Shell LiveWIRE Sarawak elevates SMEs in 2024

KUCHING (June 30): Five new Sarawakian ventures have emerged as winners of the Shell LiveWIRE Malaysia 2024 organised by Shell Malaysia and Tabung Ekonomi Gagasan Anak Sarawak (Tegas).

This follows the Sarawak state finals held in May at the Tegas Digital Village in Miri.

More than 60 participants joined this year’s edition of the Shell LiveWIRE Malaysia Sarawak challenge.

All participants underwent a comprehensive bootcamp, where 10 selected finalists moved on to the final pitching competition.

In this context, entrepreneurs were evaluated based on their business pitches, showcasing their commitment in developing their business concepts through comprehensive business plans.

Subsequently, five winners were selected.

The 2024 Sarawak state winners are Benang Studio, 4×4 Quest Sdn Bhd, Koperasi Opah Sri Aman Berhad, Toclan Agrotech Company and Zinsolar Engineering Sdn Bhd.

The event was officiated by Dato Dennis Ngau, ADUN for Telang Usan and Member Board of Trustees of Tegas. He was accompanied by the chief executive officer of Tegas, Udin Bujang.

“Tegas is honoured to collaborate with Shell Malaysia on the Shell LiveWIRE programme, reflecting our dedication to empowering local start-ups and social enterprises to grow their businesses.

“This initiative demonstrates the significant role of entrepreneurship in stimulating economic growth, creating jobs, and building resilient communities,” expressed Nga.

The five enterprises were awarded a startup fund of RM10,000 by Shell, and an additional RM5,000 from Tegas.

In addition, they will receive a year of business coaching to refine their business plans and transform them into successful ventures.

They will also gain access to Tegas’s resources and opportunities.

Furthermore, the winners will have the opportunity to connect with the global LiveWIRE network, sharing their insights with entrepreneurs worldwide and potentially participating in the annual Shell Global Top Ten Innovators Awards.

“I take pride in our LiveWIRE programme, a platform designed to empower aspiring entrepreneurs,” said Choong Yen Li, general manager of Sarawak Gas, Shell Malaysia Upstream.

“Through this initiative, individuals not only have the opportunity to establish their own businesses but also play a crucial role in generating employment within their communities.

“By participating in Shell LiveWIRE, entrepreneurs can contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of Sarawak and the nation as a whole.

“I strongly urge entrepreneurs to engage in this programme, as it offers access to invaluable knowledge, skills, networks, and resources essential for transforming their entrepreneurial visions into thriving ventures.”

The judges for Shell LiveWIRE Malaysia 2023 Sarawak state finals were Tegas Digital Village & Digital Innovation Hub manager of programme and partnership Afida Zaidi, Borneo Post and Utusan Borneo bureau chief of Miri Phillip Kiew, and Shell Malaysia’s ER/IR lead, HR Patrick Pereira.

Also in attendance at the event was Jonathan Jolly, Shell Malaysia’s Gneral manager of corporate relations for East Malaysia.

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.

The Shell LiveWIRE story

Shell LiveWIRE stands as Shell’s premier enterprise development initiative. It plays a pivotal role in bolstering local economies worldwide by fostering entrepreneurship and nurturing entrepreneurs.

Commenced in Sabah in 2015 with an expansion to Sarawak in 2016, this programme is geared towards motivating young entrepreneurs to innovate and develop practical business solutions that address contemporary socio-economic challenges.

As of 2022, Shell LiveWIRE has been broadened to encompass entrepreneurs from Peninsular Malaysia, further extending its reach and impact.

Spotlight on Zinsolar’s system solutions

One of the winners of the Sarawak Shell LiveWIRE 2024 is Zinsolar Engineering Sdn Bhd (Zinsolar) led by its founders Zinu Asui and Effa Zulaikha.

It is a renewable energy company targeted to be at the forefront of the solar industry. Founded in 2022, Zinsolar quickly gained recognition for its innovative solar solutions and commitment to sustainability.

It specialises in the design, development, and installation of solar energy systems for residential, commercial, and industrial customers.

“At Zinsolar, we believe solar energy can change how we power our world,” they told BizHive in an interview.

“We are committed to excellence, integrity, and sustainability, providing top-notch solar engineering solutions that meet our clients’ needs and benefit the planet.

“Our journey is driven by a pursuit of excellence and dedication to our core values.

“Through teamwork, innovation, and a focus on our customers, we aim to exceed expectations and set new industry standards.”

Zinu and Effa said joining Shell LiveWIRE provided a valuable opportunity for them to refine and enhance its existing business model, products, and services to achieve optimal product-market fit.

“This alignment makes it easier to attract investors and secure funding, as it addresses the needs and desires of the public or target market segment,” they said.

When asked on what their hardest challenge was to date, the duo said it was on educating the public.

“It is always the hardest challenge when we need to educate people and do sales while the market of our business is not matured yet in Sarawak,” they explained.

“To counter this, we put together a strategy to penetrate the market efficiently by informing customers about the short and long-term advantages and benefits of solar system installation brought by our company.”Looking towards the future, we plan to develop and introduce innovative solar energy solutions, including advanced solar panels and energy storage systems, to meet the evolving needs of our customers.

“We also aim to expand our market reach both domestically and internationally, establishing a stronger presence in key regions to tap into new customer bases and increase our market share.”

When asked on what was the biggest lesson learnt along their journey, they highlighted the importance of collaboration and seeking support.

“Specifically, having a co-founder or a strong team provides diverse skills, shared responsibilities, and emotional support, which are crucial for navigating challenges and achieving success.

“Other than that, join as many pre-accelerator programmes as possible from the beginning of the business journey.”

Zinu and Effa attested to pre-accelerator programmes offering valuable resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities that can significantly enhance the business model, products, and market fit, setting a strong foundation for growth.

“For startup entrepreneurs, joining the Shell LiveWIRE Re-Accelerator Bootcamp is one of the best decisions you can make.

“This programme, along with its incredible team, plays a crucial role in helping you reach your current level of success.”

Sar4Trac driving the need for 4×4 safety

The Sarawak 4X4 Training Academy (Sar4Trac) seeks to upgrade safety among drivers of 4X4 vehicles in off-the-road situations, which are commonplace throughout Sarawak and Sabah.

Founded by Paul Si Poh Lim and Chai Yew Foo, this enterprise is operated by 4X4 Quest Sdn Bhd and Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) of Kampung Barieng.

This is achieved with a comprehensive training programme conducted by certified and experienced instructors, encompassing theory behind basic principles and practical, hands-on exercises. It began in mid-2023.

Si and Chai were inspired to pursue this business following their passion for overland adventures using 4X4 vehicles over the past three decades.

“We have learned and experienced a lot, and also witnessed many dangers resulting from improper usage and techniques,” they enthused.

“We could do something about it, which was why we set out to obtain certification as professional 4X4 instructors, from the UK’s Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents as well as Trainer accreditation from HRD Corp Malaysia.”

Coming across on Shell LiveWIRE via a news piece on Borneo Post’s Facebook page, inviting applicants for the Sarawak 2024 edition, led the duo to join the competition this year.

They subsequently made it to the top five.

“Finance or capital remains a major challenge for Sar4Trac, and persuading people that they needed the skills we were providing.

“We are addressing the latter through education, and word of mouth by clients who have taken our courses.

“The things we learned (from the programme) are already being introduced to upgrade and improve our operations.”

Looking forward, Sar4Trac plans to step up the enterprise’s professionalism, especially in post-training documentation, and reach out to more multinational corporations who value safety above all.

“Being affiliated with Shell through the LiveWIRE programme helps us tremendously in that regard.

“We were focused on operations, the things which I knew well and had expertise in, and did not realise there were so many other aspects essential to business success, such as finance, accounting, administration, human resources, marketing, and so forth.

“LiveWIRE has helped us to realize what we did not know before, and learn to address these challenges, one step at a time.”

On their advice to other entrepreneurs: “Get started, don’t wait for conditions to be perfect. “Then, you start learning, and keep learning, it never stops.”

As older citizens among many young entrepreneurs, the duo felt responsible to show the youth that lifelong learning is a thing – to never rest on our laurels but, instead, continue to constantly seek improvement.

“However good you think you are, you can become better.”

Growing agrotech to elevate smart farming in Sarawak

The use of technology in farming by Toclan Agrotech Company, founded by Ahmad Azrai and Ahmad Shukri, is premised on the need for food security in Sarawak.

Toclan Agrotech Company stands for Transformation of Organics Cultivation – Local Agriculture Network.

The founders began in 2018 as backyard farmers with a hobby that quickly turned into a passion.

“We then launched a commercial hydroponic farm equipped with our Smart Urban Farming System (SMURFS) to automate farming operations,” said Azrai and Shukri.

“Today, we are doing even more. We offer free six-month training courses in smart hydroponics and indoor aquaculture for Sarawakians, complete with allowances and accommodation.

“We also breed aquatic animals using a high density – recirculating aquaculture system, which maximises yield in minimal space.

“Plus, we are pioneering a test bed for turning nypa tree sap into sustainable biofuel.”

The inspiration for the duo to pursue this business was seeing a deterioration of Malaysia’s food security compared to neighboring countries like Thailand and Indonesia.

“We had a vision where we believe that there are better ways to increase agriculture productivity through integrating information and communication technology (ICT),” they explained.

“By using innovative and effective use of technology, we can maximise the business potential in the agriculture field.”

Toclan seeks to create and promote the concept of smart farming to the community.

“We strive to train and develop smart farmers towards food basket by 2030, this is in conjunction with the Premier of Sarawak’s vision. We seek to be the best to work for, the most trusted service partner and where custom solutions can be valued.”

For the past two years, they have been closely following the success stories of Shell LiveWIRE participants and how it has positively impacted startups in Sarawak, thanks to Tegas as well for supporting the startup ecosystem.

Inspired by these achievements, they were eager to join this ecosystem and capitalise on the potential for growth and expansion.

“After taking part in Shell LiveWIRE, we were honored and grateful to have connected with valuable mentors in the industry,” Azrai and Shukri said.

“It was a transformative experience for our business. The programme provided us with the necessary resources, mentorships, and networking opportunities that propelled our growth and innovation, allowing us to see ourselves from a different perspective.

“We were able to refine our business model to better fit the needs of our industry. Overall, it was a crucial journey that has had a positive impact on our business, and we look forward to further benefiting from Shell LiveWIRE’s ecosystem as we continue to scale.”

Explaining further, Azrai and Shukri one of the most significant challenges they encountered was the struggle to raise awareness about the crucial need for implementing smart farming practices among key stakeholders.

This comes as our nation lags behind neighboring countries in achieving food security due to low agricultural outputs and insufficient adoption of smart farming.

“To address this pressing issue, we have taken proactive steps by organising community technology outreach programmes.

“These initiatives offer both the community and key stakeholders the valuable opportunity to directly experience the benefits of smart farming solutions.”

Toclan Agrotech Company said it remains committed to expanding its business internationally and pioneering innovative solutions in the agriculture industry to make a significant impact on the nation’s food security and advance self-sufficiency.

“Our unwavering goal is to firmly establish ourselves as the leading provider of agricultural solutions for all types of farming methods.

“We fully intend to capitalise on the scalability opportunities driven by Shell LiveWIRE, particularly in the rapidly growing smart agriculture market.”

Through its entrepreneurship journey, Azrai and Shukri said they learnt the importance of perseverance, dedication and resilience when building a business, especially one focusing on innovative agricultural solutions.

“Trust the process, embrace feedback for improvement, and view problems as opportunities for success. For budding entrepreneurs, our advice is to embrace failure as part of the journey.

“Every setback is an opportunity to learn and grow stronger. Surround yourself with a supportive network, seek mentorship, and never underestimate the power of perseverance.

“Stay adaptable, keep innovating, and always remember that success often comes from taking calculated risks.

“Above all, believe in yourself and your vision, and don’t be afraid to chase your dreams.”

Turning fish to souvenir

A gap in the fish market led entrepreneurs Nur Izzati Zalaluddin and Muhammad Farid Anuar to form Koperasi Opah Sri Aman Bhd (Koperasi Opah Sri Aman) to undertake Ikan Bulu From Sri Aman.

Ikan Bulu from Sri Aman is a project run by three youths from Sri Aman to help the fishermen to settle the surplus of their catch by transforming it into retort products that can act as souvenirs.

“We started the ideati in December 2023 when we won Social Entrepreneurship for Rural Youth and received RM3,000 as seed money.

“With the seed money that we received in February 2024, we started our own product.”

Hailing from a small village in Sri Aman, they told the story of how they began when one of their fishermen friends commented that the surplus of the catch has no purpose apart from being fermented or salted. Currently, Sri Aman is well known as the place where ikan bulu is the iconic fish of this town.

However, tourists that come to Sri Aman cannot bring the product back with them in fresh state because of its condition.

“Therefore, we felt the need to do something about this to cater to two problems; repurposing the surplus of Ikan Bulu and creating ikan bulu based products as souvenirs.

“One of my friends had won Shell LiveWIRE before. She told us that what we are doing now is empowering the fishermen and she requested us to join to highlight this product, why we are doing this and who we are impacting via this project.

“With her courage, we signed up and won Shell LiveWIRE Sarawak.”

Nur Izzati and Farid detailed how their journey with Shell LiveWIRE was “beyond imagination.”

“During the bootcamp, the mentors opened our minds and eyes towards the path that we never thought of and it was so that we were able to highlight our product and the beneficiaries behind this.

“The biggest challenge in doing this project is logistics. Before we have our own retort machine, we must travel 180km to Kuching in order to do the retort process.

“Outsourcing is tiring but I believe that we need to trust the process, and Alhamdulillah, now we own our own retort process and monitor our own retort machine. The process is hard, but the result is unbelievable.”

Nur Izzati and Farid unveiled that they planned to market this product throughout Malaysia.

“We want people to know where Sri Aman is and why it is so important for them to buy. Indirectly, we will convince people out there to come to Sri Aman to boost our tourism and economy sectors.”

The two confirmed that going into business is no easy feat.

“Jumping into business merely means you are ready with the challenges and willing to sacrifice everything you have, time, money and energy.

“We cannot be rich in one day, but we can be rich someday. Believe and trust the process, go through the journey of heart and never forget Allah. He is the best planner.”

Threading the community together via social entrepreneurship

Last but not least is Benang Studio led by Eleanor Empiang Nandong Kudor, specialising in handicraft work geared with sustainability and social awareness.

“As I work with yarn, Benang seemed like the perfect name to represent my business,” she enthused in an interview.

“I make handmade fashion accessories as well as baby wear products and recently dabbled in beading.

“My business gears towards slow fashion and sustainability. I’m passionate about the environment and how a business can contribute towards zero waste and be as eco-friendly as possible.”

Her passion for the business began back when Eleanor was living in New Zealand.

“I was running little crochet classes for my neighbourhood and I was knitting and crocheting things for myself and my baby to wear.

“I would post on Instagram and eventually receive quite a few orders from friends and family across Australia and Malaysia.

“After my separation, I uprooted myself and my two-year-old back to Kuching in 2019. I was a single mom trying to raise my son alone at the same time trying to make money and I decided to start Benang.

“I believe it was my passion for the craft and my drive to be an available parent to my son that drove me to pursue this business.”

Eleanor heard about the Shell LiveWIRE programme from previous winner, Lucille Awen Jon from Pungu Borneo, who is the sole Sarawakian winner from the national level edition of Shell LiveWIRE 2023.

“Honestly, I only heard about it less than a month before the registration closing date,” she revealed.

“I was doing a short apprenticeship with Pungu Borneo’s founder, Lucille, when I opened up to her about this idea, I had to use craft as a means to empower single mothers/abused survivors in Kuching. She urged me to join Shell LiveWIRE under social enterprise as she saw potential and supported the cause.”

The journey with Shell LiveWIRE was the catalyst for Benang Studio towards the next level of her business.

“I have learned how to create a proper pitch deck, most definitely, but more importantly it has catapulted this idea I had from five years ago into a reality.

“It gave me the confidence to pursue the cause, open more windows to materialising my ideas not only to empower women but also to push for a more sustainable and eco-friendly business.

“I met and networked with amazing people, some whose idea aligns with Benang’s, and we have made plans to collaborate in the future. It impacted my business in a way I have never imagined.”

Eleanor’s entrepreneurial journey had its share of obstacles, the biggest of which was to keep on going with the business.

“Once the MCO was lifted in 2022, right after I registered my company, business was not doing so well because people were spending less on products like handicraft.

“I took on a corporate job which helped sustain me and my family, but it took away all my time from raising my son, and as a result, my business came to a complete halt.

“Eventually, I resigned and made a promise to get back to running my business and put all my effort into it.

“I started to network more, join more artisan markets and diversify my business.

“I conducted some market research and started designing my products to cater to my needs. To overcome that challenge, I needed to change my perspectives in order to sustain and grow.”

The crafts maker is not stopping there as Eleanor plans to start a project called “Stitching Hope” in collaboration with Sarawak Women for Women Society and other creatives to reach out and empower survivors through creating art and craft.

“Eventually, I also plan to open a Craft Café in Kuching for crafters to have a communal space, run workshops and offer job opportunities to survivors and single mothers,” she informed.

“There’s another big idea I plan to materialise soon which is to turn pineapple waste into fibre (also known as PALF) which we can then yarn.

“Benang would love to participate in a joint venture with a local agricultural company for this project.”

Her biggest take-away from her journey to date? “To grow, one must come out of one’s comfort zone.

“To be sustainable, one must be able to diversify and adapt. To create an impact, one must never forget one’s core and empathy.

“It takes a lot to grow from scratch, but it is possible.”

And her advice to newcomers? “Start. Just start, even without a solid plan. Start that business if you are passionate about it.

“Eventually, you will start to create a plan. Keep at it, and you will continue to grow and be bigger and better. Learn.

“Make sure you choose to learn something every day. Join classes, join bootcamps, join events that will help you grow as a business and a person.

“Don’t stop chasing your dreams. Rest if you need to but never quit unless you really have to.”