Alliance Bank Malaysia Bhd has launched the second edition of the Eco-Biz Dream Project, an initiative to enlist, encourage and nurture an environmental preservation culture among university students. This further cements the Bank’s commitment to help develop sustainable social enterprises among students as well as to raise awareness for the environment.
With the theme of “Saving The Environment with Your Idea”, the competition aims to spark creativity among the young generation of social entrepreneurs to make a difference through developing sustainable business ideas that can positively impact the environment.
Joel Kornreich, Alliance Bank’s Group Chief Executive Officer said that the return of the Eco-Biz Dream Project represents the Bank’s commitment towards nation-building among the youth in Malaysia, especially in the areas of education and environment.
“When we first launched the Eco-Biz Dream Project last year, we saw the great energy and inspiring ideas that Malaysian students have to offer. We were with them from start to finish, and saw first-hand the level of impact it had on them. We are very excited to continue to support the development of business ideas that can positively impact the Malaysian environment and communities,” said Kornreich.
Conducted over the course of six weeks, the Eco-Biz Dream Project 2 will see 20 teams being selected to advance to a coaching and mentoring stage, where they will be guided by leading entrepreneurs and environmentalists. A further shortlist will be made where judges will pick 10 teams to join a two days, one night’s developmental camp.
The competition will culminate in a final pitching session where winners will be picked based on ideation, business case, implementation and team potential, and stand a chance to win prizes totaling RM20,000.
“We hold sustainability as an important piece of our corporate responsibility pillars. This initiative is reflective of our continual commitment towards the creation of a sustainable future,” said Kornreich.
The Eco-Biz Dream Project 2 is open to students doing Foundation, Pre-University, Diploma and Undergraduate courses in Malaysia. This year, 22 institutions of higher learning in Klang Valley will be taking part.
It is organised in partnership with Leaderonomics, Green Tech Malaysia, EcoKnights, and Centre for Environment, Technology and Development Malaysia.
