Fatih Aquaculture and Wastefyx were awarded first place in the 16th Edition of the Shell LiveWIRE Brunei Business Awards in their respective categories yesterday.
Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah, the guest of honour, presented the prizes.
Fatih Aquaculture placed first in the open category for its innovative do-it-yourself Recirculating Aquaculture system, received BND10,000 while Wastefyx secured victory with its mobile app and advanced bio conversion addressing climate change in the higher institutions category and received BND5,000.
In the open category, Track n Roll placed second received BND7,000 and Happy Sunflower Co in third place received BND5,000.
In the higher institutions category, New Wave Films was in second place receiving BND3,000 and FreshER received BND1,000. This year saw 35 out of 60 registrants successfully submit business proposals, with 22 submissions in the open category and 13 in the higher institutions category.
Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew said the LiveWIRE Brunei Business Awards recognises business achievements and celebrates the spirit of entrepreneurship – the drive for innovation, the capacity for job creation and contribution to the national economy.
He added, “When entrepreneurs succeed, the benefits goes beyond economic gains and extends to the well-being of our communities and societies.”
As the Chairman of Darussalam Enterprise (DARe), he continued, “I am also pleased at the strategic initiatives that Shell LiveWIRE and DARe have co-created to encourage innovation and provide access to the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
“Brunei Innovation Lab serves as a national platform for innovation and addresses the need for fully-fledged tech-based entrepreneurship programme within the business development ecosystem.
“While tech-startups still only form a minority of the overall number of businesses in Brunei Darussalam, they have great potential to capture value and deliver innovation at scale.”
“Let us all come together to create an environment where innovation flourishes, challenges are viewed as opportunities, and success is measured not only by profit but by the positive impact it will have on our community and the wider world,” said the guest of honour.
Chairman of Shell LiveWIRE Brunei Mohd Erwan bin Mohd Said outlined plans for Shell LiveWIRE Brunei in 2024 with emphasis on more impactful initiatives through collaboration with DARe, the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) and Brunei Innovation Lab.
Managing Director of Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd and Shell Country Chair in Brunei Darussalam (BSP) Agnete Johnsgaard-Lewis also attended. – James Kon
