Pitch Perfect – a local startup event in support of local entrepreneurs – drew together a number of teams with a range of exciting ideas at the OCIC Sales Center Koh Pich on December 1.
The event, in which contestants from across Cambodia came together in front of investors to pitch innovative and new business solutions to cater to some of Cambodia's modern-day needs, marked OCIC Group’s first startup competition in collaboration with Choice Accelerator.
To further develop an initiative which started earlier this year, OCIC and Choice Accelerator collaborated to form a partnership that empowers local startups to explore the world of entrepreneurship and gain valuable business insights from a judging panel of investors who are entrepreneurs themselves.
All participants presented varying service-oriented products before a panel of judges led by OCIC Vice President and Negocia Capital CEO Thierry Tea, together with Choice Accelerator CEO Jennifer Lin and Joonak Enterprise CEO Jay Kong.
"Pitch Perfect is an excellent opportunity for the community to get involved and to grow.
"As part of OCIC Group's effort to enable the development of startups, we are happy to work with Choice Accelerator to support local entrepreneurs who are laying the groundwork for Cambodia's fast-growing entrepreneurial-driven business sector, while also opening up channels for ideas and innovation.
"As a group, one of our core values is being entrepreneurial, so we support events like this, which not only fit in with current trends, but also with the vision of our chairman, Neak Okhna Dr Pung Kheav Se, who is a strong proponent of empowering people through business and education," said Thierry Tea.
More than 100 people attended Pitch Perfect, including representatives from the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications and the Cambodia Academy of Digital Technology (CADT), as well as capital investment firms Amara Capital, Emerging Markets Asia, Satori Giants and Rising Giants.
Students in the fields of data science and engineering from the Cambodia University of Science and Technology (CamTech) were also among the audience.
The event yielded valuable ideas, including services such as digital invoice solutions for Cambodian enterprises, support systems for local coffee producers, analytics solutions for HR management and hiring, and entertainment platform apps.
Koh Pich is proving a melting pot for startups, with spaces such as the Aquation Office Park in the Bay Area and GIA Tower in the high-rise neighbourhood of Koh Pich central, with a growing community of startups setting up shop.
These include Pathmazing, Kiripost, Tenbox, Unbox Marketing Agency, Wonderpass, Last2tickets and Foodpanda, while the district is also home to other businesses such as Confluences among many others.
