The Regional Investment Support for Entrepreneurs (RISE) Platform is a USAID funded, Swisscontact implemented platform that provides business development support (BDS) services and technical assistance (TA) to companies with potential for impact in Southeast Asia. RISE aims to create impact for the base of the pyramid through providing inclusive and sustainable support to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with high potential for positive social, economic, and environmental impact.
RISE operates within the ASEAN region. It currently works in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam and in later years plans to add Laos PDR and Myanmar. RISE priority sectors include agriculture, digital platforms and solutions, energy, health, water and sanitation.
RISE provides pre and post-investment TA for high impact enterprises through a pool of vetted consultants. The pre-investment TA is designed to support SMEs as they work to become investment ready and assist investors in building pipeline of investees. The post-investment TA provides business support to companies that receive investment funds. This business support is meant to help mitigate risks for investors and support more resilient growth for high impact enterprises. It is also meant to help SMEs move from one round of funding to the next more successfully. RISE can access full-cost, specialized consultancies as well as pro- and low-bono options.
Unique features of RISE include:
RISE is designed to be a platform through which additional donors can channel funds to support social impact entrepreneurs and investors. This creates flexibility in programming and allows RISE to take on new intervention areas as strategic market needs are identified, and funds become available.
In 2019 RISE began work with the Asia Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) which partners with Credit Suisse on an Investment Readiness Toolkit program for the region. RISE supports two of the social impact companies participating in AVPN’s program: Ecodoe in Indonesia and HiGi in the Philippines.
RISE is also working in 2020 to expand strategic partnerships with pro and low-bono providers of business development support services. We currently partner with Credit Suisse’s Virtual Volunteers, CrossFields, and Swisscontact’s Senior Expert Contact (SEC) project; we are in advanced discussions with other regional and global providers of these services. RISE aims to link social impact companies in the region with various sources of affordable expertise.
To discuss potential collaboration with RISE, please contact .