TAR UMT and Cloud4Sea Empower Revolutionary Young Entrepreneurs

Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT) continues its unwavering commitment to fostering a culture of entrepreneurship among its students, providing them with unparalleled opportunities to transform their ideas into successful commercial ventures. In yet another milestone collaboration, TAR UMT has proudly joined forces with Cloud4Sea Sdn Bhd with the support and coordination from the Centre for Business Incubation & Entrepreneurial Ventures (CBIEV), culminating in the launch of the revolutionary AI Coolbinet platform. Designed as a catalyst for entrepreneurial activities, the AI Coolbinet was officially unveiled on 18 July 2023.

With the AI Coolbinet vending machines, students from the Faculty of Applied Sciences (FOAS) and the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities (FSSH) now have a tech-driven and smart platform to commercialise their innovative food creations under the TAR UMT x DESIGNER FOOD programme where designer food, food products with special properties in addition to their traditional nutritional value and functional food, a category of products with special health functions, are created. 

In addition to this, students will also be exposed to important operations and entrepreneurship 
activities such as stock management, pricing strategies, marketing and customer interaction. This hands-on experience provides them with invaluable insights into day-to-day workings of a business which includes essential digital and business operations skills. They will also learn how to identify market opportunities, innovate and refine their food creations based on customer feedback, and effectively manage resources to maximise profits. With the AI technology of the Coolbinet vending machines, students will learn what aspects of business operations can be digitised such as checking inventories, stock replenishment, instant transactions and product recognition. 

Using facial recognition and card reader sensors, Coolbinet also provides a “cool” and convenient purchasing experience for students on campus. Foo Ay Chiwn, from the Bachelor of Hospitality Management (Hons) is one of the students who developed a food product for this project. “From brainstorming ideas that would suit the students' tastes to producing herbal teas like pat boh, chrysanthemum, and luo han guo, we dedicated eight hours to cooking, cooling, and packaging. The end products were then stored in the AI Coolbinet, ready to be enjoyed by the campus community for the launch.” She continued on to say: “Creating something from nothing in a business is unbelievably exciting. Starting with just an idea and building it from scratch offers a priceless education that goes beyond what any classroom can teach,” she said.

Meanwhile, Lim Yi Hong, a student from the Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Food Science revealed their focus on developing kombucha, a probiotics beverage. “We had undergone a food product development programme and decided that kombucha would be our innovative creation. On the product side, we will continue to refine and enhance the kombucha through continuous sensory evaluations which reach our satisfaction. On the analysis side, we will conduct comprehensive proximate analysis along with additional tests to substantiate the presence of antioxidants and probiotics in our kombucha. This substantiation will showcase the numerous benefits our product offers, further solidifying its value,” he said.

During the launch event, Prof Ir Dr Lee Sze Wei, President of TAR UMT, expressed his excitement and aspirations for this entrepreneurial project. “Our goal is to increase entrepreneurship exposure among TAR UMT students and communities through the TAR UMT x DESIGNER FOOD programme. These Coolbinets will showcase the incredible products developed by FOAS and FSSH, offering an opportunity for our students and communities to witness entrepreneurship in action. It is an innovative concept and I hope that the campus community would enjoy this convenient addition to the campus,” he said.
 
Mr Seat Keng Weng, Director of Cloud4Sea and a TAR UMT alumnus, echoed the sentiment of bringing something extraordinary to the university. “I would like to highlight the unique collaboration between AI Coolbinet and Designer Food. Its emphasis is on the food offerings that are designed with the young generation in mind. “We call it ‘functional food’, these items were not created just to be healthy but are also highly appealing and convenient. With AI Coolbinet equipped to adjust prices based on weather conditions and even mood, the platform promises to showcase a plethora of innovative products and I am certain that the students from FOAS and FSSH will create novel food and drinks,” he said. “It is a truly gratifying experience to partner with my alma mater, empowering TARCians with strategic opportunities for learning and personal growth while leveraging cutting-edge technology and transformative capabilities offered by Cloud4Sea,” he continued. 

This project serves as a remarkable entrepreneurial journey for the students on campus. With 
the AI Coolbinet as a platform, these aspiring entrepreneurs are now provided with an 
opportunity to achieve their entrepreneurial goals.