ASEAN Startup Connect

ASEAN Startup Connect A regional platform that builds a trusted, human-centric ecosystem for startups and MSMEs across ASEAN and Japan.

ASC helps entrepreneurs bridge vision and reality through digital adoption, learning, and partnerships.

06/06/2026

"Innovate, connect, and grow."

Those were the three words Be Chantra—Deputy Director General of the Institute of Digital Research and Innovation at the Cambodia Academy of Digital Technology (CADT)—used to describe ASEAN Startup Connect.

Keeping it short and impactful, the ultimate takeaway from ASC was the focus on forging meaningful connections between startups across the region. It’s a powerful sentiment that was echoed by so many of the delegates we had the pleasure of speaking with!

We will continue building these vital cross-border bridges at our second ASC summit coming up later this year. Will you be there to join us in shaping the future of ASEAN?

Are you looking for a community that understands the reality of building a business? Sign up for our Mentorship Programme to get dedicated support for ASEAN cross border expansion, and join 'The Unspoken Advantage', our Skool community made for business leaders and founders to network, learn, and grow alongside each other. Join at the links below!

"ສ້າງນະວັດຕະກຳ, ເຊື່ອມໂຍງ, ແລະ ເຕີບໂຕ."

ນັ້ນແມ່ນສາມຄຳທີ່ທ່ານ Be Chantra—ຮອງຜູ້ອຳນວຍການໃຫຍ່ ສະຖາບັນຄົ້ນຄວ້າ ແລະ ນະວັດຕະກຳດິຈິຕອນ ທີ່ສະຖາບັນເຕັກໂນໂລຊີດິຈິຕອນກຳປູເຈຍ (CADT)—ໄດ້ໃຊ້ເພື່ອອະທິບາຍເຖິງງານ ASEAN Startup Connect.

ດ້ວຍຄວາມສັ້ນກະທັດຮັດແຕ່ມີພະລັງ, ສິ່ງສຳຄັນທີ່ໄດ້ຮັບຈາກງານ ASC ແມ່ນການສຸມໃສ່ການສ້າງສາຍພົວພັນທີ່ມີຄວາມໝາຍລະຫວ່າງທຸລະກິດສະຕາດອັບໃນທົ່ວພາກພື້ນ. ມັນເປັນຄວາມຮູ້ສຶກທີ່ມີພະລັງ ເຊິ່ງໄດ້ຮັບການສະທ້ອນຈາກຕົວແທນຫຼາຍໆທ່ານທີ່ພວກເຮົາໄດ້ມີໂອກາດໂອ້ລົມນຳ!

ພວກເຮົາຈະສືບຕໍ່ສ້າງຂົວເຊື່ອມຕໍ່ຂ້າມພົມແດນທີ່ສຳຄັນເຫຼົ່ານີ້ ໃນກອງປະຊຸມສຸດຍອດ ASC ຄັ້ງທີສອງຂອງພວກເຮົາທີ່ຈະຈັດຂຶ້ນໃນທ້າຍປີນີ້. ທ່ານຈະມາເຂົ້າຮ່ວມກັບພວກເຮົາເພື່ອສ້າງອະນາຄົດຂອງອາຊຽນນຳກັນບໍ່?

ທ່ານກຳລັງຊອກຫາຊຸມຊົນທີ່ເຂົ້າໃຈເຖິງຄວາມເປັນຈິງຂອງການສ້າງທຸລະກິດຢູ່ບໍ່? ລົງທະບຽນເຂົ້າຮ່ວມໂຄງການໃຫ້ຄຳປຶກສາ (Mentorship Programme) ຂອງພວກເຮົາເພື່ອຮັບການສະໜັບສະໜູນຢ່າງເຕັມທີ່ສຳລັບການຂະຫຍາຍທຸລະກິດຂ້າມພົມແດນໃນອາຊຽນ, ແລະ ເຂົ້າຮ່ວມ 'The Unspoken Advantage', ຊຸມຊົນ Skool ຂອງພວກເຮົາທີ່ສ້າງຂຶ້ນສຳລັບຜູ້ນຳທຸລະກິດ ແລະ ຜູ້ກໍ່ຕັ້ງເພື່ອສ້າງເຄືອຂ່າຍ, ຮຽນຮູ້ ແລະ ເຕີບໂຕໄປພ້ອມໆກັນ. ເຂົ້າຮ່ວມໄດ້ທີ່ລິ້ງດ້ານລຸ່ມນີ້!

27/05/2026

Care, connection, and honesty.

These were the core themes of ASC according to our interview with Yaqi Chu!

As part of the United Nations Development Programme’s Youth Co:Lab, Yaqi is dedicated to empowering young founders and building up startup ecosystems across the Asia-Pacific region.

Here are her top takeaways from ASC:

- ASC’s roundtable discussions created a trusting environment where different ASEAN countries could honestly discuss the hurdles of building local startup ecosystems.

- By letting AI tools handle note-taking of conversations, we can actually focus on human empathy. It allows us to be present, engage deeply, and listen to what is said (and unsaid) in the moment.

Ready to take the next step in your own startup/entrepreneurial journey?

Sign up for ASC mentorship that is happening TODAY May 27th 3:30-4:30 PM ICT!

And connect with our growing community by checking out our skool community ‘The Unspoken Advantage.’ Find the links in the comments below!

25/05/2026

Don't miss out on our next ASC Mentorship session happening this Wednesday, May 27!

Wondering what you can expect when you join? Here is what Mudit Sharma had to say about his experience in our ASC Mentorships sessions:

"It was a very well-designed session. Loved the energy and people of this community. Looking forward to our next session and learning from folks of this community."

Our mentorship program is built to foster genuine connections, provide structured learning, and surround you with an energizing network of driven individuals.

Spots are strictly limited for this Wednesday’s session. Secure your place today and sign up for the ASC mentorship program at the link below!

12/05/2026

Representing Timor Leste on the ASEAN Stage. 🇹🇱

"Very Forward Thinking." That’s how Joao Ussi Da Silva describes his experience at ASEAN Startup Connect.

As a founder specializing in the agriculture industry, Joao is leveraging the power of e-commerce and AI to scale his business and create jobs in Timor Leste.

For Joao, attending ASC was crucial not just for business growth, but for representation. As Timor Leste has recently joined as part of the ASEAN nations, Joao is proud to show the region how their private sector is already driving innovation. When founders harness tech for impact, the whole region moves forward!

Are you an ASEAN founder, policymaker or expert and will you join us to represent your country at ASC 2026?

Are you looking for a community that understands the reality of building a business, and want to start building and connecting before the summit?

Sign up for our Mentorship Programme to get dedicated support for ASEAN cross border expansion, and join 'The Unspoken Advantage', our Skool community made for business leaders and founders to network, learn, and grow alongside each other. Join at the links below! 👇

Meet Kanya Chalernsouk from Startnovation, who proudly represented the vibrant startup and MSME ecosystem of Laos at ASE...
12/05/2026

Meet Kanya Chalernsouk from Startnovation, who proudly represented the vibrant startup and MSME ecosystem of Laos at ASEAN Startup Connect 2025! 🇱🇦

Swipe through the carousel to see Kanya's key takeaways from the event! For him, the magic of ASC was in the connections. Between the insightful sharing sessions and the powerful networking moments, he’s taking home fresh inspiration and actionable learnings to apply to his own journey.

When founders share their struggles and wins, the whole region grows stronger together.

Are you looking for a community that understands the reality of building a business? Sign up for our Mentorship Programme to get dedicated support for ASEAN cross border expansion, and join 'The Unspoken Advantage', our Skool community made for business leaders and founders to network, learn, and grow alongside each other.

Join at the links in the comments! 👇

06/05/2026

Bridging policy and innovation across ASEAN. 🇲🇾

At ASEAN Startup Connect 2025, we had the wonderful opportunity to hear from a powerhouse delegation from Malaysia, featuring Shalini Nadaruaju and Yin Li Ong from the of Science, Technology and Innovation (Malaysia), Nawal Binti Mohd Radzi from CEDAR (SME Bank), and Suhana Binti Ibrahim from the Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development.

Reflecting on their time at ASC, they highlighted how refreshing it was to connect and learn directly from other representatives and founders across the region. For them, a major takeaway was the empowering experience of exchanging insights with policymakers from other ASEAN member states—diving into diverse startup regulations to gain a much clearer understanding of the wider regional landscape.

When decision-makers collaborate and understand each other's frameworks, the path to cross-border scaling becomes smoother for founders everywhere! Will you join us at ASC 2026 to contribute to designing a better startup ecosystem across ASEAN?

You can begin making an impact in the ASEAN ecosystem even earlier than the conference. Sign up for our Mentorship Programme to get dedicated support for ASEAN cross border expansion, and join 'The Unspoken Advantage', our Skool community made for business leaders and founders to network, learn, and grow alongside each other. Join at the links below!

02/05/2026

Empathy. Impact. Honesty.

At ASEAN Startup Connect 2025, we had the privilege of speaking with Martalia Lo, the CEO and Founder of Academy of Careers and Technology (ACT) in Cambodia. Through her work, she is transforming the education landscape by empowering youth with 21st-century skills and project-based learning. 📚

Reflecting on her time at ASC, Martalia emphasized the profound value of the connections and relationships fostered across the region, creating powerful new opportunities for cross-border expansion and collaboration. One of her most powerful takeaways was: “If it’s not honest, it’s not useful.”

When founders lead with authenticity and build genuine relationships, the impact they can create is limitless.

Are you looking for a community that authentically helps eachother in building a business? Sign up for our Mentorship Programme to get dedicated support for ASEAN cross border expansion.

For more frequent support and resources, join 'The Unspoken Advantage', our Skool community made for business leaders and founders to network, learn, and grow alongside each other. Join at the links below!

30/04/2026

What makes ASC NECESSARY in ASEAN 2026?

Digital. Collaboration. Networking. 🌐

At ASEAN Startup Connect 2025, we caught up with Diboma KY, Under Secretary of State at the ក្រសួងប្រៃសណីយ៍និងទូរគមនាគមន៍ - Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (Cambodia), to hear his key takeaways from the event, and his insights highlighted a crucial part of our ecosystem: the bridge between innovation and policy.

He shared how incredibly valuable it is to gather founders, specialists, and policymakers from across ASEAN in one room to openly share their challenges. The true power of ASC lies in giving government officials an opportunity to understand the real hurdles and opportunities founders face. When policymakers have this deep understanding, they are better equipped to help startups scale and succeed across the region!

Are you looking for a community that understands the reality of building a business?

TODAY we are hosting Mentorship session #6 (6:30-8:30 KH time)! You can still sign up to get live, authentic and dedicated support for ASEAN cross border expansion.

Also check out 'The Unspoken Advantage', our Skool community made for business leaders and founders to continuously network, learn, and grow alongside each other. Join at the links below! 👇

30/04/2026

TODAY (April 30th @ 6:30pm - 8:30pm KH time), we’re kicking off ASC Mentorship Programme #6!

Here, we are creating a space for genuine support to help you smash through your any business roadblocks.

Here is the ASC formula for growth:

- Horizontal Mentorship: Founder-to-founder collaboration. We bounce ideas across different disciplines to help you establish absolute clarity.

- Vertical Mentorship: Once the goal is clear, we bring in an industry expert to help you demolish that specific bottleneck.

- Custom Matching: No random pairings here. The ASC team actively hunts down the perfect advisor for your unique profile!

Bring your biggest challenges, leave judgment at the door, and let’s build a community that actually moves the needle for each other. See you soon!

Space is limited, so secure your spot at the link in the comments!

23/04/2026

MASTERING NETWORKING WEBINAR

Join us this Friday for an exclusive 90-minute live session on the skill that works across every culture, career stage, and time zone.

Register via link below 👇

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