IT 21 years old, many of us were either still in school or unsure of what the future would hold for us, but not Ms Elfaine Tan. Ms Tan, who just turned 21 this year, has already been honoured as a promising entrepreneur, despite her tender age.

The co-founder of Fr3b Pte Ltd – Singapore’s first online sampling platform – clinched the “Most Promising Shell LiveWIRE Award” recently. Her home-grown online business grew so fast that, within less than five months, she started a store at Stamford House. Ms Tan’s company now boasts a clientele of 100 international brands, with a database of 40,000 members who get the free samples.

Rewarding Entrepreneurship
The Most Promising Shell LiveWIRE Award is a new category, which has been created this year to highlight the spirit of entrepreneurship among youths.

This year’s top Shell LiveWIRE Award went to 30-year-old Mr Leonard Tan, founder of online marketing firm, PurpleClick. With a turnover of about $2.6 million last year, PurpleClick is the first company in Southeast Asia to be accredited by both Yahoo! and Google.

Also worth noting is 27-year-old Mr Richardo Chua, founder of Adrenalin Events & Education. Mr Chua’s social enterprise helps at-risk youths by imparting event management skills and hiring them as employees. He was accorded special mention among the four finalists for the Merit Awards this year.

The biennial Shell LiveWIRE Awards is jointly-organised by ITE and Shell Companies in Singapore, in partnership with the ITE Alumni Association and Singapore Press Holdings Chinese Newspapers Division. Not just an award, the Shell LiveWIRE Awards offer shortlisted applicants a holistic programme, which includes insightful training workshops in business management and networking opportunities.

This year’s event was held at the ITE Headquarters. In his welcome address, Mr Bruce Poh, Director & CEO, ITE, underlined the importance of inculcating an entrepreneurial spirit in ITE students. He said: “At ITE, our ardent support towards entrepreneurial development has yielded positive results in developing a strong culture of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Clubs are also set up in ITE Colleges. They provide networking opportunities between students and industry, leading to beneficial sharing of experiences as well as exchange of contacts and ideas.”