Social Innovation Program

Solving Social Issues through Entrepreneurship Vol.5

- Building a Fraud-Free Society through Blockchain Technology

Sasakawa Peace Foundation

February 6, 2025

Xertificate founder Jason (Photo: provided by Cnai Accelerator Program)

Since 2022, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation has been operating the “Cnai Accelerator Program” in Cambodia. This program is modeled after the Santhit Accelerator Program, which we developed and rolled out jointly with a Myanmar-based venture capital firm, Emerging Market Entrepreneurs (EME) in 2021. Both programs incorporate the incubation curriculum of Village Capital, a globally renowned early-stage venture capital firm.

“Cnai” – meaning “innovation” in Khmer – is a program which incorporates a gender lens, and is committed to creating an equitable learning environment where female entrepreneurs can participate on equal footing with male counterparts. Each phase entails the selection of a cohort of entrepreneurs, who receive funding and guidance towards the expansion of their businesses with ongoing support being provided by program partners.

Since the end of 2023, the program has been in its second phase. We have added new partners, such as Khmer Enterprise, a Cambodian government agency, HarvestIII, a U.S. government agency, and CAPRED (Cambodia-Australia Partnership for Resilient Economic Development) to the project. Building on our existing partnership with ADB Frontier, we have through these new relationships been able to further enhance the community-building potential and strength of the overall curriculum.

We spoke with the finalist entrepreneurs of the second phase about their entrepreneurial stories, challenges, and how they contribute aim to solve social issues through their businesses.

In this fifth installment, we interviewed Jason Chhinlim, finalist of the second phase and founder of Xertificate, a company utilizing blockchain technology. Xertificate, exemplifying the rapidly expanding “Web3” space, aims to prevent fraudulent activities such as the misrepresentation of qualifications and employment history

―― Can you tell us about the background and motivation for founding Xertificate?

Blockchain-based digital certificate issued by Xertificate (Photo: provided by Xertificate)

In Cambodia, ten years ago, you could get a fake resume for $5 by going to the nearest photocopy or some design shops and getting it forged. A few years ago, an acquaintance used Photoshop to fake their academic credentials and got a job. Though they were eventually caught and punished, the process took nearly a full year. Such fraud deprives deserving individuals of opportunities. Similarly, 20 medical students were recently found to have faked their high school diplomas. This issue is not limited to developing countries but is instead a growing global problem.

I became interested in blockchain technology about four years ago, and developed my knowledge by learning from experts as well as studying independently. Blockchain’s certain nature inspired me to use it for social good. Before founding Xertificate in October 2023, I had managed a project concerning the generating & handling 7,000 digital assets to gain experience.

Unlike other companies, which tend to focus on a single use case, we aim to apply blockchain technology to a range of fields, including academic and professional credentials, copyrights in arts and publishing, and traceability in agricultural products and more. Currently, we have five clients, with five more undertaking free trials of our service.

We contract with schools and individuals to digitally record important data like diplomas and certificates using blockchain, making them tamper-proof and significantly more reliable. These digital certificates can be accessed indefinitely via QR codes or web links.

―― How did you come to participate in the Cnai Accelerator Program, and what has been the most impressive learning experience so far?

Jason participating in a Cnai workshop (Photo: Cnai Accelerator Program)

A friend and first pahse finalist, Daneth from Tenbox, introduced me to the program. Initially, I thought it was for female entrepreneurs only, but I learned that male entrepreneurs could also participate. I also thought that a program run by an international partner such as the Sasakawa Peace Foundation would help them understand Xertificate's business model using new technology. But to be honest, I didn't think I would make it through, so I was surprised to be selected as a finalist.

The Cnai curriculum exceeded my expectations, and I continue to review the online materials provided. In addition, the honest feedback from the Cnai team was very helpful. I think what makes it different from other programs is that Cnai actively tries to change the participating companies. That's part of what makes it so rigorous. In addition to me, Xertificate has a female co-founder in charge of finance and a male co-founder in charge of tech development, so we supported each other, but to be honest, I cut down on my sleep time to do my homework for Cnai.

―― What have you learned about incorporating a gender perspective into your business through your participation in Cnai?

Xertificate's safe and inclusive workplace policy, which has been signed by all staff to date. (Photo: Courtesy of Xertificate)

Even before participating in Cnai, I understood the importance of gender and diversity in my own way. However, participating in the program deepened my understanding. Creating an inclusive workplace and ensuring diversity will lead to more creative ideas. But to be honest, I wonder about people who think that's obvious and don't understand its value. From my own experience, diversity may sometimes produce incompatible ideas, but in order to achieve great things, I think we should change the way we do things and not surround ourselves with people who only tell us what we want to hear. I think it's important to create a disruptive environment sometimes.

From Cnai’s gender-related lectures, I learned that it is important to clearly state policies against harassment, such as sexual harassment, and after taking the lecture, I immediately put it into practice within the company.

―― How has being part of the Cnai community been for you?

Jason speaking at a Cnai community event (Photo: provided by the Cnai Accelerator Program)

I made many friends who I want to keep in contact with as entrepreneurs. In particular, I became good friends with Vannak, the founder of API (Australia Pacific International School), who was also a finalist, and learned a lot from him as a senior entrepreneur. We wouldn’t have met without Cnai.

―― What’s next for Xertificate?

We aim to create a society where credential fraud is a thing of the past. While we are flexible about how we’re going to evolve the business, I can say with certainty that founding Xertificate has been one of the best decisions of my life.

―― Editor's Postscript

Jason, a tech enthusiast and design lover since childhood, studied architecture and design at university while volunteering for a nonprofit promoting cross-cultural understanding and leadership among young people. In parallel, he has over 6 years of experience working in commercial roles in a global company working across Asia Pacific (including Cambodia, Vietnam, and New Zealand). His experience in the nonprofit sector & keen enthusiasm for blockchain & its potential as a meaningful means to solve the social problems have inspired him to explore how Web3 technology could address such issues on a global scale. Alongside working on improving the domestic reception to the new technology underpinning Xertificate’s model, Jason is also determined to build partnerships abroad. Notably, he visited Japan in October 2024 as part of the Cnai program.

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Solving Social Issues through Entrepreneurship Vol.5

- Building a Fraud-Free Society through Blockchain Technology

―― Can you tell us about the background and motivation for founding Xertificate?

―― How did you come to participate in the Cnai Accelerator Program, and what has been the most impressive learning experience so far?

―― What have you learned about incorporating a gender perspective into your business through your participation in Cnai?

―― How has being part of the Cnai community been for you?

―― What’s next for Xertificate?

―― Editor's Postscript

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Event Report: Impact Measurement and Management (IMM) for Gender Lens Investing (GLI)

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