Ep 47: Lincoln Lee Ming (Co-Founder, Rice Inc & Winner of HULT Prize 2018)

Lincoln Lee Ming is a Malaysian social entrepreneur, biomedical science graduate from University College London, UK & founder of a social enterprise called Rice Inc., which seeks to combat the 26 million tons of rice wasted during production every year & help smallholder rice farmers break through the convoluted supply chain In this STIMY episode, we cover how Lincoln’s entrepreneurial streak first came up in his childhood in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (beginning at the age of 13!) and how he tried to organise a Pokemon Walkathon just before leaving for his university studies.Having arrived at UCL, Lincoln quickly realised in his second year that he wanted to pivot to business / entrepreneurship. He also learned about the most prestigious startup competition for university students: the $1 million HULT Prize - which is said to be harder to win than the lottery!The HULT Prize took an entire year & came with lots of ups and down. Lincoln shares the experience of being at the finals (judges included Arianna Huffington!), how they have used the $1 million investment they won from the HULT Prize, the impact of Brexit & COVID-19 on Rice Inc's operations, and what drives him to do what he is now doing.Highlights:4:43: Losing his parents’ money at age 13 when dabbling in entrepreneurship8:10: Running a past year paper printing startup (by pretending to still be students!)12:17: Organising a Pokemon Walkathon19:04: Learning about the $1 million HULT Prize21:52: Finding a problem to solve33:29: Introducing big changes after UCL & regional HULT Prize rounds34:54: Raising $20,000 in funds to visit Myanmar & run a pilot program45:58: Adventures in Myanmar 51:29: Girls following Kisum53:38: Attending the HULT Prize accelerator at Henry VII’s former residence 55:46: Working & playing (too) hard59:59: Building connections with high-ranking people1:03:16: How a UN security guard helped Sunrice / Rice Inc win the HULT Prize competition in New York1:13:21: Getting stuck inside the UN building at midnight1:17:33: Balancing winning the HULT Prize with getting a 1st class at UCL1:20:33: What to do with an investment of $1 million at age 191:22:34: Impact of Brexit on Rice Inc’s operation1:24:02: Getting into the top 5 caterer distribution services & meeting with the Board1:28:47: What keeps Lincoln going1:30:07: When Lincoln knew that there was nothing else he would rather be doing than this (Rice Inc)📍Show notes: www.sothisismywhy.com/47