From Falling Repeatedly to Finding Focus (Mindnrobotics)

Techtamu Talk | 17 January 2026

Shahid Bakar and the Mindnrobotics Story

Shahid Bakar stood on stage with a grin that hinted at mischief, honesty, and a long list of hard lessons. This was not a victory lap. This was a confession.

He was there because he believed something simple and uncomfortable. Progress is not built on perfect slides or flawless pitches. It is built on falling, standing up, and falling again without losing your sense of purpose.

That belief is what shaped Mindnrobotics and continues to shape Shahid himself.

He often jokes. But behind the jokes is someone who has been bruised by the process and still chose to stay in the game.

The Beginning Was Not a Master Plan

Mindnrobotics did not start in a fancy office. There were no polished decks, no inspirational slogans pasted on walls.

It started in a bedroom.

The company’s technical backbone came from Zhafri, a mechatronics engineer from UTM who fell in love with robots because of Gundam. Competitions led to research roles. Research led to corporate R&D. And corporate life led to a quiet frustration. What he loved building never quite fit the real world he worked in.

So he started anyway.

No roadmap. Just curiosity, obsession, and a willingness to try.

Shahid entered the picture later, almost like a translator between ideas and people. Where Zhafri was quiet and technical, Shahid was expressive and restless. Night and day, by his own description.

Finding a co-founder, Shahid would later say, is harder than finding a spouse. Values matter more than skills once the honeymoon ends.

The First Win and the First Reality Check

Their early work focused on customised robotics for universities and factories. Eventually came a breakthrough. An Autonomous Guided Vehicle project. Two units delivered. Custom-built. Real hardware. Real money.

They thought, this is it.

Then came a pitch competition. They made it to the finals. The only robotics company among conventional products. Shahid sat confidently, already imagining the win.

Then a judge asked a question that changed everything.

Why build this when the same robot can be bought from China?

That single sentence exposed a painful truth. Being able to build something does not mean the market cares. Passion without a clear problem is fragile.

If conviction had cracked that day, Mindnrobotics would have ended there.

Learning the Hard Way About Validation

They kept building. Logistics robots. Factory solutions. Then COVID arrived and wiped the board clean.

One mistake became obvious in hindsight. They were building first and asking questions later.

Shahid calls it “short sendiri”. Convincing yourself that your idea is great without letting the market argue back.

The lesson was blunt. Validate early. Build something small. Put it in front of users fast. Let rejection teach faster than pride.

They learned this lesson repeatedly.

Sometimes painfully.

A Detour Into IoT and a Temporary High

In 2019, an unexpected request arrived. A customer needed IoT gateway devices. Mindnrobotics built them. And delivered 4,600 units.

For a moment, everything felt aligned.

Then COVID hit again. Projects stopped. Cash dried up. The temporary high vanished.

Shahid learned another lesson that day. Success can distract just as easily as failure. Both test character.

He would later say that when things go wrong, go back to your spouse. When things go right, go back to your spouse too.

The Robot Rental Experiment That Didn’t Work

During COVID, service robots started appearing in restaurants. The idea sounded logical. Buy robots. Rent them out.

They tried.

The timing was wrong. Demand faded quickly. The robots stayed.

Shahid and Zhafri looked at each other and laughed. Not because it was funny. Because laughter was cheaper than despair.

That chapter closed quietly.

Cyberjaya, Community, and Humility

One decision saved them from disappearing entirely.

They built the company in Cyberjaya.

Accelerators followed. Mentors appeared. Hard conversations replaced ego. They joined programs not for funding, but for perspective.

Some people asked why they joined so many programs.

Shahid’s answer was simple. When you hit too many walls, you stop pretending you know everything.

This was where Shahid crossed paths more deeply with people like Dr. Mazlan Abbas and others in the ecosystem. Conversations replaced collisions.

Learning replaced guessing.

The Pivot That Finally Made Sense

Food security lingered in Shahid’s mind long after COVID. He loved food. He saw how fragile supply chains were.

Then came a challenge by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board and the Ministry of Communications.

Mindnrobotics won.

That win led to a contract to build Malaysia’s first digital palm oil plantation.

This time, something was different.

They did not try to build everything themselves.

“Complete, Don’t Compete”

Shahid’s philosophy shifted.

If a robot already exists, use it.
If AI already works, integrate it.
If a platform already connects data, plug into it.

They collaborated with eMoVie and Robotani for robotics. With LuckyTag for AI. With Favoriot as the IoT backbone.

Instead of fighting giants, they assembled a solution.

Palm oil was not chosen randomly. Malaysia is one of the world’s largest producers. Land is limited. Labour is scarce. Productivity must rise.

Technology was not the star. Collaboration was.

Why This Matters Beyond One Company

Shahid speaks often about Malaysia becoming a producer nation.

Not resellers. Not distributors. Builders.

Robotics, AI, and IoT are not trends to chase blindly. Without real industries to anchor them, graduates drift. Engineers switch careers. Cycles repeat.

Palm oil became Mindnrobotics’ anchor industry. A place where talent can land, learn, and grow.

Solve a local problem well, and you earn the right to scale globally.

What Shahid Tells Young Founders

His advice is rarely polished.

Start before you feel ready.
Perfection slows you down.
Failure is not a verdict. It is redirection.
Ideas mean little without cash flow.
Communities matter more than hype.

Investors, he says, are not villains. They want traction because risk is real. Build something that pays, and options open naturally.

And partners? Test them. Learn. Get better at choosing next time.

Where Mindnrobotics Stands Today

The team is growing. Projects span agriculture, hydroponics, and smart plantations. Collaborations stretch beyond Malaysia to Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, and China.

Not to copy.

To co-create.

Shahid no longer chases every opportunity. Focus replaced excitement. Purpose replaced noise.

The falls did not disappear. But they now fall forward.

Three Lessons Shahid Leaves Behind

Purpose must be bigger than your problem.
Failure is feedback, not shame.
The right community keeps you standing longer than talent alone.

Shahid ended his session hungry, tired, and smiling. The kind of smile that only comes from someone who stayed long enough to understand the cost.

And he left with an open invitation.

To collaborate. To learn. To build together.

What part of Shahid’s story felt closest to where you are right now? Share your thoughts.