Imagine Cambodia in 2030 meeting all the Sustainable Development Goals, a society with gender quality, fair pay, accessible infrastructure, and an amazing mental health sector. That is the kind of society SDG and we are aiming for. Are you ready to change the world?
In SmartSpark Cohort 9, the final cohort, we are looking for innovative ideas that will solve problems related to any one of the 17 SDGs. Ideas that can create a sustainable and innovative Cambodia.
SmartSpark is a startup program to introduce the key concepts of social entrepreneurship to people with the ambition of turning their innovative idea into a business that will tackle Cambodia’s biggest challenges.
This program is brought to Cambodian youths by Smart Axiata and Impact Hub Phnom Penh. It is an intensive 3-month incubation to support young people with innovative ideas tackling social and environmental issues in Cambodia, especially issues around the Sustainable Development Goals. The aim is to help them turn creative ideas into viable businesses and innovative solutions!
Each of the SmartSpark cohorts will focus on a different set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs were developed by the United Nations (UN). They bring focus and unity to the many different people and organisations acting globally to bring about positive change, like Sustainable Cities and Communities or Gender Equality. Cambodia is one of 193 countries that has adopted the SDGs.
Our theme is “17 SDGs in Action”. We are looking for innovations that can be a part of creating an innovative and sustainable Cambodia. It can be about mental health, upskilling or sustainable jobs/income, infrastructure, gender equality, environmental issues, or other innovations that you might think of.
SmartSpark cohort 9, the final cohort is focused on all SDGs.
At the end of the program, they will have the opportunity to pitch your idea to a panel of judges and audience. One team will be selected to receive $3,000 from Smart Axiata to launch their business idea, as well as receiving ongoing support from Impact Hub Phnom Penh.
They will go through this intensive program alongside fellow changemakers also passionate about strengthening Cambodia’s cities, jobs, and infrastructure for a more resilient future. We believe that having multiple people working on similar challenges will help strengthen you all as you offer each other motivation, feedback, and support.
Cambodia startups, businesses, and initiatives that are working on this topic or the focus SDGs: Agile, MeetDoctor, Kokopon, Sepak, Cambodia Knits, Dai Khmer, Green Lady, Nham24, Joonak, Wapatoa, and Impact Hub Phnom Penh’s Online Learning Platform
Week 1: “Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship”. – You’re a changemaker and you (don’t) know it! You’ll first start the Smartspark journey by reflecting on your personal story and why you are passionate about solving this problem. What is a social enterprise & how can you use this type of business to positively impact society?
Week 2: “Building a team and identifying the root causes of the problem”. – Understanding your team members’ strengths, weaknesses and working styles to build a high performing team. Reflection on the problem tree to identify the root causes of the problem and make sure that you are solving the real problem for customers or the market.
Week 3: “Market Research and Customer Persona” – Learn techniques to do effective primary & secondary market research and build a relevant empathy map for effective customer discovery & market analysis.
Week 4: “Creating Innovative Solution and Rapid Prototyping” – Understanding the concept of design thinking. Tips to get creative and think outside of the box. Techniques to do rapid prototyping and constructing Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
Week 5: “Startup branding and tools” – Understand the concept of branding and learn the technology tools to create a remarkable, strong and effective brand for your business without having to spend much money.
Week 6: “Value Proposition and Business Model” – Delve into the world of business models, learning what makes your start-up different and special from other start-ups. What your start-up is bringing to the table and other aspects of a business from revenue stream to value chain.
Week 7: “Video Making” – Explore the tools and techniques to create an effective video to tell the story about your business and reach out to your audiences digitally. Learn how to make a 1:30 minutes promotional video to promote your business idea to the public. Bonus: your video will be posted on the Impact Hub Phnom Penh and Smart For Cambodia’s page, which has large viewers and fan base.
Week 8: “Leadership in action” -learn the key components of being an effective and compassionate leader and leading with empathy. Explore what kind of leader they are and how they accommodate their team to work together towards a common goal.
Week 9: “Partnership, Project Management & Financial Planning” – Do stakeholder analysis, build connections and strong networks to support your startup and prepare your strategic roadmap. Learn and utilize various project management tools and introduction to startup financial projection.
Week 10: “Marketing and Pitching” – Learn about various offline and online marketing strategies and how to establish a strong presence. Gather the tools and opportunity to practice building a powerful pitch deck and present your idea through an effective and engaging pitch to get potential stakeholders and customers on board.
Aspiring entrepreneurs at the idea stage, ready and motivated to test the feasibility of their idea to solve a social or environmental issue.
This program offers a full curriculum, so you need to be available for all of the training workshops and events. You are also making a commitment to your team and your cohort to show up and contribute at every session.
The dates are:
8th Saturday Jan 2022
12th Wednesday Jan 2022
15th Saturday Jan 2022
22nd Saturday Jan 2022
29th Saturday Jan 2022
5th Saturday Feb 2022
12th Saturday Feb 2022
16th Wednesday Feb 2022
19th Saturday Feb 2022
26th Saturday Feb 2022
Pitching date : 19th Saturday Mar 2022
Graduation date : 21st Monday Mar 2022
**All right served by organizer**
To get the most out of the program you will be spending at least 12 hours per week on your startup idea.
As school is reopening and the government restriction is getting lighter. SmartSpark 9, the final cohort will be offline with SOP. The venue will be at Impact Hub Phnom Penh office.
Apply before midnight on Sunday, December 19th 2021 using the application form here.
If you have any questions about the application process or SmartSpark please get in touch with [email protected] or call 010 42 27 26
Stay up to date with Impact Hub Phnom Penh’s Facebook page here or Smart for Cambodia’s Facebook here.
[Click Here to Apply]
Deadline December 19th 2021 [11:59 PM]
