WatchTower and Friends (WTF)

Check fit first

• WTF describes itself as a Malaysian accelerator investing in Malaysian startups. Nothing on its pages says Indian-incorporated startups can apply.
• If your company is not based in Malaysia, contact the team first and ask whether they will consider you. Do not assume eligibility from the Apply now button.
• The accelerator is for founders who still need guidance on their idea. The team says it is not a requirement for being funded, so a founder who is further along can ask about investment directly.

How applications work

• The Apply now button on the home page and the apply page leads to an online application form. We could not read the questions on that form, so we cannot say what it asks.
• The apply page refers to a pre-application for a June 2025 cohort, which has passed. No later intake is named on the site, so check whether one is open before you spend time on an application.
• To be considered for investment without going through the accelerator, use the information form on the Jati Growth page.

What to expect from the programme

• Twelve weeks of modules covering founder skills, business model, MVP, market, funding fundamentals and ESG, plus six weeks of dedicated mentoring.
• No programme fee. The organisation says there are no chargebacks or programme fees tied to the programme.
• If you are offered an investment, it comes with a minority equity stake. Read the terms before you accept.

What the team is likely to look at

• WTF says it screens out ventures whose core products or practices cause demonstrable harm to the environment or society, so be ready to speak to that.
• Most of its past startups arrived with an idea or a presentation, so an early-stage pitch is normal there.
• Be ready to explain your market and how you will use funding, since those are themes of its modules.

WatchTower and Friends, known as WTF or WTF Accelerator, is a private accelerator and early-stage investor based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is run by Watchtower and Friends Sdn Bhd and uses the tagline "We Start Things". Its own pages describe it as a Malaysian accelerator that invests in Malaysian startups, and nothing on them says startups from India can apply.

How the accelerator works

The flagship programme is a 12-week accelerator with six modules: Founders' Foundations, Business Model, MVP, Market, Funding Fundamentals and ESG for Startups. Alongside the modules, founders get 6 weeks of dedicated mentoring. The first module covers the leadership skills a startup founder needs. Another covers onboarding your first customers and iterating your MVP, and the ESG module covers environmental, social and governance practice for early-stage companies.

The programme is built for founders who still need help shaping an idea. The team says most startups arrive with only a presentation or even just an idea in hand. It also says the accelerator is not a requirement for getting funded by them. A founder can be considered for investment without going through it.

The programme itself carries no fee. The organisation says there are no chargebacks or programme fees tied to it. Money comes into the picture only through its investment: for companies that go through the accelerator, the standard deal is a cash investment in return for a minority equity stake, and the amount a founder receives is exactly the amount agreed.

Whether an intake is open

The site gives mixed signals, so read them before you plan around it. The home page and the apply page both carry an Apply now button that leads to an online application form. But the apply page text refers to a pre-application for an upcoming cohort in June 2025, which has already passed. Its batch history page lists eight batches, from April 2015 to October 2019, and names no later batch. No page names a 2026 intake. Treat any current intake as unconfirmed until the team confirms it.

Investing through Jati Growth

WTF's current investment vehicle is Jati Growth PLT, which it manages jointly with a firm called Bawatana. The organisation says it is actively investing in early-stage startups, and describes Jati as investing in early-stage Malaysian startups. Founders who are not going through the accelerator can use an information form on the Jati page to start a discussion. The site does not say what Jati asks for in that form or what its eligibility rules are.

Track record

By its own count, WTF has completed eight accelerator batches since 2015 and has invested in more than 50 startups. Its about page gives 52 startups; the batch lists on its history page name 50. It says its alumni have created around 2,000 jobs, and its history page says over 2,000. These figures are the organisation's own, are undated, and we have not checked them.

The startups it names from the accelerator include TheLorry, MoneyMatch and LaPasar. The eighth batch, in October 2019, is listed as Ejen2u, Pomen, CloudCoffee and Miracolo.

Sustainability screen

WTF publishes a sustainability policy. It says it declines to invest in ventures whose core products, services or practices cause demonstrable harm to the environment or society. That is a policy statement, not an accreditation or a certification.

Who runs it

Sam Shafie is the co-founder and CEO. He leads WTF, which he describes as a tech accelerator investing in early-stage technology startups. Kashminder Singh is a co-founder of WTF and of pitchIN, a crowdfunding platform based in Malaysia. Hardesh Singh is the Accelerator Lead and manages the startup programmes and cohorts. The company's registered office is on Jalan Kerinchi in KL Gateway, Kuala Lumpur.

Programmes for organisations

Separately from its founder programmes, WTF offers customisable programmes to corporations and government agencies, including bootcamps, an accelerator and corporate innovation work. These are sold to organisations, not open to individual founders. A partnership kit is available to download from its partnerships page.

Should an Indian founder consider it

Only if you are building a company in Malaysia, or can show a real Malaysian operation. Nothing on its pages offers a route for Indian-incorporated startups, and its investment vehicle is described as investing in Malaysian startups. If you are an Indian founder looking for an accelerator, an Indian programme is the safer first choice. If you are based in Malaysia, the application form on its apply page is the route in.