The EIR program, part of the Strengthen Entrepreneurship and Innovation pillar under the Enhancing Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and Investments (3Ei) initiative, connects international experts with local actors to deepen technical expertise and build ecosystem resilience.
Helen is a seasoned global executive with over two decades of leadership experience, having served as CEO, CMO, board member, and advisor to VCs and founders. She has launched over 100 innovations, commercialized AI-powered solutions, and led the global expansion of brands such as Ducati, Sea-Doo, Jose Cuervo, and P&G’s Tide/Ariel. Having lived in six countries and worked in over 80 markets, she specializes in scaling businesses, driving growth, and mentoring entrepreneurs. Her passion for building high-performing teams and fostering diversity was a consistent theme throughout her mission in Cambodia.
Her engagement began on September 1st with orientation sessions and one-on-one mentoring at Swisscontact, where three startups received tailored guidance to address specific challenges and apply strategic frameworks.
On September 2nd, Helen facilitated the full-day workshop on Digital Transformation for Business Growth at Smart Startup Space. Attended by 28 MSME founders, managers, and sales teams from Smart Axiata, the session covered global case studies, readiness assessment tools, digital transformation processes, and risk management. Post-survey results showed most participants rated their satisfaction as ‘Very Good’ with ‘Significant Improved’ on the knowledge, and the majority believed the workshop was very or extremely likely to support their business success.
September 3rd featured the workshop Pathways to Commercial Strategy at Khmer Enterprise, with 28 startups and SMEs participating. The session introduced commercial models and go-to-market pathways, linking value propositions with pricing, distribution, and sales. Over 70% of participants reported significant knowledge improvement, and most rated the workshop as highly likely to improve their business success.
On September 4th, Helen returned to Swisscontact for one-on-one mentoring with one startups. In the afternoon, she led the workshop Pathways to Monetize (Go-To-Market) at Techo Startup Center. Participants explored monetization strategies for B2B and B2C models, designed actionable Go To Market plans, and learned methods to test and refine approaches with early customer feedback. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with most participants rating the workshop 4 or 5 out of 5 and highlighting strong knowledge gains.
The final day, September 5th, featured Tangled Spaghetti to Team Harmony: A Founder’s Recipe for Success at Khmer Enterprise, attended by 28 founders. The session addressed organizational challenges of growing teams, covering structures, role clarity, communication, and culture building. Many participants, especially women entrepreneurs, reported improved confidence in decision-making and valued the practical frameworks for fostering stronger leadership and teamwork.
Helen Vasilevski’s mission reinforced the importance of digital readiness, commercial strategy, monetization, and team leadership as integrated pillars for entrepreneurial growth. Her workshops and mentoring provided actionable insights and global perspectives tailored to Cambodia’s entrepreneurial context.
The Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EiR) program is part of the Strengthen Entrepreneurship and Innovation initiative under the Enhancing Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and Investments (3Ei) project. It is funded by Khmer Enterprise (KE), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and co-implemented by Khmer Enterprise and Swisscontact.