KUALA LUMPUR: Shell LiveWIRE Malaysia 2023 is fostering a positive social impact on communities while contributing to local business development, job creation and innovative social and economic solutions.
Shell Malaysia country chair and Upstream Malaysia senior vice president Siti Sulaiman said the 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.
"Each year, this programme supports thousands of entrepreneurs globally to turn their bright ideas into sustainable businesses.
"I am truly happy to see our local entrepreneurs leveraging this to not only develop their businesses, but to also uplift their communities through employment opportunities," she said in a statement.
Shell awarded five enterprises as grand winners of Shell LiveWIRE Malaysia 2023 at its national awards ceremony.
The winners were GK Aqua, South East Asia Treasure, Grace Creation, Materials in Works and Pungu Borneo.
The event was officiated by Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick, who also presented the winners their prizes.
The five winning enterprises were among 15 finalist enterprises that emerged state winners of Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia earlier this year.
These enterprises were a part of the 15 finalists selected from 180 entrepreneurs who participated in this year's Shell LiveWIRE programme.
These finalists went through a week-long intensive incubator workshop in three locations, followed by a three-month LiveWIRE national accelerator programme in preparation towards the final pitching competition.
Assessments were done based on the finalists' business pitches that demonstrate their drive to grow their business ideas based on their comprehensive business model, team capabilities and business traction.
The winners received a start-up fund of RM30,000 each and 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 10 Innovators Awards.
TEGAS awarded an additional cash prize of RM20,000 to the winner from Sarawak, Pungu Borneo as a motivation to inspire more participation from Sarawak.
Shell LiveWIRE is the flagship enterprise development programme of Shell.
The programme strengthens local economies across the globe by promoting entrepreneurship and developing entrepreneurs.
From 2022, Shell LiveWIRE was extended to include entrepreneurs from Peninsular Malaysia.