Harrison White
The third quarterly Ecosystem Builders Network (EBN) event has focused on mapping out four of the six remaining pillars of Isenberg’s Model of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem.
Hosted by Swisscontact, Khmer Enterprise and USAID’s WE Act many of Cambodia’s leading development organizations attend the workshop held at the Cambodiana Hotel in Phnom Penh.
The quarterly meetings create a space through which ecosystem builders and government agencies can share information, foster best practices, identify market gaps and opportunities and explore collaboration or complementarity to strengthen the ecosystem.
The June meeting focused on the support and financing – two of the six Isenberg’s Model of an Entrepreneurship Ecosystem pillars that are considered vital to developing Cambodia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The six pillars are commonly defined as Culture, Markets, Human Capital, Finance, Supports, and Policy.
To read more about the second Cambodian Ecosystem Builders Network event click here.
Mapping Isenberg’s Model of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
EBN members mapped out concrete programs for the remaining four pillars of Isenberg’s Model of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem. The mapping has helped all EBN members to identify gaps and market opportunities to foster collaboration among system actors.
With this, the network now has all the information on all six pillars and will publish the results in Cambodia’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Strengthening Conference (CAMESCO) which will be held on December 9 2022.
The mapping will showcase the actions by incorporating ESOs and entrepreneurs’ input to catalyze the efforts to bring about meaningful change in strengthening Cambodia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Khmer Enterprise CEO Dr. Vanmunin Chhieng continued to advocate the need for continued collaboration and better information sharing between the builders to ensure the best possible return on investment.
To read the full CIR Leader Talks with Dr. Vanmunin Chhieng click here.
“The sector may not have many players but there are many programs that sometimes cross over in both agenda and timing and the Ecosystem Builders Network is designed to connect those stakeholders to bring more collaboration and information sharing in the ecosystems,” he said previously.
The forum is designed to run in collaboration with 10 monthly workshops designed to improve Cambodia’s Entrepreneurial Support Organizations (ESO) network.
Trust-based relationship in learning and sharing
Closing the workshop Ms. Peng Lody commented: “When the WE Act project was designed we envisioned an enabling business environment for young women entrepreneurs and other startups with support system from existing actors well connected in ecosystem providing technical assistance tailoring to their needs.”
To read more about We Act programs in Cambodia click here.
“Today’s entrepreneurship ecosystem building network confirms our vision allowing participants for trust-based relationship in learning and sharing own initiative projects where we can have joint efforts in bringing more positive impact for economic growth,” she added.
Developing the entrepreneurial ecosystem is considered key for Cambodia to achieve its aims to reach upper-middle-income status (GNI per capita between $4,036 and $12,475) by 2030 on par with regional neighbors such as Thailand and Malaysia.
