Sarawak Youth StartUP (SYStartUP) is an intensive training programme for would-be entrepreneurs aged 18 to 40, run by the Sarawak Ministry of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development. It has now completed three cohorts, in Kuching, Miri and Sibu, and the state has approved a RM3 million SYStartUP grant and a separate RM25 million soft-loan initiative for youth-led businesses, according to UKAS.

Who runs SYStartUP and who can take part

The programme is organised by the ministry led by Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, with Deputy Minister Datuk Dr Ripin Lamat fronting most of its public events. Announcing the second cohort, Ripin said it was open to young people aged 18 to 40 who want to move into business.

He framed the aim as producing "job creators, not just job seekers", and tied it to the state's Post-COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030.

Where the three cohorts have been held

The programme moves around the state, taking one zone at a time:

  1. Cohort 1: Kuching, December 2024, as recalled by the ministry at the third cohort's close (Bernama).
  2. Cohort 2: Miri, 8 to 15 November 2025, with a target of 150 to 200 participants and applications closing on 30 October 2025 (UKAS).
  3. Cohort 3: Sibu, closing on 11 October 2026, drawing young people from the Central Zone of Sibu, Mukah, Kapit and Sarikei (Bernama).

Miri was chosen as the second venue in March 2025 so that the programme would reach northern Sarawak, UKAS reported at the time.

What the eight days cover

The third cohort ran for eight days with more than 45 strategic partners, according to Bernama. Between the second and third cohorts, the published modules included:

  • entrepreneurial motivation (UKAS)
  • business registration and licensing (UKAS)
  • branding and accounting (UKAS)
  • awareness of online scams (UKAS)
  • business management, capital, digital marketing and the use of technology (Bernama)

At the Sibu closing, Ripin encouraged participants to look at sectors suited to their own districts, naming agriculture, livestock, technology, and oil and gas. He also said the RM16.2 billion development allocation for Sarawak in Budget 2027, through roads, bridges and telecommunications, should widen market access for rural entrepreneurs (Bernama).

What the RM3 million grant and RM25 million loan are

The two financing lines were announced by Abdul Karim in his ministry's winding-up speech at the State Legislative Assembly sitting on 19 May 2026, UKAS reported:

  • SYStartUP Grant: RM3 million approved to help young entrepreneurs start and develop their businesses.
  • Soft-loan initiative: RM25 million approved for business expansion, operational improvement and market growth among youth-led enterprises.

The grant and the loan are separate instruments. The ministry statement gives the overall size of each line; it does not set out how much a single applicant may receive or the conditions attached, so applicants should check those terms with the ministry directly.

What happens after the course ends

The ministry says it will keep giving participants follow-up guidance after each cohort (Bernama). That has already happened for the first intake. In March 2025 a meet-and-greet session in Miri reviewed the progress of Cohort 1 participants and held an open dialogue on the problems they faced, according to UKAS.

At that session Ripin said:

  • the ministry's restructuring had made support more effective in business registration and contractor certification, two needs participants had raised;
  • SYStartUP would open an office in Kuching as a one-stop centre for guidance, technical support and networking;
  • further follow-up sessions would run in the Sri Aman and Betong zones, then the Central Zone, and finish in the Kuching zone.

Those details come from the March 2025 UKAS report; the sources do not say whether the Kuching office has since opened.

How to apply for the next cohort

No date for a fourth cohort has been published in the sources reviewed. For the second cohort, applications were taken through the ministry's official website or a QR code issued with the announcement, closing on 30 October 2025, nine days before the course began (UKAS). Anyone interested should watch the ministry's announcements for the next zone and its deadline.

Sources