"This free guide will help social entrepreneurs better understand the complexities of setting up a social enterprise in eight ASEAN countries, the options that are available to them, and the pros and cons of different legal forms. By providing detailed information on different legal structures that social enterprises can employ this guide offers well informed advice on registering with ministries, the documentation that is required and the licenses and permits needed to carry out certain business activities. It outlines governance and regulatory obligations and provides guidance on the taxes that apply to such organisations and expenses that are tax deductible. Case studies are also included to illustrate how social enterprises have responded to specific challenges."

"The Incubator for Agribusiness and Agroindustry at Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia (IAA-IPB) assists during three stages in the incubation process:early incubation (mentoring creative ideas, assisting in evaluation of market prospects, defining and outsourcing technology needs);incubation (helping production begin); and post-graduation (consulting on business plan revision and facilitating access to financial resources and a market network for new products and new technology implementation).

The utmost attention must be paid to incubatees during both the selection process and the incubation period, in order to ensure that they grow and are successful. Their success is the success of the incubator itself. One-to-one interaction with the incubatees is necessary to understand their problems and special needs and to help them find solutions. In addition, incubators are advised to maintain relations with successful graduates. They will continue to need assistance, they will be able to assist the incubator by being role models to new incubatees, and they represent a potential source of income for the incubator through profit sharing or equity investment."

"SPF and Dalberg Advisors have collaborated to complete a research report using country level data and expert interviews to understand the critical gender gaps and entrepreneurial solutions to advance the lives of women in Southeast Asia. The study outlines a framework that captures economic empowerment, personal safety and mobility, formal representation, education, health, time and decision-making as seven mutually reinforcing dimensions that are critical to women’s empowerment in Southeast Asia."

"Over the past decade, a dynamic domestic entrepreneurial scene has emerged in Cambodia, buoyed by consistently strong economic growth. Though a relatively small country, the number of investors and business support service providers operating in the Kingdom has increased dramatically in the past two years. As in its economic peer countries, Government, businesses and development partners are increasingly looking to domestic entrepreneurs to drive innovation and continued economic growth. In this context, the Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF) undertook a diagnostic study of the Cambodian entrepreneurial ecosystem with a deeper evaluation of the financial offering for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)."

"The business landscape in Lao PDR consists of a few large firms in a relatively small number of industries, with many small and micro businesses in both urban and rural areas that remain largely informal. The Government of Lao PDR (GoL) has begun a series of reforms to support growth and formalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This includes enterprises in the “missing middle”: those that have outgrown microfinance but are not yet covered by commercial bank financing. These enterprises are important for the diversification of the Lao economy, employment generation and poverty reduction. In the last few years especially, young Laotians have increasingly discovered entrepreneurship and seized opportunities for startups in Lao PDR, following the success stories they have seen throughout the region. In this context, the Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF) undertook a diagnostic study of the Lao PDR entrepreneurial ecosystem with a deeper evaluation of the financial offering available for SMEs."

"Since 2011, Myanmar has been transitioning towards a democracy and market-based economy, following 50 years of military rule. Though starting from a weak position, the number of investors and business service providers operating in the country has grown dramatically. As in other emerging countries, the Government, private sector and development partners are looking to domestic and foreign entrepreneurs to drive economic growth, innovation and employment opportunities. In this context, the Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF) undertook a diagnostic study of the Myanmar entrepreneurial ecosystem, with a deeper evaluation of the financial offering for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs)."

"Vietnam has experienced a prolonged period of economic growth since its transition to a market-based economy through the Doi Moi2 reforms in the 1980s. It is now a middle-income country and one of the most dynamic emerging economies in Southeast Asia. The proportion of people in extreme poverty fell from greater than 70% in the early 1990s to about 10% in 2016, according to the World Bank.

Vietnam’s strong export sector has often been credited with this success, and indeed Vietnam is one of the most globalised countries in the region, with its exports as share of GDP at the highest of any populous country. More recently, Vietnam’s large and emerging middle-class market has attracted significant investment, and the country leapfrogged into a highly tech-enabled age. Groups of young startup entrepreneurs are aspiring to disrupt nearly all sectors of the economy with new technologies, spurred on both by televised pitching competitions like “Shark Tank” and significant government support for startups and SMEs.

In this context, the Dutch Good Growth Fund undertook a diagnostic study of the Vietnam entrepreneurial ecosystem, with a deeper evaluation of the financial offering for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)."