Salesforce widens startup programme footprint with Malaysia and Philippines launch

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Salesforce has expanded its startup programme into Malaysia and the Philippines, marking a further push to support emerging companies across Southeast Asia and South Asia.

Announced from Singapore on 20 January, the move gives startups in both markets access to Salesforce’s broader ecosystem, including AI-powered products, mentorship, joint go-to-market opportunities and a regional startup community designed to help founders build and scale their businesses.

With the addition of Malaysia and the Philippines, Salesforce now operates its startup programme across five markets: India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Sri Lanka. The expansion signals the company’s growing focus on ASEAN and South Asia as high-potential innovation hubs.

Don't miss: Salesforce lands in Manila with major AI skills push, new agentic enterprise vision

Malaysia has been positioning itself as a leading startup destination, supported by a state-led ambition to become a top global startup ecosystem by 2030. Its diverse talent base and strategic location in the heart of ASEAN have also made it a gateway to fast-growing middle-class markets across Southeast Asia, China and India.

The Philippines, meanwhile, continues to see strong momentum driven by a young, digitally savvy population, improving mobile connectivity, and increased government backing. Under the Innovative Startup Act, the Philippine government has announced 2.1 billion pesos (US$35 million) in funding for startups and outlined a longer-term ambition to produce four local unicorns and attract US$10 billion in investments by 2030.

Since launching in 2021, the Salesforce startup programme has grown to support more than 435 startups globally, including over 230 AI-first companies. Participants include CloudFiles, Xoxoday, Yellow.ai and Trupeer.ai.

“With a thriving innovation ecosystem and a young, digitally-savvy talent pool, Malaysia and the Philippines are ideal launchpads for startups seeking to scale local ideas into global impact. The expansion of our startup programme into these markets equips promising startups with the necessary support to solidify their business foundation, accelerate growth and ultimately, find success at scale,” said Arundhati Bhattacharya, president and CEO, South & Southeast Asia at Salesforce.

Both countries are also key growth markets for Salesforce’s enterprise business. Organisations such as University of Nottingham Malaysia, Maxicare, Converge ICT Solutions and PLDT currently use Salesforce CRM and AI technologies to support their digital transformation efforts. In November 2025, Salesforce announced the opening of a new office in Manila as part of its strategy to help more Philippine businesses become “agentic enterprises”.

Startups based in Malaysia and the Philippines can apply to join the Salesforce startup programme through the official website. Applications are reviewed weekly, with successful applicants onboarded on a rolling basis.

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