Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Building (EEB)

The Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Building (EEB) is a one year’s initiative funded by Khmer Enterprise, established by Ministry of Economy and Finance in Cambodia, USAID’s WE Act Project through Pact Cambodia and Swisscontact. The project aims to strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems by deepening trust-based relationship among the system’s actors that will help to strengthen an enabling environment for entrepreneurial networks to form high quality connections to support entrepreneurship. EEB engages joint activities with like-minded partners and Entrepreneurial Support Organizations (ESOs) to strengthen the exchange of knowledge and foster best practices in this field that will help to strengthen an entrepreneurial ecosystem in Cambodia. 

The project works with entrepreneurial support organizations, ecosystem builder or development partners to catalyze the efforts to bring about meaningful and long-standing peer exchange and learning, peer volunteering and collaboration among the system’s actors in building Cambodia’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Ecosystem Builders Network (EBN)

EBN allows system’s actors to share progress of their programs and identify market gaps and opportunities to design the programs in filling market gaps rather than reinventing the wheel and enhance meaningful collaboration between system’s actors. EBN facilitates development partners and government agencies quarterly meeting:

• Create a space for ecosystem builders’ organizations, development partners, government agencies etc.so that they can learn more about each other’s program and identify market gaps and opportunities
• Map out available resources and analyze gaps and market opportunities to foster collaboration
• Engage in joint activities with like-minded partners and organizations to strengthen the exchange of knowledge and foster best practices in this field that will help to make the overall system stronger.
• Strengthen an enabling environment for entrepreneurial networks to form high quality connections to support entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship development in Cambodia

Results

10 Give A Day meeting organized,

• Attended cumulatively by 335 participants representing around 100 ESOs.
• 34 ESO issues identified in the meetings in three areas a) mobilizing investments, b) entrepreneurship support, c) trade and market.
• 85% participants felt Give A Day was valuable to them and 100% mentioned that Give a day created an opportunity to meet new organizations and exchange information and learn about other's work.
• Provided the basis for Give a Day to continue in 2023 organized by Khmer Enterprises and Swisscontact, including piloting of Give a Day in one province outside Phnom Penh.

3 Entrepreneurs Builders Network (EBN) meetings held that

• saw a cumulative participation of 72 participants representing 37 organizations from the Government and Development partners.

1 annual conference CAMESCO was organized that

• saw participation from 138 participants from over 100 organizations.
• 9 key call of actions were identified that will be followed through in 2023.