Posts Tagged ‘icentre’
Busy is always good
The all-new generation Audi A4 Sedan #A4lotion
This is the time of the season.. The second of Syawal (Hari Raya) where there will tons of invites from corporate companies. Well, not all of them I could attend for sure and of course, I was snubbed from some corporate companies. Below are some of the corporate open houses that I managed to drop by and I’ve been getting many similar comments – “Rano, you seem smaller” or “You’ve lost weight”. Awwww.. thanks for the comments but mmmm, looks can be deceiving, my friends.. Standing is the best way to hide all the fats but sitting down is an easy giveaway *lol* I can already fill the tiny increase of my bulge after not controlling what I ate during Hari Raya.
Enough of that.. Just enjoy the pictures and captions from my recent Raya visits.
At Tourism Malaysia (Brunei) office with Puan Purina Abdul Samad, Director of Tourism Malaysia (Brunei)
Registering ourselves at Tourism Malaysia Brunei Open House
The host mingling with the management from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Caroline Sim, Head of Great Eastern Brunei branch mingling with guests
The Great Eastern Brunei team posing for the camera
My photo pop with Great Eastern team. Thank you, Caroline and the rest for your warm hospitality and the small gift 😀
Their neighbour, the team from Concepts Computer, dropped as well
The day before was the invitation from Concepts Computer
I’ve always admired Vincent Pao’s vision for his company (Concepts Company). All that hard has paid off and he hasn’t stop growing.
The guests at the Brilliance Hall at Concepts Computer
Vincent Pao and Alice Chan with the members of IFB
The team from Brunei Shell Marketing at their open house hosted at Radisson Hotel
If you are not shy, you can sing too. The happening bunch of people 😀
Many of BSM corporate clients, retailers dropped by
My photo opp with the team from BSM
Finally get to meet up with Catherine Muller, Director of Public Affairs, U.S. Embassy to Brunei Darussalam (3rd from left) at the U.S. Embassy reception of welcoming Catherine and also celebrating Hari Raya at Rizqun International Hotel. Hope to meet you again over the course of your stay here and welcome to Brunei Darussalam 😀
Azhani with #POTUS moment :p
My visit to the iCentre where they had organised a potluck Hari Raya. Yea, things have truly changed and perhaps for the better. I actually missed the pioneers (the management then) – Ogy, Rayner, Diwi, Danial and many more. It’s good to pay a visit to iCentre again. Loads of good memories.
Simon and Faezal displaying their upcoming event – Weekend Warriors. It’s actually an app where you can play futsal at your own convenience… well, depending on the court availability too. Let’s put it this way.. if you have a team or even just you alone, you can play and be part of a team. Interesting.. I shall share more of Weekend Warriors pretty soon. Good luck, guys 😀
Continue Reading Comments Off on Busy is always good
Winning isn’t everything
Check out the V-Class from Mercedes-Benz at the Jati Transport Showroom in Gadong. Refreshments will be served today
The Champions of the Ignite Entrepreneurship Challenge 2015 led by @ghazi.jo (2nd from right) with his proud sister Izzah Jomari. The team presented their idea on a device for vehicles where it will send emergency dispatch on the occurrence of an accident or instant impact. This is a very cool idea knowing that rate of accidents in Brunei is quite high. Congratulations to team KreatifTech.
Hajah Hasnah Hj Ibrahim, Acting CEO of Brunei Economic Development Board (centre) with the top 3 winners of the Ignite Entrepreneurship Challenge 2015 and the judges. The event took place at Design & Technology Building at Anggrek Desa.
Open concept, yes!!! I love it. I believe this is a great way to share and give more exposure on the concept to students and potential start-ups on how pitching and presentations are done. The public will also get to understand the prototypes or ideas presented by the finalists of the Ignite Entrepreneurship Challenge. This is the 8th edition of the business plan competition organised by Brunei Economic Development Board and iCentre and it was previously under the brand name of “ThinkBig” before it rebranded to “Ignite”.
I favoured the idea that the competition only lasted in less than 3 months. Otherwise, the competition could get draggy as it was a few years ago. During the press conference of the Ignite Entrepreneurship Challenge 2015 back in mid September, the organisers shared that they were looking for validations and commercialisation of their ideas and concepts and not just focusing on Brunei market but abroad. Forward to the present moment, chief judge Soon Loo, local partner and co-managing director of Seri Venture Capital Management Sdn Bhd, commented that all the finalists yesterday demonstrated high quality of ideas but lacking the execution should they explore outside Brunei. It was also the first time that the announcement of the winners was build in a more suspense manner initiated by the chief judge where usually the announcement were done by the emcee. So I am happy to see new changes in the format of the finals of the Ignite Entrepreneurship Challenge.
Perhaps another obvious difference is that the co-organisers decided to remove the student category and allow the students from high schools, tertiary and university institution to compete among the big players. This competition alone drew 51 submissions during the preliminary round (48 for Open and 3 for International). By October, only 22 submissions were shortlisted. By November, six teams made it to the finals for the Open Category and 1 only for International. I’m quite happy that there were all new faces so it gives me a more refreshing feel. Furthermore, the average age of the team is pretty young and not all of them have business background to begin with.
Anxious moment for the finalists as Soon Loo was announcing the top 3 winners.
Team Neogene was one of the finalists. They centred their idea of geology and market it with a tourism angle. I like their idea actually and this can bring loads of revenue to the economy if proper execution. But it’s true what the judges said that it will take years to reach that milestone.
Jodie Lim was the first presenter yesterday. Her team Nurture Enterprise proposed the idea of installing solar chimneys and earth tubes in any building and by doing this, it will reduce electricity costs, resulting in the cooling of greenhouse gases. The chief judge shared that this concept can take off if they can apply for the IPO.
One of the most confident presenters in the finals. Team Adi Iskandar Basri came up with the idea of a “Skipping” app. That’s right. A skipping app where you can skip queues. He gave examples about those queueing in banks. I’m quite impressed with his delivery as he believed in the product. Even my peers were talking about it on the group chat. Perhaps the judges were looking for something more of a substance. Keep it up, buddy! #dontgiveup
@ghazi.jo and his team of KreatifTech during their presentation of the special device for vehicle in emergency cases. During the interview, he shared the idea of the app came about when his friend Syazwan passed away in a tragic accident end of last year. It was also the first time their team joined the Ignite competition and they were recommended by their friends to join. He thanked all the finalists and they all deserved to be in the finals.
The best part of the finals is that the public was more than welcome to watch it live through webcam. The audience watched the whole presentation at the auditorium room. I hope this trend will continue for next year’s Ignite. Good job, BEDB!!
From what I can see is that “Ignite” is aiming to aspire the public that any idea that you have in mind can be made possible. It’s not about the winning the competition. It’s about embarking the journey of embracing your ideas and experiencing the process – writing an executive summary, creating a team, running surveys and focus groups, attending workshops and learn from seasoned mentors, creating presentation slides, pitching your ideas, networking and there are just many possibilities that you can learn by just participating Ignite Entrepreneurship Challenge. The biggest value that I learn from this competition is the value of courage and I applaud to all the 51 teams that submitted their business ideas to the organisers.
Even Soo Loo commented that it’s not about winning or losing. He experienced of not being placed in a business competition but his idea materialised in the real business environment and it has become a success. The same can be said for PHMD MindPlus who came 3rd in Ignite Open Category 2012 and now their expanding operations in Indonesia. So to the other finalists who weren’t placed, do not be discouraged. You all did the best you could yesterday and I was impressed by all the presenters, even with their ideas. Who knows you can apply for grants in BEDB or AITI and you can turn your ideas or prototypes into reality. So don’t feel defeated but feel appreciative and honoured because you made this far.
Thank you, BEDB for giving me this opportunity to watch all the finalists and I’m pretty sure those who showed up yesterday felt privileged to witness all the presenters.
The prizes were presented by Hajah Hasnah Hj Ibrahim, Acting CEO of Brunei Economic Development Board.
Jamie Liu of Inncee (Singapore) was the only team that made it to the finals in the International Category. Her company provides analytical services to help businesses improve their revenue by gaining data. They have simulated one of the businesses in Singapore. Well done on winning the International category.
Team Guru consists of two awesome tennis players who came up with the idea of connecting coaches/trainers to sport enthusiasts through means of the Guru apps. They also joined the competition because it was an idea they had in mind for a long time but never materialised. So what a way to introduce their idea through the Ignite competition. Is this app doable in Brunei? I would believe so with proper implementation and marketing strategy. Keep it up, ladies!! Proud of you!!
The Runner up for the Ignite Entrepreneurship Challenge 2015 – Team Nurture Enterprise and they received BND 15,000
The winner of the International Category with BND 10,000 – Team Inncee
The 2nd runner up, Team NewGate Plus, who won BND 10,000. They are now heading in Malaysia as they were selected to represent Brunei in the ASEAN Impact Challenge 2015 in Kuala Lumpur and guess what? They are now in KL for the event. They came up with a noble cause app that ensures that there is enough supply and demand of blood storage for the community. The judges shared that they scored the highest for social impact but will need a strong support from the Ministry of Health to make this app sustainable in a long run. Good luck in KL and congratulations in finishing Top 3.
Zharul Ghazi Jomari and his team, Kreatif Tech, received the winning prize of BND 25,000 from Hajah Hasnah Hj Ibrahim, Acting CEO of Brunei Economic Development Board.
The most enterprising judge that I’ve come across and Soon Loo has given a different dimension in the judging department. He is one busy man who travels at least a few times in a month alone and he claimed that he doesn’t even have a frequent fly programme. His biggest milestone or one of them is was being awarded the Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World award in 2013.
All is not lost for other finalists as local SMES still want to engage with participants on their ideas. Here we see Mr. Ang of 3G Media talking to one of the finalists of the Guru App mobile application.
Radi El Fassed, Acting Head of Product Development, Progresif Cellular Sdn Bhd, was amazed with the presenters and hope to work with some of the finalists for future opportunities. He was one of the judges of the Ignite Entrepreneurship Challenge 2015
A Singaporean lady giving some tips to the Neogene team.
Continue Reading Comments Off on Winning isn’t everything
Blue is the warmest colour
This morning we witnessed a young team, SGRA, who were crowned the champion of the Ignite Entrepreneurship Challenge 2015 and they were rewarded with a winning prize of BND 25,000. The team was led by Ghazi Jo and the mock cheque was presented by Acting CEO of Brunei Economic Development Board, Hajah Hasnah Hj Ibrahim. More stories tomorrow on blog.
Can DPMM FC clinch their maiden S•League title this weekend? Image courtesy of S•League Facebook Page.
The other team in the race for the title is Tampines Rover FC. They will face Harimau Muda in the final day of the season too. DPMM FC can still clinch the title if the host draw with Balestier and Tampines only win by a single goal. But of course, a win is much better.
T-shirts will be handed out to spectators on a first come first serve basis, and there are also 25 lucky draw prizes up for grabs including three return tickets – with the destination yet to be determined – sponsored by Royal Brunei (RB). Furthermore there will be NO ENTRY FEE for the final match between DPMM FC and Balestier Khalsa FC. Good news to all DPMM FC players.
Good luck and I shall be covering the match this Saturday too.
Look at the new Audi TTS. Sleeker and powerful. I love everything about this car.
I took the Audi TTS for a good spin yesterday
My experience: Pretty awesome!!! The closest thing I drove as a sports boutique car. It felt pretty low and it was pretty stable when I took it for a test drive. I had the privilege to drive the beautiful blue Audi TTS edition, courtesy of T.C.Y. Motors yesterday.
What impressed me is the Audi Virtual Cockpit. This is something new introduced in Audi models and now you don’t need a digital dashboard as everything appears behind the steering wheel. The 12.3 inch display monitor is enough to give enough information to the driver and you can even switch modes by clicking the menu on the steering wheel. I haven’t really explore the Audi Virtual Cockpit but looks impressive so far.
I remember seeing the first edition of the Audi TT a couple of years ago. Yes, it did look sexy back then but now the latest design and body give a sexier feel and I love the sporty kit on the Audi TTS edition. For the TTS model, you will also enjoy the sound system of Bang & Olufsen. I’m still bummed that I wasn’t able to make it to Denmark for the Bang & Olufsen’s event back in October.
If you want to check out the Audi TTS version, head over to T.C.Y. Motors during office hours. It’s the best Audi TT model among the lot with 310 horsepower output with a new generation of quattro all-drive system (4 wheel drive). I hope to get another test drive again 😀 (Thanks, John).
Handling is superb even in corners
The interior of the Audi TTS
The Audi Virtual Cockpit is innovative
The blind spot light alerts off incoming cars from the side
A modern classic, redesigned and reborn: The third generation of the iconic Audi TT arrived on the global market in 2014, and it continues to fascinate with the driving dynamics of a sports car. It’s operating concept centered around its digital cockpit sets new standards of excellence.
Design and body
Audi designers reinterpreted the lines of the original 1998 TT and added dynamic facets to the design. Audi offers headlights with LED technology or Matrix LED technology. Dynamic turn signals are another feature of the lighting system. The headlights are designed with a pattern of divider bars that emit the daytime driving lights. The tail lights also contain continually illuminated bars of light.
The body of the TT represents a new evolutionary stage of the Audi Space Frame (ASF). The occupant cell plus all the components of the outer shell and attached parts are made of aluminium. The TT 2.0 TFSI with 6-speed S tronic transmission sets the new benchmark for low weight at just 1,260 kg (without driver). With the S line exterior package, it attains a low Cd figure of 0.29.
Drive system
Audi Brunei is offering the new generation TT with the 2.0 TFSI with 169 kW (230 hp) and 370 Nm (272.9 lb‑ft) of torque paired with a six-speed S tronic and a new evolutionary stage of the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system (for the TTS).
Chassis
Clutch management is incorporated into the 5-mode Audi drive select. This system lets the driver control the operation of key technology modules in a variety of different modes. These modules include the adaptive damper control system Audi magnetic ride (optional).
Other chassis highlights include progressive steering, four-link rear suspension and electronic stabilization control (ESC). ESC functions include torque vectoring, which is activated in fast cornering – it optimizes handling as necessary by means of very slight brake interventions on the unloaded wheels at the inside of a curve.
Interior and controls
The interior of the new Audi TT has light, sporty styling. Viewed from above, the instrument panel resembles an airplane wing. The round air vents, a classic feature of the TT, incorporate all of the controls for the air conditioning system. The newly developed lightweight sport seats are mounted low. The luggage compartment of the 2+2 seater has a capacity of 305 to 712 litres (10.8 to 25.1 cu ft).
In the user interface concept, which is entirely focused on the driver, the Audi Virtual Cockpit replaces both the analog instrument cluster and the MMI monitor. The driver can toggle the 12.3-inch display between two different viewing modes. In the classic view, the speedometer and tachometer take center stage. In Infotainment mode, more space is given.
The physical buttons of the MMI monitor have been limited to six in number. The top-of-the-range version also incorporates the MMI smart touchwheel – the round rotary touchpad in the top of the rotary/push-button control. The menu structure was inspired by a smartphone and includes a free-text MMI search function. The voice control system understands a large number of expressions from everyday speech.
Assistance systems and infotainment
The line-up of driver assistance systems for the new TT extends from Audi Side Assist to Parking Aid with display of the surroundings and a rear-view camera (for the TTS).
The Bang & Olufsen Sound System (for the TTS) utilizes a newly developed algorithm to reproduce audio signals with an even greater sense of space and precision.
The new Audi TT won the top overall award in the “Connected Car 2014” poll conducted among readers of Auto Bild and Computer Bild magazines.
Audi Brunei will offer the new TT in 3 variants: the base model with 18” wheels, an S line version and the top of the range TTS with 310 bhp output, new generation of the quattro® permanent all-wheel drive system with Audi TT-specific configuration and exclusive 19” wheels.
The Audi TT S Line model
The Audi TT base model
Continue Reading Comments Off on Blue is the warmest colour
Brand new, Brand old
Triple H’s entrance promoting the Terminator: Genesis blockbuster movie at Wrestlemania. Image taken from WWE website
Wow, wow, wow!!!! What a Wrestlemania!!!! One of my bucket list is to watch Wrestlemania live in the US. This year it was held at San Francisco at the Levi’s Stadium and it had a WWE Wrestlemania record attendance with more than 70,000 fans. Crazy!! I watched the PPV with Jason Rumpun and we were exchanging predictions on the matches.
I won’t be spoiling the results as Wrestlemania is still one day old and some of my friends will be watching it tonight on their computers. My favourite matches are Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns surprisingly and also Sting Vs HHH. Well, the ladder match was also great and so was Randy Orton vs Seth Rollins. The in-ring promos were awesome and okay, I just almost love everything about it. Royal Rumble sucked bad time and the Fast Lane PPV was a bit of a redemption but Wrestlemania 31 was a huge improvement. I didn’t expect much initially but it exceeded expectation.
I’m definitely buying the blu-ray for this Wrestlemania. I give this a 9/10 and one of the best Wrestlemania I’ve seen in many, many years. Highly recommended.
Brock Lesnar was dominant last night and it’s not surprised that WWE offered him a new contract. Image taken from WWE website
Rusov has been giving the US title more value than before. Image taken from WWE website
One of the best matches – the ladder match for the Intercontinental title. Image taken from WWE website
Is that DX I saw last night? Image taken from WWE website
Follow @icentrebrunei on IG for updates
Innovate “Talking Technology & Entrepreneurship” Forum is a platform to promote a future of innovation and Entrepreneurship with a global perspective in Brunei Darussalam. The forum explores topics like emerging trends in technologies, insights on successful startups, opportunities and challenges in securing investment funding.
Over the years, iCentre has brought in international and regional speakers from recognized organizations to share their expertise and knowledge in hope to inspire others.
The speakers are Marcus Tan, co-founder of Carousell, a mobile app marketplace in Singapore, Azlan Ahmad, founder and Excecutive Creative Director of Mixmediaworx. and Wayne Chia, CEO (SE ASIA) and co-founder of Techsallor.
The event will take place on Tuesday 7th April at The Empire Hotel & Country Club. It will be a morning event and it will be concluded with a networking lunch.
Reuben Chin, a dedicated Toastmaster member from Brunei, earned his dual awards in both Table Topics and International Speech in Division K Contest in Labuan last Sunday. He was runner-up in both category.
What a great weekend!! I missed the cricket world cup tournament where Australia won. I missed another Earth Hour event in Brunei. I missed a few activities. It wasn’t that bad after all since I spent my weekend in Labuan to support my toastmaster buddy Reuben Chin who was eyeing for a victory in the Table Topics and International Speech Contest. Only the winner will have the ticket to the District Level to be held in Kuching.
Reuben has already mastered his speeches in Area level (Brunei) and he was the cream of the crop. I’m amazed how the numbers showed up from Brunei toastmasters (from 4 clubs) to witness to conference and supporting Reuben in Labuan. Our attendance alone showed why the toastmasters clubs in Brunei are pretty strong in Division K. The majority in attendance was mostly from Brunei toastmasters. Amazing!!
Reuben may have not won first place but it didn’t let him down. He remembered last year coming third place in Area Contest and now reaching a step higher, finishing 2nd in Division Level. Yes, we noticed the pattern and I hope he will bettered himself and I know he will because his passion is to grow as a community leader through the tools of toastmasters. You did your very best buddy and you have improved not just a speaker but as a role model leader to many including me.
Good luck and I shall see you in Area Contest perhaps 😀
Intan receiving her honors as the Division K Champion in International Speech and her speech touched the audience and great delivery as well.
Celebrating both birthday celebrants including our very own special guest Grace who joined us during the Convention trip in Labuan
Group photo of toastmasters from Division K. Click image to enlarge.
The Brunei Toastmasters attending the conference as well as supporting our Brunei representative, Reuben Chin
Allen Ang trying out Seng Yee’s cactus hat
I’m not sure how to caption this picture
The Brunei entertaining the guests during dinner
Derby and Julius during our popular Wolf game. I was labeled as the professional wolf.
The Brunei gang on the ferry on the way to Labuan
Continue Reading Comments Off on Brand new, Brand old
IGNITE Awards 2014
After an intense journey through the annual iCentre IGNITE Entrepreneurship Challenge, winners of the challenge are now ready to embark on their entrepreneurship journey to contribute towards redefining the economic environment of Brunei Darussalam.
At the IGNITE Entrepreneurship Challenge Awards showcase yesterday, Berkshire Hall, Jerudong Royal Polo Club, Director of KR Consulting and NUS Enterprise Brian Koh said the challenge aims to provide a learning and experiential journey in developing a technology business venture.
The director highlighted the significant increase in submissions in the open category, with the challenge receiving a total of 159 submissions this year.
“The IGNITE Entrepreneurship Challenge is the starting point of the entrepreneurship journey, and at the iCentre, we will continue to assist founders with great passion to develop best of breed solutions for both the local and overseas markets” said the director adding that the iCentre would provide further assistance in developing ideas of participants that did not proceed to the final rounds.
The iCentre in the beginning of the participant’s entrepreneurship journey organised a series of workshops and forums, focusing on ‘Ideation’ and emerging trends in the ‘Internet of Things’. These were opportunities provided to participants to equip them with insights to better develop their ideas and products geared towards assisting in the development of a comprehensive business plans for submissions said the director.
Sitting down: Haji Minorhadi Haji Mirhassan, BIBD, Queh Ser Pheng, AITI, Dr Haji And Manaf Hji Metussin, BEDB, Dato Paduka Haji Ali Apong, Deputy Minister at Prime Minister’s Office, Chairman of BEDB, Brian Koh, NUS SIngapore, Muhammad Nurshafiee, EGNC and Daniel Leong, BEDB. Image courtesy of Raul Padernal
In a keynote address referring to the steady growth of Brunei’s upcoming entrepreneurs in the creative industry toward Brunei Darussalam’s Vision 2035, Yang Mulia Dato Paduka Awang Haji Ali Bin Haji Apong, Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Chairman of the Brunei Economic Development Board in his keynote address said, “The growth of the ICT industry can contribute towards the achievement of Brunei’s Vision 2035 to create a dynamic and sustainable economy of highly skilled and well educated people”.
The Deputy Minister highlighted in a titah by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izaddin Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, in conjunction with the 26th Convocation at Universiti Brunei Darussalam, His Majesty encouraged students to change their mindsets and to be more proactive instead of waiting for jobs, and called upon the education sector to assist the development of research and innovation in the field of entrepreneurship that can contribute to economic growth. Earlier in the year, His Majesty in a Titah highlighted the need for economic growth at a rate of five to six percent per annum, which will increase the national income from $20 billion today to $80 billion by 2035.
The deputy minister further highlighted for youths to look into entrepreneurship as an alternative employment opportunity to contribute to the nation’s economic development.
In a briefing on the process of the final judging round of the challenge, Chief Adjudicator Md Norshafiee Bin Dato Paduka Hj Jalil, Director of the E-Government National Committee said the panel of judges had to deliberate extensively and identifying the winners was challenging because the quality of submissions were very high overall.
The chief adjudicator highlighted the growth of the business plan challenge over the years and praised the challenge as a great opportunity for youths to pursue their ideas and turn them into businesses.
Executive summaries in the earlier round of the challenge was carried out by a selection of judges from industry partners stakeholders. This included from AITI, BEDB and BIBD and many more. From a 159 executive summaries, a total of 41 entries were chosen to proceed to the semi-final round through submission of a full business plan and pitching to final judges. With twelve finalists, yesterday’s award showcase announced the top six participants.
Team YouBusk, Winner of International Award with Brian Koh, Director of KR Consulting.
In the college and university category the students from Institute Teknologi Brunei (ITB) with their project entitled ‘ITB Smart Shower’ claimed victory, with the first runner up went to Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) team NKB ‘Do Tour’ with the second runner up awarded to another ITB team ‘IntelCar Technology’.
In the Open Category, first place was awarded to the two member team Tyne Solutions with their project ‘Pillars’. First place runner up was awarded to a team with their project entitled ‘Uplife’. With so many great ideas, the final panel judges had a very difficult time in awarding the second runner up prize. Lastly, due to the passion and the market opportunity shown in all groups – two teams were awarded the second runner up spot.
The teams awarded for the joint prize with their products ‘Tasche’ and Lighthouse Ideasfarm.The international category was awarded to Singapore based startup ‘YouBusk’.
List of winners
With a tagline ‘Your journey begins now’, the IGNITE Entrepreneurship Challenge was launched on the August 26th this year. Ignite has entered into its seventh run and is an annual event organized by the iCentre and supported by the Brunei Economic Development Board which serves as a platform for identifying, nurturing and showcasing emerging entrepreneurs.
Continue Reading Comments Off on IGNITE Awards 2014
Ignite your ideas
Click image to find out more
Been there, done that. And yes, it was a great experience and you can only get better and better when you participate in this kind of competition. Sometimes it’s not about winning the competition but to fully test your capabilities, your resounding ideas, your vision, your marketing plan and so on. It has been two years since I joined the competition and I don’t intend to this time round. But this is the best way to spearhead your dream or your venture into the business world with your creative ideas.
So it’s good to see the competition is back year after year and the standard gets a big tougher too. The great thing about iCentre’s 2014 IGNITE Entrepreneurship Challenge is that they provide bootcamps, workshops and mentoring sessions which was highlighted by Brian Koh, Director of NUS Enterprise & KR Consulting. I mean, where else can you get all these benefits that can guide you and it’s free *lol*
The launch of the 2014 IGNITE Entrepreneurship Challenge took place last Tuesday and the guest of honour was Dr. Haji Abdul Manaf Hj Metussin, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office and CEO of Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB).
It seems like a long time indeed as this competition was first introduced back in 2008 under the name of THiNKBIG Business Plan. You will see that some of the winners of the past competition have used this platform to make their ideas into reality namely Malppy, Social Deal and DotRoot Technologies. Sometimes the winning ideas may not translate into success but it will spur on other ideas and Keeran the founder of Expansys and MeSixty showed that success doesn’t really mean on just building one idea. He is now on a great journey as a “technopreneur” where his latest project Chrends is now based in the Silicon Valley (my kinda of dream that has faded years ago).
Dr. Haji Abdul Manaf Hj Metussin, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office and CEO of Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB). Image courtesy of The Brunei Times.
Dr. Haji Abdul Manaf Hj Metussin receiving memento from Brian Koh
Asri Razak, Corporate Communication of iCentre briefed through the guidelines of IGNITE
Ladies and gentlemen, don’t wait. Do take this opportunity and you will have nothing to lose. I don’t mind to mentor if you need some help especially when it comes to presentation. Content wise, I might be a bit weak especially on the financial side.
Anyway, below are some of the guidelines that you might need to be aware of if you plan to join the competition.
1) Submit your EXECUTIVE SUMMARY by 28th September through ignite.icentre.biz website
2) Bootcamps on 10th and 11th of October and 17th and 18th of October (teaches you on team make up, financial soundness, investment and quality of presentation.
3) Final submission of business plan – 9th November 2014.
4) Award presentation will be 26th November 2014.
So that’s just a brief run down of what to expect from this year’s competition. As for the prizes, refer to the categories available.
ICT Open Business Plan Category
• 1st Prize will be awarded BND$20,000
• 2nd Prize will be awarded BND$10,000
• 3rd Prize will be awarded BND$5,000
College and University Category
• 1st Prize College category will be awarded BND$4,000
• 2nd Prize College category will be awarded BND$2,000
• 3rd Prize College category will be awarded BND$1,000
International Category
• 1st Prize International category will be awarded BND$8,000
• 2 Consolation winners will be awarded BND$1,000
Most Innovative Award
• Special Price will be awarded up to BND$5,000
Ambrose Nathan and Pg Aki were among the invited guests during the launch and later on, iCentre hosted open house
iCentre open house last Tuesday
Representing the associates of iCentre
Kebab was sold out
Continue Reading Comments Off on Ignite your ideas
