KUCHING – Swinburne further strengthens its ongoing partnership with TEGAS (Tabung Ekonomi Gagasan Anak Bumiputera Sarawak) through collaboration in growing startup businesses in the state.
CtrlD (pronounced ‘Control D’), a startup comprising Swinburne’s final-year multimedia design students Goh Suan and Joshua Chung, was recently selected to participate in the TEGAS Startup Lab second cohort for May 2019 – May 2020. Formerly known as Fouracle, CtrlD joins other outstanding startups in the programme namely BeGO, The Founders Club, Miracolo and HAUS KCH.
CtrlD is a Kuching-based creative tech studio that focuses on developing specially curated personal experiences by merging art, design and technology. It aims to push imagination beyond the reality through the application of Extended Realities (XR).
At the preliminary stage, CtrlD joined the TEGAS Pre-accelerator Bootcamp earlier this year where the duo had the chance to pitch their mobile game ANO to investors and industry players. ANO is equipped with AR (Augmented Reality) and is based on the art of Sarawak’s traditional hand-tapped tattoos. Aimed at educating the players on this unique Sarawak culture, the tattoos can be viewed on the player’s arm in AR which enhances their gaming experience.
Since their establishment, CtrlD had taken part in other events such as the launching of design symposium Good Design Week 2019, Beyond Paradigm Summit 2019, AI in Healthcare Conference 2019, and Southeast Asia’s Creative Conference & Content Festival Kre8tif! 2019. In addition, they were also involved in a launching video for Shell E6 first oil delivery.
CtrlD follows in the footsteps of Trifold X, another successful startup company consisting of fellow Swinburne’s multimedia design graduates. Made up of passionate digital content creators, Trifold X specialises in creating digital content for virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR).
The TEGAS Startup Lab is open to Sarawak-based startups focused on the key sectors identified in the Sarawak Digital Economy Strategy 2018 – 2025. It is a one-year structured incubation programme that aims to equip local Sarawak entrepreneurs with the tools to sustain and accelerate their business growth and build on the Sarawak government’s digital economy blueprint.
Through TSL, participants are exposed to business coaching, mentoring and facilitation; knowledge sharing by industry experts; access to Digital Innovation Hub facilities and Digital Village Ecosystem Network; and opportunity to participate in international conferences and trade fairs. The programme outline covers strategy, finance, operations, talent management, marketing, branding, intellectual property as well as fundraising for startups.
The programme is supported by the Sarawak Multimedia Authority and is one of the key programmes in the Sarawak Digital Village Ecosystem.
Swinburne is an Australian university based in Melbourne, Australia with an international campus in Kuching. The Kuching campus offers a range of industry-applicable courses such as design, business, computing, engineering and science at pre-university (foundation), diploma, degree, masters and PhD levels. The curriculum taught and assessments conducted are equivalent and aligned to identical learning outcomes at the Melbourne campus.
For more information about Swinburne, visit www.swinburne.edu.my, Facebook page (@swinburnesarawak), Instagram (@swinburnesarawak), Twitter page (@Swinburne_Swk) or YouTube channel (Swinburne Sarawak).