Sparkhub takes Lean Startup Lab to Malaysia for Maldivian students

Maldives-based Sparkhub has held the Malaysia edition of its Lean Startup Lab, bringing together 30 students from four universities for a 48-hour entrepreneurship bootcamp in Kuala Lumpur.

The programme, organised in partnership with Asia Pacific University and the Maldives Students Association of APU, was conducted from May 23 to 26. Participants included 28 Maldivian students and two international students from Asia Pacific University, Sunway University, Taylor’s University and Monash University Malaysia.

Lean Startup Lab is a programme developed by Sparkhub, based on Lean Methodology and inspired by the global Lean Startup Machine framework. Sparkhub first introduced the concept in the Maldives in 2019 through a partnership with Dhiraagu, before holding editions in 2020, 2021, 2023 and in Addu City in 2024.

According to Sparkhub, the Malaysia edition marks the second time the organisation has taken its flagship programme beyond the Maldives, as part of efforts to develop products that can be introduced to regional and global startup ecosystems.

The bootcamp was led by Dhanish Athif, a lean-certified trainer with experience conducting Lean Startup workshops in the Maldives and Malaysia. Participants were guided through exercises that simulated the pace and pressure of entrepreneurship, with teams required to validate real problems and customer needs before developing solutions.

Hussain Jinan, Co-founder and CEO of Sparkhub, said the organisation was working to take its products into the global space.

“Though we are based in Maldives, we want to ensure our programmes benefit other startup ecosystems around the world. This is the second initiative we have taken beyond our borders to be tested and piloted as a global startup event, and it has been highly successful. We are planning to launch further such initiatives into the global startup ecosystem space,” Jinan said.

Zeedhan Zaeem, President of the Maldives Students Association of Asia Pacific University, said the programme was intended to introduce students to an initiative with practical impact.

“We wanted to bring something fresh — something that would make a real impact beyond the usual sports and cultural activities. This has been a total life changer for all those who took part in the 48-hour bootcamp. It is a life skill they can now carry with them every day,” he said.

The programme also included a case study session led by Abdulla Shafeeu, known as Abo, focusing on how Akuru Type applied Lean Startup methodology in developing its business model and carrying out customer validation. Shafiu Hussain facilitated a Concierge MVP session, where participants explored rapid prototyping using AI tools.

A group of Maldivian mentors also supported the bootcamp, sharing experiences from their entrepreneurial journeys and advising teams on problem definition and solution validation. The mentors included Ahmed Rishwan, Mahfooz Ali, Afrah of Family Room KL, and Sparkhub partners Yaamin and Aiesha Adnan.

Sparkhub said the Malaysia edition was a milestone for Maldivian students in the diaspora, giving them access to entrepreneurship training in the country where they live and study. The organisation said the initiative formed part of its wider commitment to building entrepreneurial capacity among Maldivian communities both at home and abroad.