The owners of three new health-related startups were awarded more than $10,000 to grow their businesses a and will participate in a 10-day trip to Switzerland to exchange new business experiences after participating in the Lafiya Innovators programme in Cambodia.

The Lafiya Innovators Health Incubation Programme is a two-month programme that supports and accelerates early operational startups which focus on health-related themes. It gave them the opportunity to defend their projects to a commission, who selected winners.

Tang Sivgech, programme manager of Lafiya Innovators in Cambodia, told The Post on November 20 that after two months of training in November, 10 teams had presented their startups in supportive health issues and the health sector in the Kingdom.

Three winning startup owners were then awarded more than $10,000 to develop their projects.

“In addition to the cash prizes, they will visit Switzerland to exchange their experiences and connect with new startup owners in other countries,” she added.

Sivgech said the programme was established by Impact Phnom Penh, in cooperation with Impact Hubs from five other countries – three EU members as well as Bangladesh and Switzerland. The project will continue to provide support to the startup teams for five months so that they will be able to accelerate their projects.

The three winners were Meet Doctor, which helps people with specific medical conditions to get fast and easy access to qualified doctors.

Green Lady Cambodia provides safer menstrual product choices, educates young people on sexual and reproductive health topics and facilitates menstruation classrooms with sewing workshops for girls and women in Cambodia.

Agri House produces and sells cricket-enhanced, nutritionally balanced snacks for Cambodia’s primary school-aged youth market.

Hok Sovanvotey, founder of Green Lady Cambodia, said that thanks to this programme, she can access the tool she needs for growth on her entrepreneurship journey. She appreciated the one-on-one mentorship plus coaching that the Impact Hub team designed and put together to fit the nature of startups.

“I appreciate all the mentors, coaches and teams that put their efforts into organising the programme. It promotes and inspires happy and balanced entrepreneurs,” she added.

“At first, I didn’t expect to win the competition – or even think about pursuing the opportunity – because of the fear of ‘dreaming big’. What pushes me forward through this programme is, I believe, the need to heal the gender role inequality in society,” she concluded.