Workshop “Journey Towards Investment Readiness: Challenges and Gaps that Local SMEs Encounter”

More than 40 participants attended a knowledge-sharing joint workshop to help SMEs navigate challenges at Capri by Fraser, which was jointly organized by Aquarii, Khmer Enterprise, Swisscontact and Cellcard. The event, “Journey Towards Investment Readiness”, delved into the challenges faced by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and offered valuable insights into their path towards being investment-ready.

Expert Speakers

Sokhuy Lay from Swisscontact Cambodia presented key strategies for SMEs to address challenges on their investment readiness journey. The workshop highlighted diverse capital options, ranging from private equity to angel investors, emphasizing the importance of understanding the unique needs of each SME in terms of development stage and growth plans.

Khmer Enterprise emphasized the government’s role in supporting SMEs through seed funding, networking, and capacity building. 

Key Challenges

Aquarii’s CEO, Michael Tan, shared observations on the common challenges and pain points encountered by SMEs in their business discussions with investors, underscoring the impact of root causes – perception, trust, and communication – that SMEs should pay more attention to. 

Tan advised SMEs to develop a strategic narrative to address misperceptions of Cambodia and emphasized the need for effective communication to bridge gaps in expectations, concerns and negotiation positions between them and foreign counterparts. 

The closing panel discussion stressed the importance of fulfilling precursors, coordination between government agencies and SMEs, and finding the right partners.

Read full reports here and here

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