Young Sarawak Entrepreneurs Urged To Use Ai To Turn Ideas Into Bankable Proposals

KUCHING (Sept 4): Young Sarawak entrepreneurs with promising business ideas are encouraged to use artificial intelligence (AI) to develop them into viable and presentable business proposals, said Datuk Abdullah Saidol.

The Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Corporate Affairs and Sarawak Public Communications Unit) said AI could help aspiring entrepreneurs structure, refine and communicate their ideas more effectively, even without advanced programming or data-related knowledge.

He said tools such as KIMI AI could assist entrepreneurs in turning raw ideas into structured business proposals that could be better understood by investors and financial institutions.

“This is the kind of programme where AI assists you. KIMI does not require advanced digital knowledge.

“You do not have to have a degree in programming or data,” he told a press conference after the official closing of the SG-Sarawak Friendship AI Business Design Hackathon 2026 organised by Angkatan Zaman Mansang (Azam) Sarawak at Affin Bank Hikmah Exchange here.

Abdullah said many people had good business ideas but struggled to translate them into structured proposals that met the expectations of investors or financial institutions.

“When we ask someone who has a business to come up with a proposal, not everybody knows what it is or what format to use.

“You can ask 10 people and 10 people will come up with different formats. Sometimes when they bring it to investors or the bank, they are told that it is not what they want to see in a business proposal,” he said.

He said AI could help bridge this gap by assisting entrepreneurs in organising, developing and presenting their business ideas more effectively.

However, Abdullah stressed that an AI-assisted business plan alone would not guarantee business success.

He said entrepreneurs still needed to understand financial risks, governance, sustainability, cash flow and other fundamentals of running a business.

“Sustaining a business is another challenge. Some entrepreneurs struggle after the first one or two years.

“This is where financial and risk management become important,” he said.

Abdullah also highlighted the importance of networking and knowledge-sharing, saying collaboration between Sarawak and Singapore through the Singapore-Sarawak AI Youth Ambassador Network (Saiyan) could give young people opportunities to learn from one another and strengthen the state’s AI ecosystem.

He said Sarawak had talented youths with strong ideas and unique cultural heritage that could be further developed and shared internationally.

Earlier in his officiating speech, Abdullah stressed that young entrepreneurs must learn to make their business ideas not only viable but also bankable.

“Your business idea must be presentable and, most importantly, bankable,” he said.

He said entrepreneurs needed to understand feasibility, viability, financial models, cash flow, return on investment (ROI), repayment ability and risk management.

Abdullah also called on banks and experienced entrepreneurs to help young people better understand the requirements of business proposals.

He said investors wanted to know not only the potential ROI and cash flow of a business, but also whether it could remain sustainable over five years and repay its financing.

The AI Business Design Hackathon 2026 involved 30 participants.

Also present were Azam Sarawak chairman Datuk Ismawi Ismuni and chief executive officer Ali Suhaili, Press Secretary to the Premier of Sarawak Dato Ambrose Cheng, and representatives from Sarawak Artificial Intelligence Centre (SAIC).

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