The story goes back to the Wild Digital tech conference organised by Catcha Group last June, which saw Asean’s largest gathering of tech leaders, entrepreneurs, and investors.
During the event, Grove personally interviewed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak during a 45-minute fireside chat on stage.
“We wanted the Malaysian government to recognise that the tech scene in Malaysia was a really large and vibrant one.
“Najib was impressed with the digital economy and the sizeable tech scene that Malaysian tech companies were creating and becoming great regional businesses.
“Later, we had a little meeting backstage, where he asked, what more can the Government do to put Malaysia at the forefront of the digital revolution?” Grove recalls.
Grove, along with Malaysian Digital Economy (MDEC) CEO Datuk Yasmin Mahmood, then worked on coming up with some ideas that would bode well for Malaysia.
One of the top ideas was to launch one of the world’s largest digital free trade zones as well as to recreate the ‘Silicon Valley vibe’ in Malaysia.
“It was akin to making Klang Valley the Silicon Valley of Southeast Asia, modelling the KLIC after Silicon Valley and the Dubai Internet City,” he adds.
http://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2017/04/15/catching-up-with-catcha/