Comprehensive startup models are still small in Cambodia, even though there is growing interest circulating among young entrepreneurs. But one tech startup, Codingate, is ready to make a move to bring Cambodia’s IT service to the next level.
Cambodia has seen rising numbers of tech startups in recent years, but experts in the field say they are neither sustainable nor competitive, compared to the region.
Founded in 2013, Codingate designs graphics and web business applications, as well as business management software for both local and foreign clients. Co-founder Sok Sopheakmonkol says the company is expanding abroad, which is creating more jobs on his team.
“We have expanded our service abroad, to Singapore, Australia, and the US, for example,” he said. “This not only means creating more jobs for our team, but also enhancing our skills and building up our capacity.”
Although Codingate has been successful to some degree, the challenges ahead lie not only in continuing to expand the market, but also building up human resources with proper technical skills and management, he said.
Cambodia has a strong potential for technological innovation, a lack of networking among tech startups means there is little cohesion, he said.
“So what our team has also been doing is organizing workshops to share information and new skills with other tech startups,” he said. “We are basically building up a community to mobilize young, inexperienced, and mature startup leaders to come together and learn from one another.”
