KUALA LUMPUR: Five enterprises were awarded winners of Shell LiveWIRE Malaysia 2023 in the Peninsular Malaysia finals on Monday.
This is Shell's second year in running this entrepreneurship development initiative for entrepreneurs in the peninsula.
The 2023 Peninsular Malaysia winners GK Aqua, Materials in Works, Complement Ventures, Certiify Solutions and Garbage to Green were part of over 60 participants who joined the programme. They went through a comprehensive bootcamp, where 10 selected finalists moved on to the final pitching competition in Cyberjaya.
Here, the entrepreneurs were assessed based on their business pitches, which demonstrated their drive to grow their business ideas based on their comprehensive business plans and five winners were chosen thereafter.
"It is very inspiring to see our local entrepreneurs leveraging on their skills and digitalisation to not just grow their businesses, but to also contribute towards uplifting their surrounding communities and employability," said Syed Hussain Taha, general manager of Shell business operations KL.
"Our LiveWIRE programme provides a platform for entrepreneurs to connect with the global LiveWIRE ecosystem, which can propel them to further develop their businesses and contribute towards the socio-economic development of the nation and I urge our entrepreneurs to leverage on the opportunities provided by Shell LiveWIRE," he added.
The five winning enterprises received a start-up fund of RM10,000.00 from Shell.
They will also receive a year of business coaching to develop their business plans into full-fledged businesses and access to the facilities and opportunities made available by Shell.
The winners will also be given the opportunity to connect with the global LiveWIRE ecosystem and share their knowledge with entrepreneurs around the globe, while standing a chance to compete in the annual Shell Global Top Ten Innovators Awards.
The judges for Shell LiveWIRE Peninsular Malaysia 2023 finals were the New Straits Times business editor Zuraimi Abdullah, Shell Malaysia territory manager Ezy Erwahanis Zainudin and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation vice president/head of business services division Razif Abd Aziz.
Shell LiveWIRE is the flagship enterprise development programme of Shell. The programme strengthens local economies across the globe by promoting entrepreneurship and developing entrepreneurs.
This programme, which kick started in Sabah in 2015 and in Sarawak in 2016, aims to inspire young entrepreneurs to innovate and produce real business solutions that meet today's socio-economic needs.
Starting from 2022, Shell LiveWIRE was extended to include entrepreneurs from Peninsular Malaysia.