26-28 July 2019 – The annual Young Entrepreneur Programme (YEP) was organised at Wisma MPS Puchong with a whole new agenda this year. Last year, the theme allowed participants to come up with products or services related to geriatric care. However, this year, the theme was the polar opposite; ‘Revolution Starts from Pediatric’, which gave participants the opportunity to venture into the world of innovation related to infants, toddlers and children. A total of 37 participants participated in this programme this year, consisting of pharmacy students from different years of study, representing various prestigious universities in Malaysia. Many interesting yet educational workshops and sessions were conducted, keeping the participants engaged throughout the three days of the programme, starting with mentoring sessions and workshops with esteemed pharmacists and professionals in entrepreneurship. The highlight of the programme was the pitching competition held on the last day, whereby groups of five participants were to pitch their ideas revolving around the theme to a panel of judges from various professional backgrounds.
| The panel included | |
|---|---|
| Dr Chin Wai Sheng | Clinical Pediatrician and Founder of Klinik Pakar Kanak-kanak Dr Chin |
| Charmaine Tan | Founder and CEO of Siang Pharmacy Sdn Bhd |
| Marcus Chew | Pharmacist and Branch Director at AA Pharmacy |
| Lim Kean Ping | Pharmacist and Head of Department for Business Optimization and Marketing Department at AM PM Pharmacy |
| Dr Yeap Swee Pin | Lecturer of the Faculty of Engineering, Technology and Built Environment of UCSI University |
IMU pharmacy students once again managed to take home the first prize in the pitching competition, as well as the prize for the best innovative idea in the programme. The team, which consisted of Jocelyn Su Sziou Ting (BP117), Tan Qian Ying (BP117), Ng Jia Jing (BP117), Sarannya a/p Balakrishnan (BP118) and Hor Cui Jing (BP118), won the prizes for their innovative idea to treat oral candidiasis among infants and toddlers.
What the Winners Say about the Competition:
| Name of Team Member | Comments |
|---|---|
| Tan Qian Ying (BP117) | Taking part in the Young Entrepreneur Program (YEP) was one of the most memorable and worthy experiences during my studies at IMU. After participating in the workshops and pitching competition during this 3-day programme, I have gained lots of exposure and insights into the business model as well as innovation in healthcare. I would like to thank Tee Ai Ven and Lucas for letting us understand about the business model canvas, value proposition canvas, and market validation. Lastly, a million thanks to all my teammates who fully contributed to this pitching competition by providing ideas, presenting the slides and also preparing the product prototype. Our hard work and determination have finally paid off! |
| Jocelyn Su Sziou Ting (BP117) | YEP is a fun and enriching event that I would highly recommend pharmacy students to sign up at least once! Workshops and hands-on activities planned by the event had guest speakers who are very practical for business ideation and even daily problem solving! I would like to thank the organising committee, speakers, judges for the efforts in culturing the entrepreneurial spirit among us. Kudos to all participants and my amazing team! |
| Hor Cui Jing (BP118) | The reason that I wanted to sign up in the first place was to gain more exposure especially in business and entrepreneurship. I was completely a beginner in this field but YEP has really met my expectations in offering insights in entrepreneurship through workshops given by different experienced speakers and advisors. I am really glad that I decided to spend my semester break in this event because of the new insights, motivations, knowledge and friendship that I have gained throughout this programme. Hence, I want to say thanks to everyone who was involved in every part of this programme and also my fellow teammates who actively contributed and make this an enjoyable, memorable and meaningful experience. |
| Sarannya a/p Balakrishnan (BP118) | Signing up for this programme was a spur-of-the-moment decision and I’m glad it was the right one to make. This programme offered valuable insight into the world of business and entrepreneurship for me, considering that I knew very little about this field prior to participating this programme. Through this programme and competition, I had the golden opportunity to learn from experts in various fields regarding entrepreneurship and the skill of pitching business ideas effectively. Competing in the pitching competition alongside my teammates also allowed me to improve my public speaking and pitching skills profoundly. Last but not least, I certainly feel blessed for the friendships made throughout this programme, especially with my teammates, who gave their absolute best since the day we signed up. Thank you everyone, for an unforgettable experience 🙂 |
| Ng Jia Jing (BP117) | I did not expect that we would be the champion and win the best innovative idea award in the programme when we first formed the team. It was truly an amazing experience for every one of us as participants in this programme. In the endeavour of putting our ideas into reality, there were definitely some problems that arose for us to solve. In this context, the speakers, experienced guests invited from the related fields, and the committee members had given us their best in helping us identify the possible weaknesses in our ideas and guide us through these. They were helpful to every one of us who participated in this programme and were willing to share their past experiences with us so that we could be more well-prepared for the pitching competition. Also, not forgetting my wonderful teammates who strived at their very best and made the win possible! It is my honour to be part of the team! |
The Young Entrepreneur Programme is an initiative by Malaysian Pharmacy Students’ Association (MyPSA) in providing a platform for pharmacy students to learn more about the world of business as well as to spark their spirit of entrepreneurship early on in their careers. The participants also have the chance to learn how to pitch business ideas like a professional with confidence and flair. In this way, the students are able to improve their soft skills and adopt another useful skill set under their belts for their careers in the future. This year, the Entrepreneurship Officer of MyPSA, Lim Chun Kiat and his team did an amazing job with the event and with everyone’s hard work, a smooth and well-executed flow of events took place. He hopes that next year, more pharmacy students will step forward to take part in this event to expose them to the world of business, entrepreneurship and innovation in a fun yet effective way. Last but not least the IMU team would like to thanks to IPSA (IMU Pharmacy Students Association) for its continuous support.
