ANDESOUTHASIA2023 Highlights: The Regional Opportunity Canvas

20+ international experts have participated in the first 3 sessions of the event, sharing examples and insights on cross-border collaboration.
To keep you updated with the activities and discussions going on in this action-packed virtual event, here are some burning questions that were asked by the audience and answered by the experts in each session.
Q1. How much of the enterprise support in HKH is being driven by government bodies vs the private sector?
Anu Shrestha Joshi: Very much! In India one great example is the Telangana government. You can go to the website of T-HuB on support the government. T-Hub was started by the government and now they have made it autonomous. Such examples can be showcased to other countries in HKH.
Q2. How do you see the difference between promoting startups and MSMEs in the region? Are both necessary for economic growth?
Minhaz Anwar: Both are. While we can drive transformation through startups the SMEs are 97% of businesses in the region providing for 67% of the jobs!
Q3. How do you see the role of locally based stakeholders to drive investment and growth of enterprises vis-a-vis international organisations, especially for nascent and growing ecosystems?
Anu Shrestha Joshi: Locally based stakeholders have an inherent understanding of the cultural, social, economic, and environmental nuances of the region. This understanding is invaluable in tailoring business strategies to the specific needs and challenges of the local context. International organisations bring that bigger picture but local organisations implement well.
Q4. If we want to expand our market as a social enterprise in Nepal and Bhutan, can we get support?
Anu Shrestha Joshi: ICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development) is a knowledge-sharing organisation. However, we can link you with private sectors in Nepal and Bhutan who can take this business forward.
Q5. ANDE South Asia is working to facilitate cross-border collaboration and collective growth through entrepreneurship. What would you say is the biggest challenge to the work you do?
Minhaz Anwar: In the South Asian context, the future of the entrepreneurial ecosystem is in our hands. The idea of startups bringing about disruption and transformation is still a very much isolated concept. There is also a need for inclusion. We need to grow out of isolation and encourage as much collaboration, confluence, and convergence as possible. SMEs, private sector, and public entities must decentralise and democratise opportunities, especially towards hard-to-reach communities. The collaboration has to be by spirit, and not just by letter!
Session 1 titled ‘A Future of Regional Opportunities’ explored the potential for regional collaboration to accelerate growth and innovation in South Asia. Minhaz Anwar, Chief Storyteller at BetterStories shared his thoughts on a collective commitment to fostering a vibrant startup ecosystem in Bangladesh. The panel discussion also featured insights from Bijon Islam of LightCastle Partners, Anu Shrestha Joshi of ICIMOD, Kesang Om of the Institute for Learning Solutions (Bhutan), Niraj Khanal of Antarprerana Pvt. Ltd (Nepal), and Srabani Roy of ICIMOD.
Q6. What sort of storytelling theme should ESOs (Entrepreneurial Support Organizations) focus on?
Aditi Seshadri: For ESOs, I think the communication narrative usually dwells on the theme of ‘quest’, i.e. how to provide support, mentoring, how to take enterprises from point ‘a’ to point ‘b’, etc. For climate-focused startups, the narrative theme is often ‘overcoming the monster’, the ‘monster’ being climate change, pollution, etc.
Q7. How is AI affecting organisational storytelling?
Amina Azad: Semantics has gotten much easier of course. While AI can definitely increase productivity, it also poses a threat to brand authenticity. That’s where going to the basics matter. The voice of your brand should be true to its core and real.
Q8. For small businesses and startups, what would be a reasonable budget for communications?
Aditi Seshadri: It is difficult to quote a number but it is better to think in the line of priorities and duration of each priority. If your communications is restricted to social media content and brand building, the budget will be lower but if you are looking at LinkedIn promotions, SEO & digital marketing, generating leads, the costs are much higher. Do you want to spend a year building SEO or do you want to spend more time on LinkedIn-led business leads? The budgeting will be different for each priority.
Session 2 titled ‘How to be Seen & Heard’ followed an in-depth discussion on crafting great communications strategies. This session was led by members of Comms Ninja and Unlock Impact, Amina Azad and Aditi Seshadri respectively.
Q9. How much do other geopolitical factors play a role in influencing your approach as an investor? and how much of this affects market access from an entrepreneur perspective?
Kalsoom Lakhani: Geopolitical factors definitely play a role. I know for a fact that Pakistan has the most difficulty accessing other South Asian markets, especially countries like India and Bangladesh who have ventured into trillion dollar economies. Sri Lanka on the other hand is literally dubbed as ‘Switzerland’ mainly because representatives from all South Asian countries can effectively hang out there. Travel restrictions and governments imposing certain limitations on currencies are certainly some of the challenges but we are actively working on solving these issues.
Q10. What documentation or information do you find most valuable for making informed investment decisions during the early stages of a startup?
Kalsoom Lakhani: One thing I have noticed among few founders in Pakistan is that they create elaborate FAQ documents for the investors. This allows investors some insight into the Pakistani market and also helps them in making more informed investment decisions.
Nazat Chowdhury: That is a very easy hack! I would also like to add that while investors usually have professionals to perform the due diligence, what matters to them the most are the business models of startups. Startups are very optimistic which is a good thing, but how will their business models play out in the long run? Do they have the foresight to take on risks and challenges? Do they have the capability of grooming employees to ensure excellence? We want to see the capability of the business model within the documentation.
Q11. Given your regional focus, how open is your fund to cross-border investments, and what opportunities or challenges do you foresee in such investments?
Ambareen Baig: I can offer my humble opinion on this! For instance, if a company that started in Pakistan wants to scale up to other country markets, we would be genuinely interested because it opens a whole new world of opportunities for us as well as our partners who also may be interested in having cross-border investments. We also have teams on the ground that know these markets and can support these startups.
Q12. As an Asian entrepreneur, I have always felt discrimination when we charge customers. Foreign clients always expect lower rates as soon as they know we are from an Asian country. I feel like it is partially our own fault, because most Asians tend to offer the lowest price to get customers. Is there anything we can do to maintain a healthy fair rate structure within the region?
Chalinda Abeykoon: A good explanation for this is obviously the post-colonial hangover affecting the East and the West. However, it is possible to overcome this sentiment. As an entrepreneur, please believe in yourself and what you have to offer to the table. Emphasise on what adds value to your work and how is your work different from others. Then you can settle on higher charges based on those factors. In addition, raise your price by differentiation and value addition.
Session 3 titled ‘Regional Angel/VC Funds: Addressing the Need of the Hour’ discussed the growing importance of regional angel and VC funds in South Asia. Moderated by Omar Abedin of PTH Venture Studios, panellists included Nazat Chowdhury of SA Tech, Sanchayan Chakraborty of Aavishkaar, Kalsoom Lakhani of i2i Ventures, and Chalinda Abeykoon of n-Ventures. Regional Insights Lead of Accelerate Prosperity Pakistan Ambareen Baig joined the conversation as a special guest.
We thank everyone who tuned in to the insightful conversations. BetterStories looks forward to your perspectives and opinions throughout the event.