KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 — Malaysian entrepreneurs must overcome an inherent tendency toward excessive humility and actively build strong storytelling capabilities if they want to secure international venture capital, said Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan.
He said that while local founders possess strong ideas, a major missing link is the ability to articulate their value proposition aggressively to global investors.
“Maybe it’s the Asian DNA — we are all very humble; we do things, but we don’t tell people we know how to do it, and we don’t push to make things great,” he said at a fireside chat session on “Mobilising Capital for Malaysia’s Innovation Economy” at KL20 2026 here today.
