The ASEAN-Japan Young Women Entrepreneurs Program is a series of events that focus on gathering the young women entrepreneurs in to discuss the challenges and opportunities for scaling their businesses and foster greater cooperation between women entrepreneurs in ASEAN and Japan, a key emphasis is placed on empowering young women entrepreneurs in ASEAN and Japan. The program will be divided into 2 main activities: the Roundtable Discussion of Young Women Entrepreneurs in Vientiane, Lao PDR (2024), and the ASEAN-Japan Young Women Entrepreneurs Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2025).
The ASEAN-Japan Roundtable Discussion of Young Women Entrepreneurs is a 2-day discussion that will convene about 30 women entrepreneurs and business ecosystem players in 10 ASEAN Member States and Japan to discuss: How can public and private sectors effectively improve digital inclusion, access to finance, and access to markets for women-led enterprises and MSMEs in ASEAN and Japan. The roundtable is co-organized by the ASEAN-Japan Centre and ASEAN Youth Organization in support of the 2024 Lao PDR ASEAN Chairmanship.
The ASEAN-Japan Young Women Entrepreneurs Summit 2025 will gather young women entrepreneurs in the region to discuss the challenges and opportunities for scaling their businesses and foster greater cooperation between women entrepreneurs in ASEAN and Japan. The Summit will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in February 2025, with aims towards greater inclusivity by involving women entrepreneurs who face greater challenges due to lesser access to resources and who received the greatest impact, a key emphasis is placed on empowering young women entrepreneurs in ASEAN and Japan.
The findings and key takeaways from the Roundtable Discussion of Young Women Entrepreneurs in ASEAN and Japan to gather and stocktake data prior to the ASEAN-Japan Young Women Entrepreneurs Summit 2025 and to supplement the report in the succeeding Summit in February 2025.
By highlighting contextualized insights and actionable strategies, this roundtable will bring fresh insights into the current challenges and opportunities for women entrepreneurs, fostering economic resilience and sustainable development across ASEAN. The findings of the discussions will be consolidated in a report and will be launched in the ASEAN-Japan Young Women Entrepreneurs’ Summit to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in February 2025.
20 September – 7 October 2024 | Call for applications |
8 – 16 October 2024 | Shortlisted participant confirmation |
17 October 2024 | Announcement of selected participants |
28 October 2024 | Participants online onboarding |
4 November 2024 | Arrival |
5 – 6 November 2024 | Roundtable Discussion |
7 November 2024 | Departure |
Enhancing Connectivity
1. Financial inclusion and gender-smart investments
2. Digital skills, literacy, and safe participation in digital spaces
Enhancing Resilience
1. Closing the gender divide in women’s entrepreneurship
2. Sustainable practices and empowering women entrepreneurs
If you have any questions, please refer to the provided Frequent Asked Questions down below. If you still have questions not listed here, you may email us at ajywes@aseanyouth.net
Notification of the selection result will be communicated to each recipient via email.
The findings will be consolidated into a report and launched at the ASEAN-Japan Young Women Entrepreneurs Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in February 2025.
The roundtable will feature panel discussions, networking opportunities, presentations on relevant topics, and site visits.
The roundtable aims to foster economic resilience and sustainable development for women-owned enterprises in ASEAN and Japan by addressing challenges related to digital inclusion, access to finance, and access to markets.
Definitely! As long as you are a young woman who has established profitable businesses, including from MSME industries and social enterprises in the ASEAN Member States and/or Japan or who is the CEO of enterprises using e-commerce or tech startups from urban and rural regions in ASEAN Member States and/or Japan, you are eligible to apply for this event.
Yes, definitely. You are still welcome to register for the event as long as you meet the requirements.
You can, but we only cover flights from ASEAN countries or Japan. Outside these countries, you have to cover the flight ticket.
There is no registration fee for this program.