BROWN BAG TALK SERIES
Theme: Entrepreneurship Landscape in Malaysia
Speaker: Mrs. Viviantie Sarjuni CEO National Entrepreneurship Institute (INSKEN)
21 APRIL 2026 | MIER BOARD ROOM
Today’s series featured an engaging sharing by Mrs. Viviantie Sarjuni, CEO of INSKEN, who highlighted Malaysia’s growing shift towards a more inclusive and impact driven entrepreneurial ecosystem. Drawing from her experience working with the Sabah state government, she reflected on how early efforts that focused heavily on technology evolved into a broader strategy centred on social innovation and social entrepreneurship. The key lesson shared was that sustainable change requires solutions that fit local realities and empower communities to build their own economic opportunities.
A major theme of the talk was the need to strengthen the pathway from conventional businesses to inclusive businesses and eventually social enterprises. Financial sustainability enables businesses to broaden their reach and scale social impact in a more effective and sustained manner. Sabah’s transformation was highlighted as a success story, growing from only a handful of social enterprises a decade ago into one of the largest social enterprise ecosystems in Malaysia today.
Collaboration was emphasised as essential for scaling social enterprises, particularly through Public–Private–People partnerships. Progress is already underway, with increasing support from financial institutions and ongoing efforts to expand funding, policy engagement and ecosystem coordination. These initiatives aim to help social enterprises move beyond early stage survival towards long term sustainability and growth.
The session also explored emerging opportunities in the creative economy, youth engagement and Malaysia’s ageing population. Participants discussed how creative talents, students and retirees could all play a role in the impact economy when given the right support, entrepreneurial skills and market access. The talk concluded with a call to revitalise and strengthen collaboration among academia, industry and government to build a more inclusive and impact driven entrepreneurship landscape in Malaysia.
