KUCHING – Artefact Studio from Swinburne was announced as the top three winners of the recently concluded Tabung Ekonomi Gagasan Anak Sarawak (TEGAS) Digital Pre-Accelerator 2020 programme.
10 out of 20 startups from all over Sarawak were selected to present their business ideas to angel investors, funding and government agencies, and strategic partners at the programme’s Virtual Demo Day conducted via Zoom meeting. The 10 startups include Artefact Studio, Jam Sea, GoHet, NO Q, Call Aladdin, urmalaysia.com, BabyBaru, Head Stream, Limessential and Darmadia. BabyBaru and Darmadia were the other two winners of the programme.
The top three winners from the Virtual Demo Day received an attractive package that includes company incorporation support from TEGAS, green lane to participate in TEGAS Startup Lab and Sarawak Shell LiveWIRE, as well as access to SMA-TEGAS Digital Innovation Hub located in Kuching, Miri and Bintulu.
The Artefact Studio team from Swinburne comprises Bachelor of Business (Management and Digital Media) final-year students namely Helend, Soo Ker Yee and Yvonne Tsai, as well as Bachelor of Design (Multimedia Design) final-year student Jaslyn Tan. The team developed a 3D storytelling adventure game ‘Away’ that uses a first-person POV to enhance the immersive player experience.
With the aim to increase interest in the history of Sarawak and raise awareness on the significance of the Batu Lintang Camp as a valuable historical site, the game centres its story around the Batu Lintang Camp, a Japanese internment camp in Kuching built during the Japanese occupation. The story follows Alex, the granddaughter of an ex internee, through a series of adventures when she is transported back in time to the Batu Lintang Camp in 1944. Throughout the game, players will need to solve various puzzles and mysteries to help Alex find her way back to the present time.
The team started building their prototype in March 2020 and completed it in June as part of a final-year project under the Digital Media Design Capstone Project unit. Prior to joining the Pre-Accelerator programme, they had tested the prototype among friends where the response was 100% positive. Moving forward, the team plans to carry on with the game development and eventually launch it on Google Play Store.
Inspired by startup stories from TheLorry.com, MyCash, Lapasar, and more, Helend commented that the Pre-Accelerator programme provides her extensive startup knowledge and she is grateful that the team is supported by the best mentors so they could directly learn from the best. To Soo, the programme has broadened her understanding of business concepts and knowledge, and that it was inspiring to see all the other startups putting efforts into what they believe in.
Coming from a design background, Tan initially had no idea about running a business or startup. However, the programme has allowed her to gain insights and important advice from the best in the industry. She is thankful to the team’s mentors for the constant guidance on building their startup.
According to project supervisor and multimedia design lecturer John Hii, the goal of Capstone Project is to produce industry ready talents. This will ensure that Swinburne students are well equipped with the right knowledge and skills for the creative industry, either locally or internationally.
Meanwhile, Deputy Head of School of Design and Arts Ts. Augustus Raymond Segar said this achievement is a testament of the quality of the School where its students continue to excel not just within a classroom setting but also at industry level.
“The School of Design and Arts has also produced other notable alumni who have successfully made a name for themselves. These include TrifoldX, the first extended reality (XR) company in Sarawak, and CtrlD, winner of Southeast Asia Best Student Game award. Both established startups are incubated in TEGAS focusing on games, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality,” added Ts. Augustus.
Swinburne’s design programme is known as one of the best in the world. The 2021 QS World University Rankings by Subject placed Swinburne among the best universities in the world in 12 subject areas, placing in the top 50 worldwide for Art and Design.
The TEGAS Digital Pre-Accelerator 2020 is a one-week programme designed to take early-stage startups to the next level. The content was delivered by industry experts and seasoned entrepreneurs, covering topics such as starting up; team and product; going to market; fundraising and pitching. The programme was organised in partnership with Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA), WatchTower & Friends and pitchIN. It was run virtually for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information about Swinburne, visit www.swinburne.edu.my or its Facebook (@swinburnesarawak), Instagram (@swinburnesarawak), Twitter (@Swinburne_Swk) or YouTube channel (Swinburne Sarawak).