Entrepreneur Boot Camp For Malaysian Students In The US

WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Bernama) -- Malaysian students studying in American universities Sunday returned to campus with a bagful of ideas and aspirations to set up their own companies following a 2-day Entrepreneur Boot Camp hosted by Education Malaysia here.

Source from (Bernama): http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v6/newsgeneral.php?id=714017
Published: December 06, 2012

Its Director for the East Coast sector, Dr Posiah Mohd Isa, said here it was time to open the students' minds to other options upon completion of their studies other than looking for jobs.

She said, students could look into becoming their own bosses in their own companies, and to become the job creators of the future.

About 50 Malaysian students from 16 universities were at the Malaysian Embassy here over the weekend to network with their peers and Malaysian entrepreneurs who operate their businesses in the United States.

They were certainly inspired by Malaysian entrepreneurs who have made inroads in the US market. They heard from immunologist-turn-entrepreneur, Dr Avijit Roy from AR Bio-Sciences, LLC who gave them tips on how to pitch their ideas to venture capitalists, while student entrepreneur Izzat Rahman of KayuhBicycles, LLC talked about his vision for a healthy lifestyle.

Managing Partner, Taufiq Hussien of Comet Networks revealed that America was a big market where "you can even make money from trash if you know how to market it." applications software developer in Boston, Reez Nordin, gave them tips on what venture capitalists were looking for in start-ups.

Azreen Latiff and Aris Samad Yahaya, co-founders of Quick School in Silicon Valley, California, gave a frank view, via video conference, about the stiff competition they were facing. However, "giving up is not an option".

The Boot camp got a boost with the presence of Peter Su from the Virginia Governor's office who spoke about the benefits and services provided by the state for new entrepreneurs while Joseph F Aceto, an intellectual property attorney, caught the students' attention with his tips on protecting new products and ideas.

Ms Aik Wan Kok Fillali, an immigration lawyer, talked about visas required before a foreign national could open a business in the US.

Muhd Shahrulmiza Zakaria, Trade Commissioner of MATRADE in New York, and Hairil Yaakob of MITI spoke about the growing Asean and Asian market. Shahrulmiza added, there were opportunities for Malaysians who wanted to open Malaysian restaurants in the US under the Malaysia Kitchen Program.

The students who participated in the camp are currently studying at the University of Maryland, Temple University, Stevens Institute of Technology, John Hopkins University, Townsend university, Rutgers University, Rennsalear Institute of Technology, Georgetown University, George Washington University, George Mason University, Northern Virginia Community College, Rochester Institute of Technology, Johnson and Wales University, State University of New York, American University and Pennsylvania State University.

-- BERNAMA