La French Tech Phnom Penh Brings Innovation Leaders Together for a Full House Night Addressing How AI is Transforming the Future of Startups in Cambodia
La French Tech Phnom Penh hosted its first Tech Talk event on June 16, 2026, at The Last Stage, Aquation Theater, Koh Pich, bringing together more than 150 participants, including entrepreneurs, founders, investors, students, and ecosystem leaders, for an evening focused on the future of business innovation, and how artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the business landscape.
Held under the theme “Apps for Emerging Markets — In the age of AI, how do we build from Cambodia?”, the event highlighted the growing opportunities of Cambodia’s nascent tech ecosystem and the practical realities of building digital products from an emerging market.
Graced by H.E Chea Ratha, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Commerce, and H.E Kim Korn Long, Chairman of the Federation of Cambodian Startups, the evening was hosted by the Board of La French Phnom Penh. The audience included 150+ entrepreneurs, startup founders, investors, and representatives from Cambodia’s growing innovation ecosystem.
Cedric Kang and Thierry Tea, Co-Presidents of La French Tech Phnom Penh, introduced the chapter’s mission, road to the 2026 Francophonie Summit. Thierry focused on the challenges to further develop the Cambodian Ecosystem and the key opportunities to level up at par with the international landscape.
Founders Share Practical Lessons from the Field
The evening opened with product presentations from founders working across TravelTech, EdTech, PropTech, and FoodTech. Hélène Quintin and Sébastien Lacan, co-founders of THE MAP, introduced their travel-tech platform designed to help users discover and navigate places through curated, location-based recommendations. Seng Rothsethamony, Co-Founder and CEO of BAMNANG, presented a digital solution at the intersection of education and property technology, supporting users with practical access to learning and real estate-related services. BAMNANG is backed by Plug and Play, Harvard Innovation Labs as a pre-accelerator, and Singapore Management University as an accelerator. Laurine Chateau, co-founder and CEO of UMAMI, shared how her food-tech platform connects food lovers with dining experiences while supporting restaurants and local food businesses.
"We are grateful for the trust and support from the ecosystem and the community that help us to grow, and we hope that by 2030, BAMNANG can become one of the first Cambodian unicorns, which aligns with the vision of our Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Dr. Chea Vandeth, to have successful case of Cambodian unicorn. We are waiting to support and inspire more startups to grow from the Kingdom of Cambodia," said Rothsethamony.
A Panel on AI, Talent, Funding, and Regional Growth
A panel discussion followed with Vantharith Oum of Plug and Play Tech Centre, Sokha Phanith of Techo Startup Centre, Thierry Ngon of RedBridge, AmrithVatey C. Kim of NewWave, and Kevin Sabbe of SKAI Technology. Moderated by Sivhuang Lay, Managing Director of DICHI Academy, the discussion explored Cambodia’s progress over the past five years, the opportunities and constraints of building from a smaller market, and the role of AI in helping startups move faster.
“Replicating solutions that work abroad does not always guarantee success in Cambodia. To build products that truly work here, founders need to understand the local context, user behaviour, market realities, and the specific needs of Cambodian communities. Technology and AI can accelerate innovation, but success ultimately comes from solving real problems that people are willing to adopt and pay for," said Sokha Phanith, Department Director of Techo Startup Centre.
Panelists discussed key challenges facing Cambodian founders, including access to capital, talent development, market adoption, cybersecurity, and the need for stronger links between startups, accelerators, public institutions, and regional markets. The discussion also raised an important question for the ecosystem: whether Cambodian startups should build locally first or think regionally from the beginning.
Cambodia’s Tech Ecosystem Moves Toward Practical Execution
Across the evening, one message stood out: Cambodia’s tech ecosystem is moving from early promise to practical execution. With a young, mobile-first population, growing digital infrastructure, and increasing support from public and private ecosystem players, founders are looking more seriously at how solutions built in Cambodia can serve both local and regional markets.
A New Platform for Cambodia’s Builders
The event brought together a diverse mix of innovation profiles across FinTech, EdTech, PropTech, FoodTech, TravelTech, media, cybersecurity, HealthTech, blockchain, AI, software development, offshore outsourcing, and logistics, with participants from startups and institutions such as UNICEF, the Federation of Cambodian Startups, PillTech, Obor Capital, Khmer Enterprise, Innolabs, and others.
Part of the Road to the 2026 Francophonie Summit
This Tech Talk formed part of a wider series of initiatives being developed ahead of the 2026 Francophonie Summit in Cambodia. These initiatives aim to strengthen Cambodia’s visibility within the innovation community in Southeast Asia.
La French Tech is an initiative of the French government, led by the French Tech Mission under the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, to support French tech entrepreneurs worldwide.
La French Tech Phnom Penh is the local chapter connecting Cambodian and French entrepreneurs and supporting the development of Cambodia’s startup ecosystem in partnership with public institutions, corporates, and the international tech community.
This press release was supplied.
