Why future innovators are packing their bags to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

MindValley was founded in 2003 by Vishen Lakhiani, a 27 year old Tech Executive sick of the corporate rat race, and Michael Reining, a Stanford MBA with a “passion for innovative management”. Now, almost 7 years later, it is the self-described home to a small group of  ”visionaries, rebels, crazed inventors, best-selling authors, ambitious entrepreneurs and people who believe they can change the world.” They come from more than 15 countries across the world and from diverse educational backgrounds, to work with Vishen and Michael in beautiful Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

What makes MindValley a truly brilliant company is their focus on employee lifestyle rather than employee paychecks. Here are some of the perks of working at MindValley:

• A relaxed work environment with minimal rules and a cooperative group of peers
• Team retreats to gorgeous resorts across Asia. There is also the opportunity to attend special talks and seminars by the world’s best motivational and business speakers such as Tony Robbins and Sean Stephenson
• Mandatory training and career development. They actually promote entrepreneurship among employees, even if the result is some of their best employees leaving them to start their own businesses
• They have innovative volunteer programs that give back to the community as part of their corporate culture (not just a CSR initiative for PR pursposes, but these people really do some amazing work for their communities!)

What makes MindValley so unique is that the company lays the foundation for an ideal Gen Y lifestyle which by default makes it an ideal Gen Y workplace. The company has capitalized on the best thing about Gen Y: our passion and hard work. We are driven intellectuals with a burning desire to change the world. Give us the kind of work we want, and we will do the perfect job. But with that passion and perfectionism comes the need for three magical things: flexibility, entrepreneurship and philanthropy. We have an innate need for all three in our life and without them, no matter how great a paycheck or how fancy the title on our business cards, we will not be happy. We are perfectionists after all!

As Alex writes in her blog, working for a company like MindValley has allowed her to be “a member of an elite group of ‘go-getters’ that Tim Ferris (author of The 4-Hour Work Week) refers to as the ‘New Rich.’ Not rich with money (although money is definitely not something I worry about), but rich with time and mobility to do whatever the hell I want, whenever the hell I want. “