The annual BMC Startup Accelerator is underway which is an entrepreneurship competition where students from different universities submit their unique business proposals in order to win funds for their businesses. The BMC Startup Accelerator Cambodia is affiliated with both the Mekong Business Challenge and the International Business Model Competition in the U.S.

 AUPP is proud to have three teams involved called WeFarm, Wema Market and Soben that have created business proposals as well as videos to explain their ideas and have submitted these. With such intriguing and socially aware proposals, all three of AUPP’s teams are currently shortlisted in the competition and will go through interviews on Saturday the 26th of November at NUM Innovation lab. If successful, they will be able to move on to the next round.

This year the organization is giving preference to teams that are committed to launching a business or social venture. The BMC Accelerator program is designed to help launch new businesses and social ventures via a 3 month training program, mentoring process and access to finance. Students are expected to design business models and then “get out of the building” to test their business model assumptions with customers and key partners and then make the necessary pivots and iterations.

The Final Competition will be held at CJCC on Saturday, February 11, 2017 where all teams will have 10 minutes to deliver their business model presentation along with a short Q & A with the Judging Panel which also will include some of their potential investors.

Once the teams advance past this final competition, they will be able to compete in the finals of the Mekong Challenge which will be held in Yangon, Myanmar on March 18th, 2017. The team that wins the Mekong challenge will then be able to move on the International Business Model Competition which will be held in the United States at the end of April 2017. It is great to see three AUPP teams come up with such unique ideas that give back to their community. It is even more of a joy to have AUPP’s teams competing for the first time and be able to be shortlisted already. We wish you the best of luck in your business and social pursuits and we support you all the way.