A Malaysian entrepreneur has won the hearts of many with his business pitch on Dragons’ Den. His business revolves around a classic Malaysian sauce that we all know and love. Sambal paste.
Dragons’ Den
Dragons’ Den is a popular series that shows on BBC which features budding entrepreneurs. They each get three minutes to pitch their business ideas to five multi-millionaires. These business people are tough when it comes to assessing and investing in businesses.
Each multi-millionaire may or may not be willing to invest their own cash in the business. A pitch could make or break a business here.
In the most recent episode, William Chew, a Malaysian born entrepreneur managed to wow the judges. William pitched his business that sells Malaysian sambal paste, a recipe which he took from his mother.
Mak Tok’s Chilli Paste
He first began his pitch by playing guitar and singing a song about Mak Tok’s chilli paste. After leaving home, William missed the taste of his mother’s delicious chilli paste. Wishing to get a taste of it again he decided to try making it from his mother’s recipe.
After receiving lots of support from friends and family William decided to start a business in the UK. His cousin is part of the business and the chilli paste is made in his friends factory.
As of now, Mak Tok’s chilli paste is sold in local farm shops and delis across Yorkshire. It is also available in Boots supermarkets.
During the pitch, William’s cheery personality and humble attitude managed to put a smile on all the judges. Even though four of them decided not to invest, they were very nice about it. Most of them felt that it was unfamiliar territory but wished him all the best.
A Successful Pitch After All!
Finally, a ray of hope shined through when judge Sarah Davies began her speech really positively. She decided to invest £50,000 in the business in exchange for a third of the business. It is split between William, his cousin Ng Shang Yin, and now Sarah Davies.
The delicious paste is versatile and can be used to make curry, satay, and a dip. It’s so good that William was the winner of the 2017 Evolve business competition. He was also a finalist for the Sheffield Business Award.
Just last year he was Fine Food Digest Editor’s Choice and received the Duke of York Young Entrepreneur Award. We want to wish William all the best in his business endeavours!
