Sabah Shell Livewire Programme Awards Sabah’s Best Entrepreneurs for the Fifth Year

Kota Kinabalu – For the fifth year running, Shell has awarded a RM10,000 seed grant each to five Sabahan entrepreneurs who outdid 81 other entrepreneurs in the Sabah Shell LiveWIRE programme. Their journey began through the Bright Ideas workshops that were conducted in Keningau, Penampang, and Kota Kinabalu last month.

These entrepreneurs have had to demonstrate their readiness to grow their respective business ideas based on their business plans and their presentations to a panel of judges to be crowned winners for the 2019 Sabah Shell LiveWIRE programme.

“The businesses that we’ve seen this year were some of the most innovative ideas we’ve received in the last five years. It’s especially encouraging to see local Sabahans pursuing new types of businesses that will not only grow the local economy but also contribute to the betterment of those who need it the most. I’m appreciative to Shell Malaysia for conducting the Sabah Shell LiveWIRE programme that empowers our entrepreneurs to continue pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams,” shared Datuk Asnimar Sukardi, Chairperson of Sedcovest Holdings Sdn Bhd, who spared time from her Sunday to be a part of the judging panel.

Datuk Asnimar was joined by Datuk Margaret Fung, former CEO of Sabah Energy, and Kenny Huah, Finance Manager of Sabah Shell Petroleum Company, on the judging panel who had the big challenge of selecting the top five winners from this year’s top ten finalists. These entrepreneurs were assessed based on their business pitches, after undergoing a pitching workshop that prepared them to present their entrepreneurial ideas.

Besides the RM10,000 seed grant, the winners will also receive mentoring and coaching support from Shell LiveWIRE facilitators for the next three years to empower them on their entrepreneurial aspirations and assist them in transforming their ideas to full-fledged businesses. As winners, their businesses will also be considered to enter the Shell Malaysia value chain where relevant.

“Beyond the provision of the seed grant with coaching and mentorship, we collaborate with Shell’s wider businesses across Malaysia to identify opportunities which will enable the winners to be a part of our value chain. This includes introduction to tendering processes for the energy industry and the relevant health and safety standards that the entreupreneurs should adhere to further grow their respective businesses,” shared Prithipal Singh, General Manager of Sabah Shell Petroleum Company Ltd.

Prithipal further added that Shell Malaysia does this to support these startups in the early stages of their businesses, where they face the most challenges. Through the LiveWIRE programme coaching, he hopes that these entrepreneurs will be equipped to competitively seek further business opportunities in the wider market.

One of last year’s winners is Irene Mositol of Dumo Organik, that works with rural farmers to improve their agricultural processes using sustainable practices. Since being awarded as a winner from the 2018 Sabah Shell LiveWIRE programme, Irene has been connected to Sabah Shell Petroleum Company’s contracting team to explore potential opportunities. Through her networks, Irene has had the opportunity to introduce the produce from farmers she works with to hotels in Kota Kinabalu.

“I’m very appreciative of the opportunities that have arisen from winning the LiveWIRE programme last year. I’m grateful that in such a short time, through the coaching and mentoring from my facilitators, and the support from Shell’s networks, I’m now able to grow my business through new customers which I’ve not considered before,” Irene shares of her experience thus far.

“As a LiveWIRE winner, I’ve also been invited to participate in the 2019 Global Shell LiveWIRE Top Ten Innovators, where I’ll have the opportunity to profile Dumo Organik on a global scale while competing with other LiveWIRE alumni from across the world. Whilst winning the competition would be great, I’m grateful for the opportunity to be able to meet and share knowledge with my peers from other countries,’ Irene adds.

“I was sincerely surprised with the down-to-earth way our coaches communicated with us throughout the programme. I’ve participated in other entrepreneurial development programmes in Sabah before but the LiveWIRE programme really empowered me to be confident to pursue my business ideas. With the mentoring and coaching that comes after this, I’m looking forward to realising my entrepreneurial dreams,” said Gerald Thomas Wong whose business idea is on using Black Soldier Flies larvae to break down food waste.

“The LiveWIRE programme’s lessons made it easier for me to strategise and plan what I need to do next to expand my business idea and grow it into a real business. At the Become a Successful Owner Manager workshop, we had the chance to interact and ask questions to Shell Malaysia staff which will definitely help in securing new customers for my business,” said Nurahzrine bt Siluan of EXO FERTIGATION, which uses exo-fertigation to transform unusable land into a productive and income generating one.

Shell LiveWIRE is an entrepreneurial programme that seeks to unveil potential start-up entrepreneurs in Sabah and Sarawak. It aims to inspire young entrepreneurs to innovate and produce real business solutions that meets today’s socio-economic needs.

The programme was first introduced in Sabah in 2015. Since then, Sabah Shell LiveWIRE has seen a total of 363 entrepreneurs participating in the programme. The total number of recipients of the programme’s seed grants are 23 as of today.

For further information on Shell’s LiveWIRE programmes, log on to livewire.shell.com.my

For further Media Enquiries, please contact:

PREMA JAYABALAN
Senior Manager, Media Relations and Issue Management, Shell Malaysia
Email: prema.jayabalan@shell.com

About Shell – www.shell.com.my

Shell is a global leader in power, energy, and gas technology and is working to meet increasing energy demand and supply challenges by delivering smarter products and cleaner energy, infrastructure, and by developing new energy sources while addressing the impact on the environment. Malaysia is one of Shell’s heartlands. The history of Royal Dutch Shell in Malaysia started more than 125 years ago in Miri, Sarawak. Shell currently has a strong market presence in the upstream and downstream sector in Malaysia.

Notes to Editors:

About Shell LiveWIRE

The Shell Malaysia LiveWIRE programme consists of workshops aimed at equipping youth entrepreneurs of Sabah and Sarawak to unleash their entrepreneurial potential. These workshops include:

• Bright Ideas - The first workshop which develops 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 repertoire of workshops, the pitching workshop and competition aims to provide the necessary skills for leading entrepreneurs to seek support from private and public sectors to grow their businesses.

The five recipients of the seed grant from Sabah are: