creates a pathway for scaling, competitiveness, and agro-industrial investment,” he said.
Dr Firdausi also highlighted the role of the Department of Industrial Development and Research (DIDR) and the Ministry of Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship (MIDE) in supporting Sabah’s agri-food ecosystem through the SMJ Agropreneur initiative, which offers SMEs technical support, research and access to production facilities.
“This strengthens Sabah’s agro-investment positioning and innovation capacity. At the same time, GROWMatch supports business sustainability by offering HRDF-linked training, digitalisation programmes and branding strategy workshops,” he added.
He emphasised that structured mentorship and peer learning through GROWMatch allow SMEs to avoid common pitfalls and adopt more informed, strategic approaches to business growth.
For Faisal Shadli Arshad, Managing Director of Pacton Technologies Sdn Bhd, GROWMatch provided the exposure and mentorship needed to scale his agritech venture, FishSpeak.
“We joined GROWMatch because it directly supports underserved innovators like us. Its alternative financing options, ecosystem mentorship and alignment with national food security make it an ideal launchpad for our agritech product,” he said.
Following the programme, Pacton formed partnerships with MDEC’s Digital AgTech initiative and secured a Letter of Agreement with a major shrimp exporter in Aceh, Indonesia.
“Mentorship through GROWMatch allowed us to evolve FishSpeak beyond a productivity tool. We integrated features like farm-level credit profiling and impact tracking, which made our model more investment-ready and finance-sensitive,” he explained.
Since participating in the programme, FishSpeak has been deployed to 50 farms across Malaysia, with farmers reporting profit gains of up to 30 per cent per cycle.
Pacton has also generated over RM1.5 million in revenue and earned recognition as a finalist in the Startup World Cup, a winner of the Bursa Malaysia x MyCentre4IR ESG Innovation Challenge, and a selected participant in MRANTI GAP 2024.
Faisal advised other agri-entrepreneurs to come prepared. “Bring solid unit economics and a clear ESG or financial inclusion narrative. You’ll gain far more than funding—you’ll gain strategic visibility and the right partners to grow with.”
Emeritus Professor Dr Wickneswari Ratnam, Managing Director of Nomatech Sdn Bhd, also praised the programme for supporting her company’s expansion and investor engagement.
“GROWMatch connected us with like-minded investors and helped us fine-tune our pitch for targeted outreach. Peer sessions also allowed engagement with other startup founders,” she said.
Nomatech has since strengthened customer engagement, supported by new clinical data, and is now in the final stages of a crowdfunding campaign on PitchIN.
Her advice to peers in the sector: “Offer simple, tech-driven solutions to national agricultural issues, and ensure you are well-versed in policies and regulations to scale effectively.”
With the theme “Tackling Industry Challenges to Strengthen Malaysia’s Food Security with Alternative Financing,” GROWMatch 2025 focuses on practical solutions for systemic agricultural issues such as climate resilience, soil nutrient loss, aquaculture management and sustainable livestock health.
Supported by a network of national partners—including the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM), MDEC, NCIA, Invest Sabah, Bioeconomy Corporation, Sidec, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Impact Circle—GROWMatch is emerging as a model for public-private collaboration in unlocking capital and capability for Malaysia’s agri-MSME sector.
By enabling scalable innovation and sustainable financing, the Securities Commission is helping lay the foundations for a more resilient and forward-looking agri-food economy. - September 12, 2025
