Jakarta, 4 March 2021: The Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) has launched a new webinar series to discuss how Entrepreneurship, Start-Ups, and Innovation (E-S-I) are going to contribute to the post-pandemic economic recovery across ASEAN and East Asia. This webinar series is organised under ERIA’s Strategy and Partnership Programme, funded by Australia. The first episode of the E-S-I webinar series with theme ‘Futurecasting: E-S-I in ASEAN and East Asia- 2021 and Beyond’ was held on 4 March 2021 and attracted more than 400 participants from the Asia-Pacific region.

The five speakers of the webinar included:

• Jonathan Wong, Chief of Technology and Innovation, UNESCAP
• Adna Shatriremie Bin Hj A.Abd Rahman, Head Entrepreneurship Innovation Centre, Ministry of Education, Brunei Darussalam
• Ravindra Ngo, Co-Founder and CEO of Invest in Cambodia; Founder of The ASEAN Network
• Veronica Low, President of ASEAN Business Youth Association, Singapore
• Nur Hidayah Kaser, Managing Director of KnowledgeHiveInternational, Malaysia

In her welcoming remarks, Dr Giulia Ajmone Marsan, Director of Strategy and Partnership of ERIA, emphasized the importance of new ideas, new thinking, new business models and new collaborations for building back better during the post-pandemic phase.  Throughout the 2021 webinar series, ERIA will host a series of dialogues with the regional entrepreneurs, experts, innovators and, policy makers to promote innovation and entrepreneurship as a means to accelerate the post-pandemic economic recovery.  

Mr Jonathan Wong, Chief of Technology and Innovation, UNESCAP, discussed the importance of innovation and digital technology to promote inclusive development within economies post-pandemic. He elaborated on entrepreneurship being a key driver of economic and social development in the region, citing the emergence of young social entrepreneurs as an important example.

Mr Adna Rahman, Head of Entrepreneurship Innovation Centre at Ministry of Education, Brunei Darussalam highlighted the importance for aspiring entrepreneurs to develop multidisciplinary skillsets and open mindsets, and shared how his Ministry has placed emphasis on cultivating an entrepreneurial learning community and integrating it into the educational cycles. This strategy method has been effective to promote the entrepreneurial spirit of future generations, further supporting Industry 4.0 transformation and contributing to the country’s socio-economic development.

Mr Ravindra Ngo, Co-Founder and CEO of Invest in Cambodia; Founder of The ASEAN Network, highlighted several advantages that the E-S-I ecosystem in ASEAN has compared to North Asia, including a younger working demographic, more attractive labour costs, and the overall vibrancy and growth potential of the region. Moving forward, he pointed out the importance for government’s role to provide long term support for enabling younger generations to upskill, adapt and contribute to a vibrant digital economy.

Ms Veronica Low, President of the ASEAN Business Youth Association, Singapore, highlighted the importance of purpose being the key motivation for the youth when embarking on the entrepreneurial journey. She further opined on the importance of broadening one’s understanding of the region, such as the political, social, economic and policy trends, in order to build a sustainable business post pandemic.

Ms Nur Hidayah Kaser, Managing Director of KnowledgeHiveInternational, Malaysia, stated that key elements for developing entrepreneurial mindsets are the ability to seize opportunities, to understand business markets, and to establish and nurture collaborations.  To create a conducive and vibrant ecosystem, she also highlighted the importance of upskilling especially digital-related skills, mentorships, innovation and the ability to takes risks and manage them appropriately.

Mr T J Ooi, Founder and Principal Consultant of Curated Connectors, the co-organiser of the series, shared the importance of continued engagement in conversations from all stakeholders in the E-S-I ecosystem, as it would inevitably open doors to new ideas. He further echoed the sentiments shared by the speakers to adopt a posture of continuous learning, embrace an open mindset and proactively seek mentors to grow.

During the Q&A Session, moderated by Ms Lina Maulidina, Programme Officer at ERIA, speakers focused on the key elements on how to embark on the entrepreneurship journey, such as risk management and the importance of collaborations and partnerships.