The winners of Second Unovate Business Competition
The
Second Unovate Business
Competition was organised in conjunction with
UTAR Entrepreneurship Day by the
Faculty of Accountancy and Management (FAM), Department of Consultancy and
Commercialisation, and Entrepreneurship and Management Club (EMC). The
competition took place at Sungai Long Campus on 27 November 2019.
The competition aimed to provide students with
the exposure of becoming an entrepreneur by pitching their business ideas to
potential investors.
The first prize winners walked away with RM500 cash
prize while the second prize won RM300 cash and the third prize winners took
home with RM200 cash. Three groups that were chosen as the winners for the
best exhibition booth category took back a hamper. The competition was
judged by MCM eCOM Global Venture Sdn Bhd Chief Executive Officer Dan Then
Ikh Choo, M3EC Millennium Sdn Bhd Business Development Director Tan Lay Huai
and Wadhani Foundation Senior Manager Saiful Rizal.
The event was solely sponsored by Finance Manager and
Founder of M3EC Millennium Sdn Bhd Max Yong. Max Yong, who is also a UTAR
alumnus, graduated from UTAR in the year 2015 in
Bachelor of International Business (Hons). “Graduating from
that area of study was indeed useful for my company’s business as I’ve
learnt how to deal with people from different countries. Currently, I
am in charge of e-commerce in my company. I am grateful that I can apply the
knowledge I’ve learnt in UTAR to deal with my clients from China and the
Western countries,” said the successful alumnus.
He also advised, “To start your own business, you
need to dream big, dare to take a risk and cease doubt in decision-making
process. I started my company with my partner as a hobby. After that, we
realised that we can provide value to the customers and we gained
satisfaction from it. There will always be challenges when we operate our
own company but step by step, through trial and error, we will eventually
grow. To become an entrepreneur, you have to keep calm and be patient as
results don’t yield in the blink of an eye.” UTAR is indeed proud to have
him back to support the event and is thankful for his generosity.
UTAR alumnus Max Yong who is also the sole sponsor of the event receiving a
token of appreciation from UTAR President Prof Ewe
A total of 37 groups competed against each other in the competition. Eight finalists were chosen to present their business ideas to the judges and the top three winners were chosen for the competition. The eight groups of finalists were Group 11 with their business proposal titled “Short Trip / Weekend Activities Planner – GATEWAYS”; Group 13 with their business proposal titled “Funeral Services or Green Burial”; Group 14 with their business proposal titled “Customized rental services (Hottage)”; Group 24 with their business proposal titled “3D Interior Design Apps”; Group 27 with their business proposal titled “Online JOB AGENCY FOR STUDENTS (U JOB)”; Group 29 with their business proposal titled “Car Pool Service (EZCAB)”; Group 32 with their business proposal titled “Elderly Companion Care Services” and Group 34 with their business proposal titled “Public Bus Real Live Location App (UTECH)”.
Group 11 “Short Trip /
Weekend Activities Planner – GATEWAYS”
From left: Edward Tan Kai
Jia, Wong Ai Yin, Beatrice Yeoh Mei Wei, Lim Siao Qing and Tan Hui Ying
Group 13 came up with the idea “Funeral Services or Green Burial” after
realising that the pollution in the environment was getting worse and there
was a lack of place for burial ground. “Born from Nature, Return to Nature”
was their tagline for the idea. They came up with this green burial proposal
to encourage funeral parlours to stop the use of embalming fluids to
preserve
bodies. A normal decomposition
takes about eight to twelve years but with
embalming fluid, it takes more time to decompose.
Besides, they also proposed to
change the casket to biodegradable casket like the cardboard casket to
reduce pollution.
Group 13 “Funeral
Services or Green Burial”
From Left:
Tan Wen Syn, Fong Shin Yee, Tharshini
Muruti and Ong Kai Ni
To
address the great difference between the growth of house prices and
household income, and curb the shortage in the supply of affordable houses,
Group 14 introduced the “Customized rental services (Hottage)” where they
provided customised rental services for tenants. Besides choosing their
desired location, tenants can also choose to customise their room design and
furnishing based on their own preference and budget by renting or buying the
furniture.
Group 14 “Customized
rental services (Hottage)”
Front row, from left: Koh
Weng Lin, Bay Ting Ting and Lee Li Shan
Back row, from left: Lui
Pei Wei, Toh Shi Lei and Lee Jia Wen
Group 24’s “3D Interior Design Apps” was created to help the public design
their own dream house. It is cost-saving as the user does not need to hire
an interior designer and they can have their desired house or room designed
by directly involving in the design process. There is a template for the
users to design or they can talk to the consultant via online.
The app also has furniture purchasing function online which could
ease and save the user’s time.
Group 24 “3D Interior
Design Apps”
Front row, from left:
Leong Yien Yien and Chua Qin Xuan
Back row, from left: Pua
Lee Ying, Tan Yi Ting and Candy Yeap Mun Hoe
Group 27’s “Online Job Agency for Students (U JOB)” brings benefits to UTAR
students by creating a platform for the students to find a part-time job
online. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can also opt to join the
platform to create more job opportunities for the students.
Group 29 “Car Pool
Service (EZCAB)”
From left: Povanes
Ganesh, Sean Ling Ji Ming, Hariharan Kalithasan, Ong Li Chuin and Teh Ding
Yin
Group 32’s “Elderly Companion Care Services” offers companion care service
for the elderlies and helps them with basic house chores. There will be a
delivery person to help the elderly buy their groceries and basic needs.
This service also includes providing transportation to the elderlies by
bringing them to their desired place. Besides, a handyman service is also
provided for the elderlies. Last but not least, every elderly needs a
companion or a person to talk to. Their specialists will keep them
accompanied.
Group 32 “Elderly
Companion Care Services”
From left: Yap Wai Theng,
Teng Ching, Loh Bao Ying, Soh Ming Ting and Tessa Mary Kate Tang Yi Theng
Group 34 came up with the idea “Public Bus Real Live Location App (UTECH)”
due to the problem of not being able to estimate the exact time of arrival
or departure and not being familiar with bus stations at some location.
UTECH consists of real live location and real-time traffic features to give
bus users a convenient and pleasant experience. This app can also reduce the
frustration of having to wait too long as users can plan their own timing
based on the bus schedule.
Group 34 “Public Bus Real
Live Location App (UTECH)”
From left: Lai Yii Tong,
Chong Hor Mun, Brenda Cheng Jing Yi, Mayblle Kan Yee Rou and Yong Yoong
Siang
95 votes
Title: “Funeral Services or
Green Burial” by Group 13
46 votes
Title: “Short
Trip / Weekend Activities Planner – GATEWAYS” by Group 11
45
votes
Title: Food recipe App by Group 35
Yap Wai Theng, a member of the Champion group
said, “We are very happy because the award was beyond our expectation.
However, we believe that our idea
still needs a lot of improvement and I believe that we can provide a better
idea to the society and help the elderlies who are always marginalised. And
we also feel very thankful to our lecturer Dr Falahat and our tutor
Cheah Lee Fong for
supporting us.
First runner-up winner Ong Kai Ni said, “We’re
shocked because we didn’t expect to win among the eight groups. Our industry
is quite sensitive so we seriously didn’t expect to win. We just tried our
best and put all our efforts into it.”
Second runner-up Tan Yi Ting and groups expressed,
“We were shocked to win the prize. We thought other groups did well compared
to us and they also came up with great business ideas. It was a pleasant
surprise for all of us. My appreciation goes to all my teammates. We put in
our best effort and a lot of hard work for this business proposal. Last but
not least, we would like to thank Dr Falahat and our tutor
Dr Yeong Wai Mun for their kind assistance.
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