By the MALAYSIA SME Editorial Team
Themed TECS—Tourism, Entrepreneurship, Communication & Sport, the Congress will unfold on Southeast Asia’s tallest peak, Mount Kinabalu, with an official ASEAN record attempt for the highest-altitude virtual business conference.
“This is more than a climb,” said Wayne Lim, Founder and Group Editor of MALAYSIA SME Media Group and Organising Chairman of the Congress. “It is a call to rise above fear, limits, and comfort zones—together, as ‘sportrepreneurs’.”
A Congress That’s a Mission
The Congress, Wayne shared, began with a question, “What if a business event didn’t feel like an event at all? What if it felt like a mission, a movement, a moment that could transform how entrepreneurs see themselves?”
That question became the seed of the impending 10-month journey—a milestone expedition where a team of entrepreneurs train, climb, and grow together. It will culminate with entrepreneurs hiking up to the mountain’s 4,095m summit.
The kick-off meeting on September 27 brimmed with energy as organisers, partners, and speakers came together to set the tone for this extraordinary journey.
“The same discipline found in sport is what drives entrepreneurial success. Focus, consistency, and resilience are qualities that define great entrepreneurs, and this is what the Congress is really about.”
Looking ahead to the summit attempt in June 2026, Wayne made it clear this edition would be unlike any before. “No comfortable venues. This time, speakers and participants will form the expedition up the mountain, and speakers will deliver their keynotes at Panabalan (3,272m) to a virtual audience,” said Wayne who successfully reached Kinabalu’s peak in June this year.
But the ascent carries a deeper purpose. It is about those who make every climb possible—the mountain guides.
“They carry our gear. They carry responsibility. They carry us, often without recognition,” Wayne emphasised. “This year, we want to honour that invisible strength.”
The Congress will provide guides and their communities with sustainable livelihood opportunities through entrepreneurship and professional upskilling training in communications.
A Constellation of Partners
Wayne announced, “Our partners are climbing with us. They demonstrate, through their actions, what it means to lead from the front. Their faith powers us to the summit and beyond.”
Partners include MALAYSIA SME Media Group, Malaysia’s first English-medium MSME newspaper since 2005; The Entrepreneur Speaker Bureau, a coaching organisation helping entrepreneurs step confidently into the spotlight; Write Right Communications, a provider of strategic content for businesses; 10X Marketing/AiDAVE, pioneers of AI-driven marketing and training solutions; Summit Attack Resources, adventure specialists ensuring safety and success on extreme expeditions; and BMS Organics, the event sponsor, championing healthy living through organic food and wellness innovation.
Voices That Inspire
Speakers joining the expedition include Datuk Roger Wong, Founder of KGW Group, who transformed Malaysia’s logistics industry; Gwei Tze-Co, CEO of Astra Baby, a trailblazer in baby products and entrepreneurship; and Raj Gurung, Everest summitter and international adventurer, who will share lessons from the world’s highest peaks.
Also part of the journey is Chew Han Tah, an award-winning Producer-Director and Filmmaker with extensive experience in international reality shows, documentaries, Travel & food series, TVCs, and branded content across Asia, the US, and Europe. Chew and his team will document the entire 10-month journey.
Leading the climb is Mohd Fakhrul Munir, founder of Summit Attack Resources, a mountaineer who has summited all 14 highest mountains in Malaysia.
“Together we will complete, not compete. Anything is possible if you stay focused and dream big,” Gurung shared via teleconference.
The Call to Rise
“At its heart, the Congress is not about records, peaks, or speeches,” Wayne framed. “It is about the entrepreneurial spirit itself, to face fear, break limits, and rise above comfort zones.”
“When the summit attempt begins, 30 entrepreneurs and leaders will take each step not just for themselves, but for the thousands who join them virtually. Their voices will carry from the top of Southeast Asia, echoing across the region, in an ASEAN highest-altitude virtual business conference record attempt.”
