RAIN is an incubation ecosystem that brings together students, mentors, industry experts, and investors to turn ideas into real ventures. It connects innovation, mentorship, and funding to support entrepreneurs from the earliest idea to a scalable startup.
Students & Innovators
Students and researchers who develop ideas, build startups, and lead innovation projects.
Mentors & Experts
Industry professionals and faculty who guide teams in technology, business strategy, and execution.
Industry & Investors
Partners who provide real-world problems, investment opportunities, and pathways for startups to scale.
Sunway College
Sunway provides the infrastructure, governance, and institutional support that powers the RAIN ecosystem.
RAIN’s incubation program is structured into distinct phases within a two-year cycle. Each phase progressively builds the capabilities of innovators; students, faculty researchers, alumni, and early-stage entrepreneurs from foundational knowledge to market-ready ventures. Ten startups are selected per cohort through a rigorous, competency-based evaluation process.
~4 months · 10 workshops
Before the formal incubation begins, RAIN builds a culture of entrepreneurship by guiding the students through a series of entrepreneurial concepts like:
Opportunity Identification and Problem Framing
Feasibility Analysis and Market Research
Team Leadership and Operations Management
Product Development and Prototyping
Marketing, Funding and Resource Mobilization
Legal Understanding (Business Registration, Taxation and Equity Management)
Open call · Bootcamp · Pitch Day
An open call for innovators, students, faculty, or alumni; individually or as teams, to submit their ideas. The challenge is structured to test problem awareness, research depth, and team dynamics.
6 months
Selected teams turn validated ideas into technically and legally incubation-ready startups. Teams receive NPR 50,000 pre-seed grant from Sunway (milestone-based).
Focus
MVP development, user validation, and structured mentoring sessions
Mentorship
Primary mentor (faculty or industry expert) with monthly progress reviews
Infrastructure
Shared workspace, internet access, and meeting rooms at Sunway
Real world readiness
MVP scoping, UX testing, pitch deck development, legal registration preparation
Accountability
Bi-monthly progress reports with defined KPIs and milestone tracking
Outcome
Working MVP, early users, and readiness for legal business registration
6 months
Teams formally register their business. Focus shifts to market traction, branding, and investor readiness.
6 months
Full access to labs, space, internet, and advisors. Continued mentorship, team growth, and outreach including support for applying to international accelerators. After two years, teams graduate to make space for the next cohort.
Graduation Deliverables
RAIN evaluates participants based on skills and growth, not just the final outcome of their idea. Instead of exams, participants are assessed on competencies such as:
Leadership & self-awareness
Teamwork & collaboration
Problem identification
Innovation & creativity
Execution & responsibility
Ethical decision-making and Risk handling
Evaluation is based on real work project progress, prototypes, mentor feedback, and presentations. This approach helps students develop the mindset and capabilities needed to become successful entrepreneurs.
Through partnerships, investment networks, and institutional support, RAIN aims to build a sustainable ecosystem for entrepreneurship and innovation. RAIN measures success through:
Innovation and research outcomes
Investment attracted by startups
Solutions that address real-world challenges
Whether you’re a student with a spark, a researcher with a breakthrough, or an alumnus with industry experience?
RAIN is your launchpad.
© 2026 Sunway RAIN. All rights reserved.
