MOST fresh graduates spend a lot of their time applying for their first job but Mr Lee Ming Wei and two friends decided to bypass that stage of life and take the plunge to set up a business.

Their boldness has already paid off but a bonus came on Friday when they clinched a coveted entrepreneurship award.

The trio - who first met during National Service - graduated from Nanyang Technological University in 2008 and set up Gaming How that year.

The company runs video games cafe St Games Cafe with branches at The Cathay and Bugis Plus, which has become a mecca for gamers.

The trio's ability to find the right formula to click with gamers won them the Spirit of Enterprise Award, which is given out annually by the non-profit Spirit of Enterprise (SOE) organisation.

The body, which was set up in 2003 to promote entrepreneurship, is run by volunteer board members.

In addition to Mr Lee, representatives from 29 companies also received the award at the Mandarin Orchard Hotel ceremony.

They were selected from a pool of 58 nominees.