While larger economies like Vietnam and Thailand often dominate Southeast Asian tech headlines, the burgeoning Cambodian startup ecosystem is rapidly demanding attention.

Home to just over 200 startups, Cambodia offers a landscape ripe for first movers and rapid technological adoption. The Canadia Impact Fund (CIFC) wants to be at the forefront of this growth and to back founders whose technologies can drive meaningful progress and help local industries scale to international standards.

In this interview, CEO Thierry Tea discusses CIFC’s strategic focus, the power of Cambodia’s digital-native youth, and why the country is poised to become one of ASEAN’s most dynamic emerging innovation hubs.

Prioritising impact and efficiency

CIFC’s investment strategy is explicitly designed to create long-term value for Cambodia’s economy and its communities. The fund prioritises five key sectors where innovation can directly improve the quality of life and strengthen national competitiveness: education, healthcare, logistics, technology and AI, and sustainability.

Also Read: Canadia Group enters venture investing with new impact fund, backs Jalat Logistics

The choice of these areas is often driven by current inefficiencies and potential for immediate improvement. For instance, costs in the logistics sector remain high compared to other regional markets, which present significant opportunities for efficiency gains through technology. This strategic focus is evident in the fund’s debut investment in Jalat Logistics.

While Cambodia serves as CIFC’s home base, its vision is regional. It actively seeks startups across ASEAN whose solutions can support Cambodia’s development, transfer knowledge, and introduce new capabilities.

Leveraging the digital generation

One of Cambodia’s most compelling advantages is its demographic profile: 65 per cent of the population is under 35, and internet penetration exceeds 80 per cent. This young cohort represents a digitally native, ambitious, and globally connected generation that forms the foundation for scalable businesses.

CIFC’s role extends far beyond merely providing capital; it aims to cultivate the next wave of Cambodian founders. The fund supports this generation by investing in startups that can scale with, and be powered by, young Cambodian talent. It collaborates closely with leading institutions, including CamTech University and Connexion innovation hub, to strengthen essential skills in AI, engineering, product development, and digital entrepreneurship.

Ultimately, CIFC seeks to connect these emerging founders with regional opportunities and international partners.

Pillars of the startup ecosystem

The health of any innovation hub depends on its supportive infrastructure, and Cambodia’s landscape is strengthened by local entrepreneurship hubs such as Techo Startup Centre and Impact Hub Phnom Penh.

CIFC actively participates in the ecosystem alongside these crucial institutions. Key players include Khmer Enterprise, which has supported over 900 grant recipients since 2020, and Techo Startup Centre, which delivers multi-week accelerator and digital platform programs vital for early-stage founders. CIFC complements the work of these organisations by sharing insights, engaging directly with founders, and supporting programmes designed to strengthen the early-stage environment.

Furthermore, the fund’s involvement extends internationally through collaborations with global partners, such as Plug and Play and Seedstars, which provide founders access to global best practices, networks, and new opportunities. The broader ecosystem is also advancing through initiatives such as Khmer Enterprise’s partnership with Seedstars, which is now entering its second cohort dedicated to increasing the investment readiness of Cambodian startups.

Also Read: Cambodia: A rising tech power in Southeast Asia

Additionally, Techo Startup Centre, in collaboration with UNIDO and NGIN, has completed two cohorts of the Global Cleantech Innovation Programme, fostering founders who develop innovative environmental solutions.

Integrating measurable impact

The global focus on impact-driven innovation, spanning greentech and inclusive finance, is central to CIFC’s mandate. For CIFC, impact is defined as “solving real problems for real people while building sustainable, scalable businesses”.

In the Cambodian context, this definition often translates into measurable outcomes related to accessible education, improved healthcare and wellbeing, digital and financial inclusion, more efficient resource usage, and supporting micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and communities as they enter the digital economy. Clean energy is also a critical focus, with solar power rapidly becoming an increasingly important part of the country’s electricity mix.

CIFC encourages founders to embed these measurable outcomes into their operations early on, viewing this not as a constraint, but as a “strategic advantage that strengthens resilience, trust, and long-term competitiveness”.

Dispelling misconceptions and attracting capital

Compared to more mature markets in the region, Cambodia remains at a foundational stage. However, this early stage creates a unique set of attractions for discerning investors.

Cambodia offers a rapidly growing digital economy, a young and dynamic workforce, improved infrastructure, and a business-friendly environment. Its early development stage creates significant room for experimentation, first movers, and rapid technology adoption.

Crucially for investors, startup valuations tend to be more attractive compared to those of regional peers, offering opportunities for those willing to engage at the grassroots level.

A common misconception held by foreign investors is that Cambodia lacks the necessary talent or ambition. CEO Tea is quick to counter this: “In reality, we see high-quality founders, many with international experience, developing products that show significant progress and clear potential to evolve toward regional standards.” While the ecosystem is young, its momentum is undeniable, and investors are starting to recognise this fundamental shift.

The ASEAN gateway

As ASEAN integration and capital mobility accelerate, Cambodia is strategically positioned to serve as a gateway or, more specifically, a flexible, fast-moving testing ground. Here, founders can validate solutions quickly and cost-effectively.

Also Read: Why it maybe the opportune time to consider Corporate Venture Capital

Sectors such as agri-innovation, logistics, healthtech, and AI-driven applications remain underpenetrated, generating substantial opportunities for impactful business models. With its improving infrastructure and young talent pool, Cambodia is attracting founders keen to test and refine solutions in a dynamic, fast-adapting market. Successful local models can then mature and create pathways for collaboration with regional partners.

CIFC is instrumental in supporting this regional ambition, assisting startups like Nham24 and BookMeBus, which are already scaling beyond national borders. Through Canadia Group’s networks and partnerships with regional corporates and global technology companies, the Fund helps founders connect across ASEAN, understand complex market-entry pathways, and facilitates access to specialised expertise in areas such as logistics, payments, engineering, and AI. The goal is to ensure Cambodian startups can engage confidently with regional ecosystems when the timing is appropriate.

Looking ahead five years, the aspiration is clear: for Cambodia to evolve from a peripheral market into a regional investment destination for institutional investors.

The desired headline for the future is: “Cambodia becomes one of ASEAN’s most dynamic emerging innovation hubs, as local startups strengthen their capabilities, and global investors increase their involvement”.

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Asia’s innovation landscape continues to accelerate as startups, SMEs, and ecosystem partners across the region push forward with new breakthroughs in fintech, AI, creative tech, property, and enterprise solutions. These achievements reflect not only the growing maturity of the region’s tech ecosystem but also the steady rise of founders who are building products with global relevance. Every milestone shared represents more than just progress. It signals validation, customer traction, investor confidence, and the collective drive to shape the future of technology in Asia.

Sharing your milestone on e27 is one of the simplest ways for companies to increase visibility among fellow founders, potential investors, and the broader innovation community. Milestones help startups communicate traction, demonstrate momentum, and stay top of mind within the ecosystem. By posting regularly, companies also increase their chances of being featured in our milestone roundups and listicles, just like those highlighted below.

Create your company profile: https://e27.co/startupprofile
Post your milestone: https://e27.co/milestone/post/

Also Read: Celebrating innovation and growth from startups, SMEs, and investors in Asia

Below is a roundup of the most recent milestones posted on e27.

• Unified Intelligence has entered the fintech space with a new on-device analytics proof of concept for a major Indonesian digital credit card platform. Building on its earlier ACL SDK deployment with MAPCLUB, the company is testing privacy-focused behavioural analytics that support smarter lending and better customer intelligence.
• LenderLink received strong recognition after winning Startup of the Year and Customer Experience Excellence at the 2025 KMC Startup Awards in Makati. Now in its third year, the program highlights founders and companies driving meaningful industry change in the Philippines.
• BespokeWearAI launched its AI-powered bridal preview platform built on its proprietary TrueForm AI. Brides can now visualise bespoke gown designs on themselves before ordering, bringing new possibilities to couture personalisation.
• Ambitionz introduced Cipher on Roblox, an AI platform that generates game-ready assets in minutes by thinking like a developer. Its early access program invites 3,000 creators and includes 3D generation, exports, and audio tools with a 90 per cent success rate.
• AgentHub Cambodia officially launched its AI-powered real estate platform in October 2025. It enhances listing management, buyer and seller matching, and cross-agent collaboration, signalling rapid digital modernisation in Cambodia’s property sector.
• Tashi Network closed an oversubscribed funding round led by Blockchain Founders Fund and Exponential Science Capital. The company is building the Coordination Layer for Intelligent Systems, a decentralised network enabling real-time synchronisation among AI agents, robots, and machines and already supported by more than 50,000 nodes.
• Wookco launched the Wookco Impact Loop, a loyalty program that turns travel activities into contributions toward environmental and social impact. It is a first for the OTA industry, blending customer rewards with measurable sustainability outcomes.
• HAOSHi Accelerator concluded its 2025 Demo Day 8, gathering more than 300 investors, founders, and ecosystem leaders. The program partnered with 17 startups from Taiwan, Japan, and Singapore working in agri tech, cold chain logistics, food tech, sustainable materials, and AI-driven restaurant solutions.
• Usetiful announced that it is now part of Fullstory, marking a significant step in its mission to help teams build more intuitive and meaningful digital experiences.
• Good Bards concluded its Llama Incubator Program at Meta APAC, joining over 30 startups in integrating Llama4 into its MarketingOS to enhance AI-driven marketing workflows.

These milestones highlight the creativity, resilience, and technical progress shaping Asia’s startup and SME landscape. Milestones on e27 help companies communicate traction, celebrate wins, and stay visible to the community. If you want your achievements featured in our next listicle, you can create your company profile and start posting updates today.

Create your company profile: https://e27.co/startupprofile
Post your milestone: https://e27.co/milestone/post/

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New analysis from leading consumer research firm Milieu Insight reveals that trust, reliability, and genuine value-adding enhancements are now the defining forces behind repeat purchases and long-term platform preference in Singapore, surpassing price alone.

This marks a decisive shift in shopper loyalty within the island’s mature e-commerce sector.

The findings, based on a study of online shoppers nationwide, provide critical insights for tech platforms operating across Southeast Asia, indicating that Singapore is emerging not just as a mature e-commerce market but as a model for trust-driven and value-based growth.

Accountability becomes a front-line metric

With nearly half of Singaporean consumers shopping online at least once a week, and one in ten doing so daily, expectations have evolved significantly as the market matures. Reliability has emerged as one of the strongest predictors of loyalty.

Also Read: Elevating your e-commerce strategies with livestreaming and hero products

The research found that 41 per cent of consumers consider trust in sellers or platforms a key factor when deciding where to shop. Moreover, over half of shoppers stated they would spend more with sellers who consistently provide reliable service and fast delivery.

Conversely, delivery performance has become a front-line differentiator. A significant 47 per cent of shoppers report they would actively avoid repurchasing after experiencing late, missing, or damaged orders.

This heightened expectation of accountability extends to the platforms themselves:

• 86 per cent of respondents believe e-commerce platforms should ensure their delivery partners adhere to high standards.
• 74 per cent prefer sellers who offer shipping that is fast, dependable, and cost-effective.

Furthermore, positive post-purchase experiences are crucial for reinforcing confidence. The study highlighted that 87 per cent of Singaporean shoppers were satisfied with their most recent return or refund, demonstrating that dependable after-sales support strengthens confidence and drives repeat engagement.

The integrity premium: Value beyond affordability

While affordability remains relevant, with 60 per cent of consumers citing discounts and free shipping as influences on their spending, actual value now incorporates transparency, service quality, and reliability.

Fairness and accountability are now central to how shoppers assess value. The data shows that 72 per cent of Singaporean shoppers prefer sellers that offer strong buyer protection and clear ratings.

Also Read: Vietnam leads SEA in e-commerce optimism despite regulatory frictions

Crucially, 43 per cent of consumers state they remain loyal even when prices are slightly higher, provided that platforms deliver clear policies and consistent service quality. This marks a shift where shoppers are swayed by the overall integrity and dependability of the experience, not solely by price.

When addressing fulfilment, delivery costs are cited by 57 per cent as the top area for improvement. The top three tenets of a good delivery experience are affordability (76 per cent), reliability (63 per cent), and flexibility of pick-up options (58 per cent). Hidden fees and unclear return terms, by contrast, quickly erode consumer trust.

Convenience and dependability are strong loyalty motivators, with easy returns (44 per cent) and one-click checkout (32 per cent) ranking highly for driving repeat purchases. Value-added benefits, such as loyalty points, vouchers, and subscription perks, are also key differentiators, cited by 30 per cent of consumers as influential in their purchasing decisions.

Practical innovation drives future loyalty

The study suggests that future innovation will be defined by practicality and purpose rather than novelty. Singaporean consumers favour tools that enhance control, simplify processes, and reassure them.

While emerging features are still gaining traction, they are already showing early signs of influence: chat support (16 per cent) and AI-powered tools (11 per cent) are slowly becoming influential.

Engagement with new features is particularly pronounced among younger digital natives (18–34-year-olds), with 38 per cent engaging with livestream shopping and 24 per cent interacting with AI-powered recommendations. These interactions are driving repeat engagement: 17 per cent of all shoppers are more likely to repurchase from sellers offering interactive tools, a figure that rises to one in five among younger consumers.

Juda Kanaprach, co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer at Milieu Insight, summarised the findings: “Singaporean consumers have raised the bar for what good e-commerce should look like. Today, trust, fairness, and clear accountability matter just as much as price.”

Also Read: High adoption, high rewards: AI could push regional e-commerce GMV past US$540B

He added that this represents a “fundamental shift: platforms are no longer judged only on promotions, but on the consistency and integrity of the experience they deliver”.

For e-commerce platforms, the message is clear: innovation rooted in trust, reliability, and real consumer value will define the next phase of e-commerce in Singapore. As Singapore’s shoppers continue to set higher expectations, they are helping define the region’s future standards for service-led digital commerce.

The post Singapore’s e-commerce shift: Trust, not price, now drives loyalty appeared first on e27.

In the evolving landscape of urban mobility, autonomous vehicles are emerging as a key solution to congestion, sustainability, and accessibility challenges. Estonia-based Auve Tech is at the forefront of this shift, developing level-four autonomous shuttles designed to bridge the gap between public transport stations and passengers’ destinations.

In a recent visit to the company’s headquarters in Tallinn, e27 spoke to Taavi Rõivas, ex-prime minister of Estonia and chairman of the board at Auve Tech. He explained how the company is leveraging the latest technology to create safer and more efficient transport solutions.

It began with understanding how the rapid increase in global car ownership poses significant environmental and infrastructural challenges. “Globally, we have 1.5 billion passenger vehicles,” Rõivas noted.

In Europe and the US, there are three cars for every four people, and if the rest of the world were to match this ratio, the total number of vehicles would need to increase to six billion. “Coming from Singapore, you understand very clearly that there is not enough room for the cars in traffic,” he said, highlighting the need for alternative transport solutions.

Public transport remains a fundamental solution, but traditional systems have limitations. “Public transport doesn’t take you where you want to go, but where the city planners have put the stations,” Rõivas explained.

Autonomous shuttles address this last-mile connectivity problem, offering a flexible and efficient way to reach final destinations from bus or train stations.

Also Read: Electrifying Southeast Asia: Unleashing the radical potential of electric vehicles

Technology and safety first

During our visit to the company’s headquarters, e27 sat in one of the Auve Tech shuttles and experienced riding in a residential area. The vehicle moved smoothly and was able to take turns without any issues.

Auve Tech has prioritised safety in its autonomous vehicle design. Unlike many companies, which adapt existing cars for autonomous use, Auve Tech builds its shuttles from the ground up.

“Building a vehicle to be autonomous allows us to do things that improve safety considerably. We can have doubled braking sensors, double steering controllers—critical infrastructure is at least double from the beginning, which means that the vehicle is a lot safer,” Rõivas said.

The company has achieved level-four autonomy in selected use cases, meaning the shuttles can operate without a safety driver under specific conditions.

“We have already received certification in Japan to drive without a safety operator,” Rõivas stated, although many other countries still require a human operator due to regulatory constraints.

Operating at a maximum speed of 40 km/h, the shuttles are not designed for long-distance travel but for efficient, short-range urban trips. “Technology is capable of driving much faster autonomously, but the faster you go, the higher the risks, and regulators around the world don’t want to take that chance,” he explained.

Auve Tech is actively expanding its footprint beyond Estonia. The company has secured projects in Finland, and its first commercial deal in the Middle East is underway with Masdar City, an innovation hub in Abu Dhabi.

“We just got the license plates in Florida,” Rõivas added, indicating their expansion into the US market.

Additionally, the company has found success in Japan, where the government is keen to adopt autonomous transportation solutions in ageing rural communities. “There are a lot of people aged 90-plus who do not drive themselves, and there just are not enough bus drivers,” he noted.

Singapore has also been on Auve Tech’s radar. “Singapore is one of the first, if not the first, countries in the world that has introduced a strategic plan for implementing autonomous driving,” Rõivas said.

Also Read: Clearbot maps and cleans the ocean using autonomous underwater vehicles

However, bringing the shuttles to Singapore requires significant preparation. “It probably takes us half a year of preparation. We need to bring at least one vehicle there and test it before we can start commercial operations. So for us, it is a matter of resource allocation.”

As part of its push towards sustainable transport, Auve Tech has also developed the world’s first hydrogen-powered autonomous shuttle.

“Hydrogen is also electric—the engine is still electric, but the electricity is created by hydrogen. We built the prototype three years ago, and it is fully functional,” Rõivas stated.

While electric vehicles remain dominant, hydrogen-powered solutions offer an alternative, particularly for regions seeking cleaner energy sources.

Future prospects

Despite technological advancements, regulations remain a significant barrier to widespread adoption. “The greatest barrier currently is the legal requirement to have a safety operator on board,” Rõivas said.

However, he anticipates that in “probably two years’ time,” more countries will allow fully autonomous operations, as seen in Japan.

Looking ahead, Auve Tech is set to launch a renewed shuttle model with enhanced autonomous capabilities. “This year, our main go-to markets are the Middle East and the US,” Rõivas revealed.

With regulatory landscapes evolving and cities increasingly seeking sustainable transport alternatives, the role of autonomous shuttles in global mobility is poised for rapid growth.

The post Driving the future: How Auve Tech’s autonomous shuttles are reshaping urban mobility appeared first on e27.

Founder conflict has long been recognised as one of the top reasons startups fail. But in 2025, conflict is no longer the primary threat. Misalignment is.

Unlike conflict, which is loud, visible, and quickly addressed, misalignment is subtle. It emerges slowly: In priorities that no longer match, in decisions that create friction, in conversations that feel increasingly transactional. And the danger is that in today’s AI-accelerated operating environment, misalignment is easier than ever to overlook.

AI has automated the tasks, streamlined the workflows, and stabilised operations to the point where companies can appear perfectly functional, even when the founders are no longer building from the same place.

This dynamic is far more common than the ecosystem admits.

The drift: When founders grow, but not in the same direction

Having built multiple companies, I’ve seen how quickly alignment can shift even in partnerships that began with absolute clarity. The drift rarely comes from a single disagreement. It starts with micro-fractures:

• One founder is losing enthusiasm.
• Different interpretations of the future.
• Uneven emotional investment.
• Unspoken concerns about direction or focus.
• Misaligned expectations around roles or contribution.

Individually, none of these seems alarming. Collectively, they create a slow erosion of trust, motivation, and leadership coherence.

Most founders assume alignment is “set at the beginning.” But alignment is not static. It evolves, and without conscious recalibration, it deteriorates.

Also Read: The hustle’s toll: Why some of Southeast Asia’s brightest founders are stepping back

Why misalignment is more dangerous than conflict

Conflict forces a conversation. Misalignment avoids it.

When something feels off but not urgent, founders tend to deprioritise the check-in. Work continues. Deliverables move. The business looks healthy. And yet, momentum begins to decline in ways that are not easily measurable:

• Decisions take longer.
• Meetings feel heavier.
• Strategic clarity weakens.
• Founders retreat into their own domains.
• Culture becomes fragmented.

Profitability can even mask the issue. A company can be financially strong while internally stagnant.

That’s why misalignment is more insidious than conflict: It doesn’t feel like a problem until it becomes irreversible.

The AI paradox: Automation makes misalignment easy to ignore

One of the biggest shifts in founder dynamics today is the role of AI. AI has improved operational efficiency to the point where founders can run parallel workflows without real alignment.

This creates the AI Paradox: AI reduces friction, but also reduces communication.

Tasks get completed without discussion. Updates get automated. Politeness is maintained through templated responses. Execution continues without emotional engagement.

AI helps founders function, even when they’re fundamentally drifting apart.

This is operationally convenient, but strategically dangerous.

Left unchecked, AI can unintentionally amplify misalignment by keeping the company moving while the partnership weakens beneath the surface.

Founders need to recognise this as a new risk factor: AI accelerates execution, not alignment.

Purpose, motivation, vision, and partnership health remain fully human responsibilities.

The strategic cost of misalignment

When founders are misaligned, the company experiences a series of predictable consequences:

• Direction becomes inconsistent. Product, marketing, and sales teams receive mixed signals.
• Decision-making slows. Each choice requires more negotiation, more alignment, more explanation.
• Leadership energy declines. When founders are unaligned, their conviction dilutes across the team.
• Culture destabilises. Employees pick up on tension long before founders acknowledge it.
• Growth stagnates. Companies stuck in alignment drift stop scaling, even if metrics look stable.

From a venture perspective, misalignment is one of the most underestimated internal risks.

Also Read: Hiring for hypergrowth? Here’s what founders keep getting wrong

A framework for realigning founder partnerships in an AI-driven era

To make alignment practical — not philosophical — founders need a structured approach. Here’s a model that I strongly recommend:

• Quarterly alignment audit

Three essential questions:

• Are we still building toward the same vision?
• Do our priorities match the next phase of growth?
• Are both founders equally motivated and empowered?

If any answer is unclear, the partnership needs recalibration.

• Clarify motivational drivers

Founders differ. Some prioritise innovation, others stability, others ownership, others scaling. Motivations must be explicit, not assumed.

• Define Non-Negotiables

Both founders should articulate:

• What they need.
• What they expect.
• What they cannot compromise on.

• This creates alignment guardrails.

Ensure communication is not just “heard” but understood

Acknowledgement (“got it”) is not alignment. Understanding requires reflection, synthesis, and shared interpretation.

• Use AI as a diagnostic tool, not a replacement for difficult conversations

AI can highlight sentiment shifts, operational imbalance, or workload discrepancies. But founders must handle the alignment conversation themselves.

What founders should remember

Alignment is not a sentimental concept — it is strategic infrastructure. In a market where AI has made execution faster and founder bandwidth thinner, alignment is no longer a soft skill. It is a competitive advantage.

Companies don’t lose momentum because their models stop working. They lose momentum because their founders stop building in the same direction.

Misalignment does not announce itself. Founders need to make alignment a practice.

Because AI can automate the work, only aligned founders can build the future.

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