A 9-month incubation program to support ventures with environmentally friendly products and services that increase the income of smallholder farmers
agriculture innovations
in total prototyping funding awarded
Mission-driven businesses transforming agriculture in Cambodia
A new generation of agro-entrepreneurs is emerging in Cambodia. They are putting planet and people before profit to solve the most pressing issues in the Cambodian agriculture sector. Our DakDam Incubator, over two cohorts from 2019-2021, accelerated the journey of 15 such innovators.
The program supported participants to develop viable, responsible business models to deliver environmental-friendly products and services that increase the income of smallholder farmers. We provided the technical and soft skills development, access to support, and networks that these startups needed to grow their footprint in the local agriculture sector. The effectiveness of the program and success of its participating ventures made DakDam the go-to pipeline for rapidly growing, high-impact agri-businesses in Cambodia.
Our approach
Tailored Learning from Experts
During the 6-month incubation phase, the teams were invited to dive deeper into specific topics in agribusiness through masterclasses led by experts from different fields in business and agriculture. They also had access to one-on-one mentorship tailored to their specific needs.
Peer Community
Peer coaching circles offered a trusting environment where entrepreneurs can safely share their successes and their doubts, struggles, and challenges and receive support from their peers.
Concrete Problem-Solving
We utilized a creative “mini-hack” format as a way to help teams define their current main challenges and then troubleshoot their challenges with support from mentors. This approach helped teams get immediate, practical feedback and insights to address a given issue.
Immersive Discovery & Connections
A field trip created strong bonds between the teams and was a chance for the entrepreneurs to speak with local communities — some potential customers, users, and partners. The field trip had a heavy emphasis on peer exchange and support; and in Season 2, we were able to connect teams with our Season 1 ventures!
In Numbers
experts involved across DakDam Seasons 1 and 2
average increase in smallholder farmers’ revenue as a result of Season 1’s innovations
hours of mentoring in Season 2
of DakDam Season 2 teams rated that the program had a significant or very significant impact on their preparedness to grow their business
“I work with JULNEN because thanks to the revenue I get, I can save to pay for the higher education of my children and have a revenue every month that I can use to buy my food and to fix my house. While right now, I can see most of my neighbors send their children to work in garment factory and stop them from school.”
Smallholder farmer working with JUNLEN, DakDam Incubator Season 1
Meet the inspiring changemakers
KFAST
KFAST
KFAST engineered an automated bean sprout growing machine to solve the problems of traditional bean sprout business owners, including reducing production costs and creating a broader market for farmers.
Composo (AGRO Nature)
Composo (AGRO Nature)
Composo (now AgroNature) processes organic waste into highly-nutritive compost to address the shortage of compost affecting Cambodian farmers and the problem of growing amount of waste in the city.
Sora Khmer
Sora Khmer
Sora Khmer turns dried fruits available in the community to make liquor and tea products such as Mango Liquor, Jackfruit Rum, Citronella Aroma, and Citronella Green tea.
iGreen SYNERGY
iGreen SYNERGY
iGreen SYNERGY is a research-based company creating natural pesticides and fertilizers for home ornamental plant growers and those with small plots of land to grow crops and ornamental plants.
PhallChangrit (PCr.)
PhallChangrit (PCr.)
PhallChangrit (PCr.) is innovating the cricket value chain, producing low-cost cricket feed, highly nutritive cricket-based products, and bio-fertilizer from frass.
Souhean
Souhean
Souhean works in food processing of dried fruits and pumpkin noodles, soy milk, and tofu.
Camkaseka
Camkaseka
Camkaseka works closely with farmers in Siem Reap province to raise Khmer chicken and help farmers sell their chickens by connecting them to the market and restaurants across the province.
Somlod Ratanakphal
Somlod Ratanakphal
Samlod Rattanakphal Agricultural Community set up waste collection services to reduce plastic, process waste into natural and safe fertilizers, and employ members to minimize migration.
Discover more
To capture the stories of the inspiring startups in DakDam Incubator Season 2, we engaged a professional filmmaker to produce short videos about each entrepreneur. Watch and get inspired!
Our Partners
