In Cambodia, women-led businesses account for approximately 70% of all enterprises, making women entrepreneurs a vital force in the country’s economy and society. However, due to social and cultural factors, these women face numerous challenges in growing their businesses, including limited access to financing and markets. Moreover, the disparity in access to resources between urban and rural areas is striking. For example, while entrepreneurial support programs have become increasingly common in Cambodia in recent years, most are concentrated in the capital, Phnom Penh, making it difficult for rural entrepreneurs to participate.
The Sasakawa Peace Foundation identified these barriers faced by rural women entrepreneurs through its Gender Investment Landscape Survey in Cambodia. The research also highlighted several key issues: only about 20% of entrepreneurial support organizations incorporate a gender perspective; despite the relatively small funding needs of micro-entrepreneurs, access to finance remains limited; rural entrepreneurs, who often have greater needs for business growth support, lack sufficient access to such resources; and most micro and small enterprises are unregistered, which hinders their ability to secure funding from traditional financial institutions. The resarch also revealed that mentorship is both effective and necessary in helping women entrepreneurs overcome these unique challenges.
Based on these findings, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation launched the Inclusive Mentoring Network for Entrepreneurs (IMNEt) in 2024 - a mentor training program aimed at supporting and empowering rural micro women entrepreneurs, amplifying their positive impact of women, particularly in economic participants. The program was developed in collaboration with local stakeholders and partners. Swisscontact Cambodia, an international NGO that plays a central role in Cambodia’s entrepreneurial support ecosystem and implements the Enhancing Entreprenerial Ecosystem and Investments (3EI) program, serves as the main partner. Together with Impact Hub Phnom Penh and the Cambodia Coaching Institute, the curriculum was co-created.
To ensure the curriculum addressed local realities, focus group discussions were held with local entrepreneurs to incorporate rural-specific challenges and gender perspectives. The program is conducted entirely in Khmer. Many of the mentor candidates are entrepreneurs themselves. However, being a successful entrepreneur does not automatically make one a good mentor. Therefore, the training focused heavily on developing essential mentoring skills such as coaching techniques, active listening, and self-awareness-understanding one’s own mentoring style and motivations. The curriculum also integrates gender sensitivity to equip mentors with the awareness and tools necessary to effectively support diverse mentees and promote the empowerment of women in entrepreneurship.
In its second year, the program trained 25 mentor candidates. Each mentor subsequently provided two months of mentorship to a rural woman micro-entrepreneur in their local community.
Beginning in 2026, the program has been officially adopted by the Technology Center (ATC) of the American University of Phnom Penh (AUPP) and has evolved into a nationwide initiative known as the Entrepreneurship Mentor Development Program (EMD).
For this article, we interviewed two entrepreneurs who participated in the second cohort of IMNEt. We spoke with them about their entrepreneurial journeys, motivations for joining the program, and perspectives on the value of mentorship.
The first interviewee is Mr. Kouch Seng Thai, founder of ANON (CAMBODIA) CO., LTD., a company producing and selling environmentally sustainable handicrafts in Siem Reap, home to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Angkor Wat.
Founded in 2018, ANON (CAMBODIA) CO., LTD.. manufactures souvenirs using environmentally friendly materials such as recycled sawdust, discarded wood, paper waste, plastic waste, and locally sourced natural fibers. Through its innovative production methods, the company minimizes environmental impact while creating distinctive Cambodian handicrafts.
