From 18 to 20 November 2024, the ASEAN Foundation, in collaboration with TikTok and SAP, held the Regional Workshop of the ASEAN Social Enterprise Development Programme (ASEAN SEDP) 3.0 in Jakarta. The event marked the culmination of the third phase of this flagship initiative, which empowers early and emerging social enterprises across Southeast Asia to scale their impact and drive meaningful change in their communities.
Hosted at the ASEAN Secretariat, the workshop brought together over 80 participants, including representatives from the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on MSMEs, the ASEAN Secretariat, the Board of Trustees of the ASEAN Foundation, impact investors, private sector leaders, and the 30 selected social enterprises from across all ten ASEAN Member States. These entrepreneurs had previously undergone an intensive capacity-building journey, which included 14 virtual training sessions held between June and July 2024, followed by a Virtual Demo Day in August.
The highlight of the workshop was the in-person Demo Day, where the top-performing social enterprises presented their projects to a panel of judges. Arconesia from Indonesia emerged as the first-place winner, receiving a grant of USD 7,000 to support its mission of engaging youth in regenerative agriculture. LTS Ventures from Brunei Darussalam and TRI Cycle from Malaysia followed in second place, each awarded USD 6,000 for their innovative initiatives. Other grant recipients included Second Life from the Philippines (USD 4,000), Jasberry from Thailand (USD 3,000), Z-Waka from Myanmar (USD 2,000), and Bumi Journey from Indonesia (USD 1,000).
In total, USD 45,100 in grants were distributed to support the implementation of the enterprises’ community projects through the end of 2024. Each winner will also receive continued mentorship to ensure the sustainability and growth of their initiatives. The workshop also served as a platform for deeper learning and connection. Participants engaged in sessions focused on digital storytelling and business resilience, and took part in the first ASEAN SEDP TikTok Challenge, aimed at helping enterprises amplify their impact through creative digital content. SAP delivered expert-led mentoring sessions, sharing insights on technology application and business strategy to help the entrepreneurs grow their ventures effectively.