Raw ideas and a bullet-speed presentation may not have made the best of shows, but there is no doubt that each and every team had spirit and spunk to see their entrepreneurial dreams come true, all in the good hands of the YES Challenge and MoneyTree Asia.

"Are two minutes enough for a shot at RM 25,000?"

This is what the thirty-one teams of young people had to answer last week, as they pitched their business ideas to some of the top people in the industry for a chance at up to RM 25,000 worth of grants in the 'MoneyTree Maybank Young Entrepreneur Startup (YES) 2' challenge.

Each team had only two minutes during the 'Breakthrough!' session to present their ideas to a panel of judges, and a five-minute Q and A session that could possibly change the course of their lives, as they fight to make it to the next level of the YES 2 challenge. Ultimately, the teams who have proven their worth would be channelled to government pre-seed grants for full commercialization of their ideas.

The session saw participants from Uniten, University Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Monash University, Sunway University College, Taylor's University College, Nottingham University, University Malaya, UTAR, KBU and Multimedia University in a grueling total of six hours of preparing, practising and pitching.

From online student portals to theme-cafés, from travel sites customized for student needs to food delivery businesses, the ideas were both brilliant and raw; and are at a stage where ideas are bursting from the boxes unrestrained. However, there was no denying that the sparks of entrepreneurial spirit were very much alive as each team enthusiastically (if a little nervously) pitched their ideas and their dreams to the judges.

While the judges praised rarely and slammed often, all the teams took the criticism and comments to stride, proving their mettle as well as proving that they have the entrepreneurial spirit necessary to make it through.

Because as MoneyTree takes on the challenge of bringing the brightest entrepreneurial ideas to life, they also seek to teach young students skills that would sharpen their entrepreneurial mindsets, and to face the tough world out there, armed to the teeth with the charisma, strength and belief in their ideas.

UiTM student, Zharif Sarif stated, "The YES challenge is not just a Business Challenge. YES gave me an opportunity to pursue Entrepreneurship as a career pathway and has opened up my mind to the possibilities that I can create for myself if I work hard on it. The guidance that I've received from the mentors has allowed me to grow to who I am today. This is truly an enriching experience!"

Ten teams will make it through to the next round, where they will then be whittled down to six for the battle to gain funds for their very own startups and to truly pursue their entrepreneurial ambitions.

http://www.malaysiantoday.com.my/node/1367