Kota Kinabalu: Entrepreneurship development programmes that equip aspiring business owners with artificial intelligence (AI) and innovation skills are vital to building Sabah’s future economy, Deputy Permanent Secretary I of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (KPSTI) Doria Tai Yun Tyng said.
Officiating at the V Creator Grand Final Pitch Competition 2026, she said entrepreneurship, science, technology and innovation were key drivers of the State’s future and initiatives such as V Creator helped nurture talent, strengthen innovation and accelerate digital transformation.
She congratulated Sabah Entrepreneurs Transformation (SET), led by founder and founding president Datuk George Lim, for successfully organising the programme for the ninth consecutive year.
Tai said V Creator had become one of Sabah’s leading entrepreneurship development programmes over the past nine years, inspiring aspiring entrepreneurs to turn ideas into businesses while developing innovation, resilience and lifelong learning.
She said participants attended a two-day entrepreneurship accelerator on July 11 and 12, where they explored business opportunities, applied AI to solve business challenges, refined their business models and prepared for the Grand Final.
Only the Top 10 finalists advanced to the final pitching session before a panel of judges.
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Tai said entrepreneurs who embrace technology, innovate continuously and adapt quickly would be better positioned to succeed in the future economy.
She said strong collaboration between the government, industry, universities and organisations such as SET was essential to creating opportunities for entrepreneurs to compete locally and internationally.
Meanwhile, Lim said V Creator was more than a pitching competition as it celebrated entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership.
He said SET remained committed to its mission of producing 100 entrepreneurs annually while strengthening Sabah’s entrepreneurial ecosystem through its four pillars of Connect, Equip, Grow and Impact.
George said AI was transforming every industry and entrepreneurs who leveraged the technology would be better equipped to improve productivity, reduce costs and compete globally, but stressed that technology could not replace leadership, vision, integrity and resilience.
He encouraged the finalists to dream big, continue learning and embrace innovation, adding that investors ultimately invested in people as much as business ideas.
Meanwhile, the Top Five winners were Mohamad Nurhaniesufian Handri, who emerged champion of the V Creator Grand Final 2026 pitch competition with his Khazn – Wood to Products business pitch.
He was followed by Elena Ting Ying (eNet App), Aileciah Pausek (Rent Traditional Costume), Shuraya Shaari Kimri (Teach Japan Language) and Nurul Fatiha Firdaus Roslan (Career Report), who completed the top five.
Each of the top five winners received RM10,000 in recognition of their innovative business ideas.
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