“Fail fast and fail cheaply, but never repeat the same mistake twice” – these were some words of wisdom from his Royal Highness, Prince Andrew the Duke of York to Young Kumul GameChangers during a dinner hosted by the PNG Business Council last Sunday.
The Prince, who has a lifelong passion for entrepreneurism and innovation, took the time after a long Sunday schedule to talk individually to over 20 young budding entrepreneurs identified under the Kumul Foundations GameChangers program about their ideas.
Words by Josh Kais.
He said during an impromptu speech, the innovative ideas from the young GameChangers would likely “disrupt” existing systems in the first world, while being equally game changing to a developing nation like Papua New Guinea.
“You are at a rather unique time and space right now, with the opportunity to contribute innovatively and meaningfully to the development of Papua New Guinea. Timing can not be more perfect,” he said.
He encouraged the upcoming entrepreneurs to persevere with their innovative ideas and passion to impact the country’s development agenda, not only in the areas of health, but to expand the ideas and include many other sectors that were available while harnessing the power of modern communication and technology.
President of the PNG Business Council and Steamships Executive, David Toua, acknowledged Prince Andrew for accepting the invitation from the PNG Business Council and for his genuine interest and passion for the next generation of PNG Entrepreneurs, describing it as a very influential moment for many.
“This is the future of Papua New Guinea and as much as possible we want to encourage and help nurture this kind of trend, and the passion that will help set the path for tomorrow. For that, we can’t say thank you enough for your presence with us here tonight,” he said.
Kumul Foundation Executive and Kina Executive, Michael Malai, also thanked the Business Council for providing a unique and memorable opportunity and applauded Prince Andrew for his insight, direction and support of the young entrepreneurs and the Kumul Gamechangers initiative.
The Sunday dinner was attended by senior executives and representatives of the PNG Business Council, members of the PNG Diplomatic Corp including His Excellency, Ambassador Walter North of the US Embassy, Australian DFAT, UNDP, and the young Kumul Gamechangers.
