The top winner, nine-year-old Lee Yumi, wowed the judges and audiences alike with the “OnBoard: School Bus System,” taking home RM20,000 to make her idea come to life.
Supported by the Ministry of Education and Alliance Bank as the official banking partner, the campaign garnered over 4,000 submissions nationwide.
The programme empowers children with essential financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills, solidifying Goodday Milk’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of kidpreneurs.
Twelve-year-old Muhammad Basyeer Mohamed Ackiel Mohamed, the brother of last year’s KidSTART 2.0’s champion Fatimah Basyeerah Mohamed Ackiel, won second place with his presentation on “The Academy of Future: Peer to Peer Learning Coding & Robotics.”
Meanwhile third place went to nine-year-old Lim Zhi Fung for “MindACT: ACTor Program.”
The event also saw additional award winners: Most Innovative Idea was won by Alea Dalil Mohd Khairil Azhan (12), while Olivia Leong Yue Shuen (11) won Most Sustainable Idea.
The Best Presenter (Above 10), Best Presenter (10 & Below) was won by 12-year-old Kaviesha Abishri A/P Shathya Kugan, and 10-year-old Chong Ruyi respectively.
This year’s Rising Star award, specifically sponsored by Alliance Bank, was won by nine-year-old Elsa Khaw Wen Qing.
Goodday KidSTART 2.0 enjoyed an overwhelming response from 141 schools across Malaysia. The campaign’s success was bolstered by on-ground roadshows covering the central, southern, and northern regions, complemented by two online webinars.
This year, Goodday Milk also included a new award for Schools with Highest Participants to encourage more participation.
Taking first spot and a prize of RM10,000 was SJK (C) Puay Chai, with an impressive 478 entries and three students shortlisted in the Top 20.
Olivia Leong Yue Shuen, the recipient of the Most Sustainable Award is a student of SJK (C) Puay Chai, and the school’s headmistress Yeoh Li Choo, attended the grand finale to support her students in person.
This level of engagement reflects the growing impact of Goodday KidSTART, which was launched in 2022 and rapidly became Malaysia’s largest kidpreneur programme.
Recognising the critical need for improved financial literacy among Malaysian youth, Goodday KidSTART aims to equip children with essential knowledge to develop strong money habits early, setting them on a path to a financially sound future.
Amy Gan, VP of Etika Marketing, said: “When we launched KidSTART 1.0, our goal was to provide the future generation with a platform to showcase their ingenuity and take a significant step in their journey as young entrepreneurs.”
She said that for Goodday KidSTART 2.0 they wanted it to be bigger and better.
“With the help of the Ministry of Education, we were able to expand our search, bringing KidSTART 2.0 to more children via visits to schools nationwide as well as online webinars. I am truly grateful to the ministry, our sponsors Alliance Bank, and everyone who played a part in this year’s success,” she said.
“My heartiest congratulations to our winners and top 20 finalists. Once again I am blown away by the depth of creativity and intelligence of our future generation,” she added.
Aaron Sum, Alliance Bank’s group chief strategy, marketing, and business development officer, and a member of the judging panel said: “Today, entrepreneurship has become a key and popular life path among our youths and this programme provides a great platform to nurture, develop and prepare the next generation in becoming savvy business leaders.”
KidSTART2.0’s Champion, Lee Yumi, also expressed her excitement and gratitude. “Thank you to my parents who have greatly helped in inspiring this idea because without them I might not be able to present the idea in detail in front of the judges. I also want to thank Goodday Milk for giving me the opportunity.”
Yumi said getting stuck in traffic on the way to school every day inspired her to create her winning app. “This application was also created to encourage students to use the school bus service as it can help reduce traffic congestion issues,” she said.
The panel of judges for the event included Hartini Zainuddin of Yayasan Chow Kit, Aaron Sum of Alliance Bank, Shahmeez Reza, senior manager of trade marketing and marketing services, Etika Marketing, and Chen Chow Yeoh, Angel Investor.
Their combined expertise and diverse backgrounds provided invaluable insights and guidance to the participants, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation of each innovative idea presented.
The Goodday KidSTART 2.0 campaign ran from March 4 to June 23, culminating in a two-day comprehensive workshop for the top 20 kidpreneurs, who presented their ideas on June 30 to the panel of judges.
Cash prizes from a fund pool of RM60,000 were won, helping these young entrepreneurs kick-start their unique business ideas.
For more information about Goodday KidSTART 2.0, follow Goodday Milk Malaysia on Facebook and Instagram.