Cambodia wrapped up its first time hosting the UNIIC Demo Day on a high note after local students claimed the Best Pitching Award, while Indonesia’s Ekspora students secured the top prize at the regional startup competition.
Vietnam earned first runner-up and the Philippines took second runner-up, rounding out a strong field of 14 university teams from Southeast Asia, India and Africa.
Ekspora — represented by Chaeurdin Saputra (CTO), Hasna Choirunnisa (CEO) and Clara (CMO) — won the UNIIC Demo Day 2025 award with their export-support platform aimed at helping small enterprises navigate global trade.
Clara said competing in Cambodia for the first time offered invaluable exposure.
“It’s our first time here at UNIIC Demo Day, and this is such a huge opportunity to meet amazing people from all over the world,” she said.
“We gained insights not only from judges but also from participants. Many are extremely talented, and we feel very lucky to be here and receive this award,” she continued.
She added that Cambodia left a warm impression, despite the heat.
“The people are very friendly, and the places we visited were really beautiful. Yes, I love Cambodia,” she said.
Ekspora’s winning solution provides AI-powered export training, simulation tools, matchmaking for buyers and sellers, and a community network.
The team highlighted a lack of export knowledge among Southeast Asia’s vast number of MSMEs.
“In Indonesia alone, there are 66 million small enterprises with huge potential,” Clara said.
“We want to make exporting more accessible and contribute to economic growth across the region,” she explained.
Cambodia claims best pitching award
Cambodia’s Tokkatot, a six-member team from CamTech University, won the Best Pitching Award for its automated poultry management system designed to reduce chicken mortality rates.
Team member Preap Somanith said the project targets medium-sized chicken farms struggling with high losses.
“On average, advanced solutions are only available for large-scale farms. Our project is designed specifically for medium-sized farmers,” he said.
The Tokkatot system integrates IoT controls for temperature, humidity, automated feeding, manure management and disease detection through fecal imaging.
Somanith said joining an international competition pushed the team to expand its thinking.
“This is our first time competing internationally. We had to consider contexts outside Cambodia, which requires us to broaden our approach,” he said.
“Our solution is tailored to Cambodia, but we need to study neighbouring markets to grow further,” he added.
Regional talent on display
Noy Chhorvin, head of student affairs at CamTech, noted that the competition drew teams from five countries and nine universities, competing under four main themes: FinTech, EduTech, AgroTech and Business Operations.
“This program brings together students from Southeast Asia, India and South Africa to showcase innovative ideas that support the region’s development,” she said.
She emphasised that each participating university has a business centre to help prototype-stage innovations progress toward real commercialization.
Judge Ko YoungJoo, president of ASIP (South Korea), praised the overall quality of the teams.
“Your presentations were amazing and give future hope for nations and startup ecosystems led by you,” he told the participants.
“You play a vital role in the innovation landscape, and your products and business models show excellent potential,” he continued.
A milestone event for Cambodia
Hosted by the Cambodia University of Technology and Science (CamTech) and supported by Khmer Enterprise and Canadia Bank, UNIIC Demo Day 2025 marked a major step for Cambodia as it strengthens its position in the regional innovation ecosystem.
The University Incubator Consortium (UNIIC) aims to drive cross-border collaboration and empower young entrepreneurs.
The two-day event included workshops, mentoring, networking and the final pitching competition.
More than 150 participants attended, including student founders, investors, incubators, policymakers and industry leaders.
International delegates also joined cultural exchange tours highlighting Cambodia’s heritage and growing digital economy.
The successful conclusion of the event underscored the region’s shared commitment to nurturing young innovators — and showcased Cambodia’s readiness to take on a bigger role in shaping Southeast Asia’s startup future.
