Sibu-based firm shines in Innovathon Season 3
SIBU: A homegrown medical device innovation company, headquartered here, brought pride to Sarawak after emerging as the first-place winner of ‘Innovathon’ Season 3, a reality TV competition.
Twin Catalyst Sdn Bhd’s entry, the ‘Wondaleaf Adhesive Pouch’, was highlighted in the season’s finale aired from Kuala Lumpur last Saturday.
The product is a thin, conformable, resealable secondary wound dressing designed to provide barrier protection for underlying wounds or catheter sites.
“It was developed to address common challenges in wound management, including skin irritation, water exposure, and frequent dressing replacement.
“The pouch-based design allows absorbent materials to be changed without removing the entire dressing, helping to reduce patient’s discomfort, medical adhesive-related skin injury (MARSI), and also healthcare workload.
“Marketed as ‘the world’s first 3D dressing’, the Wondaleaf Adhesive Pouch is now used in hospitals across Malaysia, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Taiwan, Singapore, Yemen, and Jordan,” said Twin Catalyst in a statement.
The final round was judged by Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan; Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang; Capital A Bhd chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes; enterpreneur Joel Neoh Eu Jin; and singer-actress Erra Fazira.
This season featured seven groups of eight contestants, with one finalist selected from each group and two additional wildcard contestants advancing to the finals.
Innovathon, produced by Astro in collaboration with the Economy Ministry and Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (Mosti), serves as a premier national platform for innovators to showcase, pitch and develop solutions to realworld socioeconomic challenges.
The programme also offers ‘Business Development Support Funding’ with a cumulative value of up to RM1.65 million.
It is informed that Twin Catalyst has participated in Innovathon for three consecutive seasons.
“We are grateful for a show like this, as it gives small and medium enterprises (SMEs) the opportunity to showcase their innovations to Malaysia, and to the world,” said Twin Catalyst founder Dr John Tang in the statement.
“We started this journey from Sibu, a small town with big dreams. To stand on a national stage and be recognised; it is something that we are deeply proud of,” he added.
The company previously won the iAGE Innovation competition in 2021, was a finalist in the Lexus Design Award in 2022, and received the Innovative Vision Award from Sarawak Research and Development Council (SRDC) in 2024.
Dr Tang received the Malaysian Invention and Design Society (MINDS) Luminary Award last year.
The company was also selected for the US Department of State’s ‘GIST Business Incubation Programme’ last year.
Founded and headquartered in Sibu, Twin Catalyst represents a new generation of Sarawakbased technology companies, with its success highlighting the growing capabilities of local talents, engineers, and entrepreneurs in East Malaysia.
The company acknowledged the SRDC for its continuous encouragement and innovation platforms, as well as University of Technology Sarawak (UTS) for its academic collaboration, technical guidance, and longterm support in research and product development.
In addition, SEGi University and the Sibu Palliative Care Centre have also played important roles by supporting early product evaluation and providing real-world feedback through the use of Twin Catalyst’s wound care solutions in patient care settings,” said Twin Catalyst.
It also expressed hope that its latest achievement would inspire more young Sarawakian innovators to pursue careers in science, engineering, and healthcare technology.
“We want young people in Sibu, and all across Sarawak for that matter, to see that innovation is possible here.
“You don’t have to leave your hometown to build something meaningful for the world,” said the company.