Shell LiveWIRE funding powers Sarawakian start-ups

With business ideas ranging from sustainable engineering to maternity care centres, the entrepreneurs will also benefit from three years’ mentoring and coaching support from Shell LiveWIRE Malaysia to help establish themselves in the marketplace.

This year, to give the young entrepreneurs an early taste of the real business world, Shell LiveWIRE introduced a competitive element to the funding selection process, in the form of a business pitching competition. The top ten entrepreneurs to have successfully completed the programme’s Become a Successful Owner Manager (BSOM) enterprise development workshop, were selected to pitch their business ideas to an expert panel of business leaders from the public and private sectors. The five winners to receive start-up funding were selected on the viability of their business model, its commercial potential, their entrepreneurial acumen and the strength of their pitch.

Pitching competition

Commenting on the pitching competition, one of the judges, Manzoor Hayat Khan, Manager of Shell LiveWIRE Malaysia’s programme partner, TEGAS Digital Innovation Hub, said, “The pitching competition and workshop gives the entrepreneurs the opportunity to demonstrate how much the know about their business plans, their direction for the future, and what support they need now.”

The other judges included Octavia Mohamad, Contracting & Procurement Manager, Commercial Excellence, Sarawak Shell Berhad, and Ayisha Arshad, Social Performance Manager, Shell Malaysia Limited.

Commenting at the awards presentations. Ayisha Arshad, said, “This year’s entrepreneurs came equipped with amazing ideas in the healthcare, food and beverage, and even digital industries. It truly reflects the potential that Sarawakian youths can bring to help grow the Sarawak economy.

“It really is a point of pride for Shell Malaysia to be able to contribute to creating more employment and business opportunities in Sarawak, together with like-minded partner organisations such as TEGAS.”

The five young entrepreneurs who successfully pitched for start-up funding are:

Imelda Bragie

Imelda intends to transform her family’s rice farming business, by using Bario rice in soap manufacturing, and turning the farm into an agrotourism destination.

Haaziq Ibrahim

Haaziq aims to grow his sustainable engineering consultancy to help property developers to improve the efficiency of their buildings.

Caroline Imang

With her expertise in traditional Sarawakian handicrafts, Caroline intends to innovate locally sourced handicrafts to appeal to a wider audience, and to introduce DIY traditional handicraft kits for the public.

Jason Chieng Lee Wee

Jason will start his business of maternity centres in Miri to cater for the growing need of new mothers who require post-natal and confinement care.

Amir Mohamed

Amir currently runs a ‘madu kelulut’ (stingless bee honey) farm which he intends to grow into a tourist destination.

Commenting on her award, Caroline Imang of Sarawak Mama Craft said, “The Shell LiveWIRE programme has really changed the way I look at myself as a business owner, and it has opened my eyes to see beyond even my own expectations for my business.

I am thankful to the LiveWIRE programme and to Shell, who are helping me not just realise my dream, but to support me in growing it to be bigger.”

Workshop programme

Shell LiveWIRE Malaysia seeks to uncover business start-up potential in Sabah and Sarawak, supporting and inspiring young entrepreneurs to innovate and provide real business solutions that meet today’s socio-economic needs. The Shell LiveWIRE Malaysia programme consists of workshops to enable young entrepreneurs to unleash their entrepreneurial potential. These include:

• Bright Ideas – the first workshop to develop entrepreneurs’ understanding of the local market and helps them generate business ideas with the highest potential in Malaysia.
• Become a Successful Owner Manager (BSOM) – aimed at refining the business ideas of individual entrepreneurs, this workshop ensures that participants can develop a robust plan to develop their respective businesses.
• Masterclasses – dedicated sessions open to all members of the LiveWIRE programme to develop specific concepts or skills relevant to their businesses, such as branding and marketing, supply chain management etc.
• Pitching workshop and competition – the latest addition to the Shell Malaysia LiveWIRE portfolio, this aims to provide the necessary skills for leading entrepreneurs to seek support from private and public sector organisations to grow their businesses.