An entrepreneurship breakout session at the SEA Youth Summit 2026 brought together young delegates from across Southeast Asia to discuss how entrepreneurship can become more inclusive, particularly for rural communities, women and founders who face difficulties accessing finance, mentorship and business support.

Held in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Malaysia, as the Topic Partner for entrepreneurship, the interactive roundtable brought together delegates from Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Cambodia to share perspectives on the barriers entrepreneurs face in their respective countries. Discussions explored ways to bring business support closer to rural communities, broaden access to financing beyond traditional collateral requirements, and strengthen support for women entrepreneurs and underserved communities.

The session also highlighted the importance of looking beyond immediate support by building partnerships, measuring the impact of initiatives and ensuring communities can eventually sustain the work themselves.

Brunei delegate calls for more inclusive entrepreneurship

The session opened with Nabilah Assyshirah Norman from Brunei Darussalam, who highlighted the challenges faced by rural entrepreneurs and underserved founders, particularly limited access to early-stage funding, mentorship and business incubators concentrated in capital cities.

For rural entrepreneurs and home-based artisans, this often means travelling to urban areas to access business support. Her social enterprise, Vinyl, was built around bringing support directly to rural communities through mobile workshops, digital literacy training and practical financial education.

Three shifts were proposed to make entrepreneurship more inclusive: moving away from urban-centred incubation towards community-based support, combining financial grants with community networks and mentorship, and giving greater priority to social impact.

Drawing on civil society experience and an independent youth perspective, the discussion stressed that entrepreneurship should not be an exclusive privilege, with greater support needed for women, rural entrepreneurs and underserved founders to turn their ideas into sustainable businesses.


Cambodia proposes financing support for rural women entrepreneurs


Representing Cambodia, Ung Khemara Bormeychan highlighted the financing barriers faced by rural women entrepreneurs. She shared the story of a woman in Siem Reap who wanted to expand her fishing business into dried fish production but lacked the funds to do so. Her presentation earned her the Best Speaker award.

The example reflected a broader challenge for women entrepreneurs in Cambodia, who often struggle to secure loans when lenders require land as collateral. Although women own 61% of SMEs in the country, gaps remain in their access to financing, mentorship, business networks and digital financial services.

To address this, the proposed Cambodia Entrepreneur Beyond Collateral (CEBC) policy would build on existing initiatives, including extending the 80% guarantee coverage provided by the Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia to targeted provinces outside Phnom Penh. The proposal would also allow lenders to consider alternatives such as inventory, receivables and bank transactions, alongside mentorship for women entrepreneurs.

The approach would work within existing resources and could eventually serve as a model for other ASEAN countries, while encouraging more women, particularly those in rural areas, to formalise their businesses and gain better access to finance.

Malaysia: Inclusive entrepreneurship an economic strategy

Turning to the wider economic case for inclusion, Malaysia delegate Nukman Hakim framed inclusive entrepreneurship as a strategy to ensure growth reaches underserved communities.

With talent spread across the country but opportunities remaining uneven, economic value is often concentrated in urban areas. Social entrepreneurship, he said, should help ensure growth also benefits marginalised communities, including those in rural areas.

The discussion also highlighted the gap in female labour force participation, with participation among female graduates at 83% compared with 56% overall. The figures reflected the challenges women face in balancing caregiving responsibilities with starting a business.

To address these barriers, he called for more patient financing, including blended finance and grant-to-equity models, with private CSR funding matched by public co-investment to help social enterprises and marginalised communities participate in economic growth. 


Community needs should shape social entrepreneurship 

UNDP Project Manager, Yumi Chia, said social entrepreneurship should begin with a clear understanding of the problem being addressed and the needs of the communities involved, rather than imposing solutions that may not work on the ground.

Chia stressed the importance of listening to communities when developing projects, including understanding whether they have the resources and infrastructure needed to adopt proposed solutions. She said this would help ensure that projects respond to what communities actually need and are ready to use.

Chia also highlighted the role of partnerships, saying social entrepreneurs should look beyond their own organisations and work with other parties that can support their efforts and help expand their impact.

She said social entrepreneurs and development organisations should ultimately work towards enabling communities to take ownership and sustain the work themselves, allowing the organisations to move on and support other communities. 


Focus on impact, stakeholders and sustainability 

Partnership and Strategic Engagements Lead at UNDP, Khairunnisa Aris said social entrepreneurship stories should go beyond storytelling and data by showing clear evidence of their impact, including where and when the change happened and what could be done next.

She said it was also important to look beyond beneficiaries and identify the wider group of stakeholders involved, including local and international businesses, district offices and academia. Businesses, she added, should be seen as part of the wider ecosystem and engaged through evidence and experiences from the ground.

Khairunnisa also stressed the importance of sustainability, saying projects should have a clear plan for communities to continue the work after the initial support ends. This includes training local champions, building partnerships and having an exit strategy rather than creating long-term dependence on the organisation.

She said initiatives could also be linked to wider platforms and partnerships across countries, particularly when they address common issues such as improving access for rural communities and women.


Turning community needs into lasting impact 

From improving support for social entrepreneurs in rural communities to widening access to finance and strengthening links between businesses and communities, the session highlighted the different challenges facing entrepreneurs across Southeast Asia. The discussion also stressed the need to look beyond beneficiaries and involve a wider group of stakeholders, including businesses, academia and local authorities. A lively Q&A session followed, with students raising questions and exchanging views with the speakers.

At the same time, speakers highlighted the importance of building ventures that can continue creating impact beyond the initial support. This includes developing local champions, forming partnerships, and having a clear plan for communities to take ownership of the work, while also creating opportunities to connect with wider regional networks.

Learn more about the See Youth Summit via the official website or visit KiniEvents Instagram for a closer look at the day’s highlights. 

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