Kuala Lumpur: Sabahan Entrepreneur Adam Shamil has been listed among the Top 100 Most Influential Young Entrepreneurs (100MIYE) 2025 — the only Sabahan entrepreneur to make the coveted list.
Adam, 31, who founded local F&B startup Chunk & Dunk with just his personal life savings, triumphed over 1,100 submissions by other entrepreneurs nationwide who vied for the title.
Adam, who is also a prominent content creator, received the recognition during the 10th annual award ceremony at Shangri-la Kuala Lumpur, Friday.
More than just an accolade, Adam said the award symbolises growth and resilience in navigating the challenging terrains of entrepreneurship.
“This award is truly a humbling and very rewarding experience for me. It is a testament that if you work hard and make sacrifices, it will all be worth it.
“This success is more than just a trophy, it symbolises growth, strength, and that if the mind can conceive, one can achieve,” he told Daily Express.
The award was meaningful for Adam as he came from humble beginnings, contrary to the public perception that he was born with wealth and privilege.
“I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. People would always come up with the assumption that ‘the reason why he’s successful is because he is rich’.
“I was literally living a life of hardship raised by my single mother and grandmother independently.
“I’ve seen my mum work so hard to be able to raise the family, make ends meet and put food on the table.
“She truly is my inspiration and reason to keep going, to never settle for less and be complacent about life. I do not want to live in mediocrity,” he said.
Fueled by his drive to change his family’s fate, Adam stayed focused for several years to save up the initial capital to start his business.
“I saved over RM200,000 in a couple of years, leveraging the diversified income I made as a content creator, emcee, script writer and short film director. I managed to save up and channeled all of it into realising my first Chunk & Dunk outlet,” he explained.
While Adam has made significant business achievements, he shared that his entrepreneurship journey has not been easy.
“When it comes to entrepreneurship, you get a fair share of haters…people would vilify you, drag you down, try to demotivate you. It’s extremely important for you to be able to bring yourself together and not be too emotional about the comments that you receive…and understand that entrepreneurship may not for everyone,” he said.
Adam hoped that his award could prove to the younger generation and aspiring entrepreneurs that it is possible to make significant achievements despite how difficult it can get.
To date, Adam has made great strides in progressing his business, with six outlets opened in 20 months.
Adam currently has sights on establishing his first international outlet in 2026, which would make Chunk & Dunk one of the few Sabahan F&B brands to penetrate the global market.
Meanwhile, Top 100MIYE Organising Chairman Dato KK Chua said the award recipients went through a strict evaluation process to be given the recognition.
“From more than 1,100 submissions this year, every name here was carefully evaluated and verified.
“In Malaysia, there are over 3.2 million SMEs, tonight only a hundred are chosen. That makes you (award recipients) the 0.03 per cent not because you are lucky, but because you refuse to quit.
“This award is not given, it is earned. It represents perseverance through uncertainties, resilience through hardship and belief when giving up felt easier,” he said in his speech during the award ceremony, here, Friday.
An initiative by Entrepreneur Insight, the 100MIYE aims to honor Malaysian entrepreneurs for their boldness, creativity and innovation in business. Among other notable award recipients were Malaysian songwriter and actress Daiyan Trisha and prominent Malaysian entrepreneur El Azman.
