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The Give a Day had three main objectives. It sought to provide a comprehensive understanding of entrepreneur support programs by sharing experiences from the entire entrepreneurial journey. Secondly, it aimed to identify gaps and opportunities by pinpointing missing elements in support activities and programming, as well as discussing the effectiveness of current entrepreneurship programs. Lastly, it aimed to foster collaboration among Entrepreneurial Support Organizations (ESOs) to enhance support for entrepreneurs.
The event commenced with a presentation by Swisscontact, outlining the different stages of entrepreneurial journey, from Awareness to Operational. The attending ESOs were then asked if they had any programs in Siem Reap to support entrepreneurs at these various stages. An infographic from Khmer Enterprise also provided ESOs a detailed overview of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and the resources available to support entrepreneurs throughout their development.
The group discussion opened with a question for the ESOs: should they address the latest problems or revisit unresolved issues? The Cambodia Women Entrepreneurs Association (CWEA) raised a concern about their involvement, asking how they could support if the identified problems did not align with their mission and vision. Another ESO representative suggested focusing on the market side to help farmers earn higher incomes. Meanwhile, a YEAC representative proposed concentrating on the tourism sector, which could broadly benefit the startup ecosystem emphasizing the need for more tourist data.
The discussion progressed with a participant emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts among ESOs to address the issues mentioned by the participants. Following this, Khmer Enterprise directed a question to the other ESO associations, inquiring whether entrepreneurs would be inclined to join and collaborate if KE offered programs tailored to support entrepreneurs in specific areas of need. Acknowledging the value of KE's perspective, an ESO representative expressed willingness to consider KE's advice and insights, given their deeper understanding of the startup ecosystem. Building on this collaborative spirit, YEAC proposed that all ESO associations should join forces to brainstorm recommendations, which could then be presented to Give a Day. A suggestion was made that once these recommendations were finalized, KE could potentially support the initiatives with funding.
Twelve ESOs actively involved in Siem Reap's entrepreneurial ecosystem attended the event. Participants agreed to use the next gathering to further refine their collaborative ideas and initiatives, aiming for more effective support and innovative solutions for local entrepreneurs.
The Give a Day event is co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and Khmer Enterprise.