The Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB), together with ANGIN Advisory, developed The Investment Readiness Programme, designed specifically for Brunei Darussalam based startups and MSMEs, catered to their needs of knowledge, skillset, and network to sharpen their business strategies, crafting compelling investor-ready pitch decks and business plans, and building robust financial projections. The programme consisted of several stages, starting with a 4-day workshop held offline in Bandar Seri Begawan.

Syahda Maulida, Advisory Associate, and Christ Panogari, Business Development and Partnership Engagement Lead, of ANGIN Advisory, acted as facilitators, with Hyacynthia Kesuma, Impact Investment Manager of Rabobank, and Rama Manusama, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Katalys Partners, as expert speakers who delivered the key materials of the workshop. 

Ahmad Najib Bahrom, Executive Officer of Brunei Economic Development Board, officiated the 4-day event, held on 1-4 September 2025, by delivering his opening remarks on the growing startup ecosystem in Brunei Darussalam. 

The event granted ANGIN Advisory the opportunity to assist in developing a new and growing ecosystem in Brunei Darussalam, the startup ecosystem. Through a series of workshops, personalized consultations, and pitch opportunities, participants of the workshop gained critical insights into valuation, legal documentation, and effective investor relationship management. By the end of the program, participants are expected to be well-prepared to engage with investors and present themselves as investment-ready.

Fundamentals of Fundraising: Fundraising Strategies, Investment Readiness (Day 1)

The first day (September 1) of the 4-day workshop aimed to set the tone of the class and manage expectations. The session began with introductions from ANGIN Advisory team and each of the participants, including a short introduction of their business. This enabled all participants to understand each others’ needs, including their own, and how they may absorb relevant knowledge and skills through the workshop.

The first session welcomed participants to the workshop with topics about fundamentals of fundraising and how to create fundraising strategies. The session, delivered by Hyacynthia Kesuma, helped participants gain clear articulation of value proposition and market opportunity through the perspective of fundraising. 

After that, Rama Manusama presented a follow-up segment on identifying business models and value propositions. In addition, participants were also encouraged to assess their investment readiness, covering business model fit and financial modeling, through guided reflection questions and practical worksheets.

With a diverse profile of startups and MSMEs joining the workshop, it was an insightful day filled with new knowledge where participants were able to trade perspectives and information regarding each other’s businesses and industries. 

The Investment Landscape: Understanding the Types of Investors & Funding to Improve Investment Readiness (Day 2)

The first day was abou mapping out each business’s business model, investment readiness, and value proposition. The sessions of the second day (September 2) consisted of on understanding the grand landscape of investment by identifying types of investors and the varying criteria they might look for when investing.

Participants also learned about investor appetite, which varies depending on a business’s mission and stage of maturity. Building on this understanding, one of the speakers, Rama Manusama, facilitated a small-group role play simulating internal venture capital (VC) meetings. In this exercise, each group acted as an investment committee, deliberating on whether to invest in a business and how much to commit.

The session accommodated the participants in gaining the perspective of VCs when selecting businesses they would invest in. Consequently, this aided them in better understand their weak points, improvement areas, and business strengths. The session also helped them plan on who and what type of investors would suit their needs.

Pitch Deck: Structure, Refinement, and Feedback (Day 3)

The third day (September 3) session focused on crafting a compelling pitch deck for fundraising, with an emphasis on storytelling and delivering the right message that investors want to see. The materials aimed to strengthen the participants’ positioning and pitching materials. These are crucial components that could make or break their endeavor in pursuing the right type of investment for their businesses. 

The session enabled the speakers and facilitators to directly give back-and-forth feedback to the participants on their pitch deck, with the goal of drafting a refined, structured, and engaging pitch deck. This was done by dividing the participants into small groups to practice their pitches and receiving feedback from both speakers and peers on their delivery and key messages.

The knowledge, understanding, and skill gained by the participants on this day would be crucial in preparation for the rest of the programme, mainly the Pitching Day in October.

Due Diligence, Terms, and Negotiation: the Next Step of Fundraising (Day 4)

The final day of the workshop began with an introduction to the next steps after pitching, namely due diligence, terms, and negotiation. It is important to the participants to remember that pitching is only a small part of the whole process, and essential to understand that the steps coming after the pitching session are not any less important than the previous sessions.

The speakers and facilitators guided the participants through the due diligence process and the key preparations required at this stage. Then, they continued the workshop with a session to explore terms and negotiation as crucial phases before officially closing a deal. 

The session continued with a mock pitching round, where each participant presented in front of the class and received constructive feedback. In this instance, the group reassessed the pitch deck prepared on the previous day together with their pitching performances to better deliver the necessary information and remarks of each participants’ businesses.

The workshop concluded with closing remarks and announcements from the ANGIN Advisory team about the next phase of the program.

The Investment Readiness Programme: What’s Next?

Following up the success of the 4-day workshop, the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) and ANGIN Advisory is currently facilitating one-on-one online mentorship sessions for registered participants of the programme, with the goal of preparing and electing the best startups to be part of the Pitching Day in October. 

Hyacynthia Kesuma and Rama Manusama returns, with Saskia Tjokro, Director of ANGIN Advisory, Anisa Azizah, Senior Advisory Lead of ANGIN Advisory, and Adeline Permata, Consulting Associate of SAGANA, joining the line up of mentors who will be imparting their knowledge, skills, and experience in the business and entrepreneurship sector.

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