Five enterprises from Peninsular Malaysia were awarded the winners of Shell LiveWIRE 2022 by Shell in the state finals, which took place today. This is Shell’s first time in running this entrepreneurship development initiative for Peninsular Malaysia entrepreneurs.
This year’s winners Sapot, Beebag, Qarbotech, manekNya and Sayur Kita were part of over 60 participants who joined this programme. They went through a comprehensive bootcamp, where 10 selected finalists moved on to the final pitching competition.
Here, the entrepreneurs were assessed based on their business pitches, which demonstrate their drive to grow their business ideas based on their comprehensive business plans and five winners were chosen thereafter.
“It’s really motivating to see the overwhelming response to the first Shell LiveWIRE in Peninsular Malaysia, following the success in Sabah since 2015. I am inspired to see our local entrepreneurs not only empowering themselves through their business ventures, but also striving to create an ecosystem that leverages on digitalisation to uplift their surrounding communities and increase employability. I urge our entrepreneurs to leverage on the opportunities provided by Shell LiveWIRE as this will enable them 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,” expressed Rodziah Zainudin, Managing Counsel, Shell Malaysia.
The 2022 winners received a start-up fund of RM10,000.00 and a year of business coaching support from Shell LiveWIRE facilitators to empower them on their entrepreneurial aspirations and assist them in transforming their ideas to full-fledged businesses.
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 2022 were Shahrizan Salian, Assistant News Editor, Business, Berita Harian; Zalwani Zalkaply, Deputy Undersecretary in the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives and Lucy Loo, Head of Convenience Retailing, Mobility, Shell Malaysia Trading.
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 meets today’s socio-economic needs. The five winners of Shell LiveWIRE Peninsular Malaysia 2022 will compete against five winners each from Sabah and Sarawak at the national final of Shell LiveWIRE Malaysia, which will take place next year.
To learn more on Shell LiveWIRE Malaysia, click here.
Note To Editors
Shell LiveWIRE Peninsular Malaysia 2022 winners’ details
| Names | Company | Business Description |
| Najiya Ilya Md Arif & Nur Fatiha binti Shuib | Sapot | SAPOT’s goal is to prevent people from developing mental disorders due to prolonged stress and to encourage professional help-seeking behavior when necessary. SAPOT also works closely with MENTARI which is a community mental health clinic under the Ministry of Health and ImROC which is a Peer Supporter training provider created by the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) and is now an independent consultancy and training organisation. |
| Joshua Lim & Joel Lim | Beebag | Beebag is a smart-retail tech startup working on gamifying sustainable shopping. To achieve this, it has created one of the world’s first-ever smart reusable bags powered by NFC Chips and Smart QR Codes to enable shoppers to track their positive environmental impact and later exchange them with rewards. Beebag aims to work with retail businesses and corporates to create a world where people can turn their sustainable actions into rewards, so that caring for Mother Nature becomes our second nature. |
| Mohamad Syazwan Abdul Rahman & Chee Hoe Chor | Qarbotech | Qarbotech is a deep-tech start-up company based in Selangor, providing carbon nanotechnology products and solutions for smallholder farmers. We improve crop productivity by 30% through enhancing the photosynthesis rate of plants. |
| Swee Lin Lee & Swee May Lee | manekNya | manekNya offers contemporary, comfortable, and cultural Peranakan beaded shoes that are made in Malaysia and handmade by its embroiderers from marginalised communities. manekNya aspires to bring comfort, sophisticated needlework, and propagate the beloved heritage of Baba Nyonya culture with the most luxurious shoe experience. manekNya also aims to be sustainable and impactful in the production of the shoes. The owners ensure that the majority of the shoes are made from non-animal products, while aiming to work and empower women to be financially dependent and vulnerable mothers to rise with a purpose by equipping them with business opportunities and embroidery skills, all while working from their own home. |
| Naviin Thiagarajan &
Mohamad Alif Aminuddin Lani |
Sayur Kita | Sayur Kita Asia is an Agricultural educational online platform that aims to inspire and grow a new generation of youth Agropreneurs, climate champions and change makers by providing quality and accurate Agricultural education and investments in line with climate resilience and sustainability from its platform. Besides that, the platform is a community-based ecosystem where youths can interact with experienced tutors and likeminded peers to solve, learn and grow crops together. |