This report was produced by the OECD Development Centre under the strategic guidance of Annalisa Primi, Head of Economic Transformation and Development Division. Vasiliki Mavroeidi, Economist, led the co-ordination, analysis and drafting. Eleanor Gardner, Harry Mathers, Vittoria Barbagallo and Pearl Herrero supported the drafting process. The report benefited from precious comments and inputs from Setsuko Saya, Lorenzo Pavone, Andrea Goldstein, Philip Hemmings, Max Bulakovskiy, Roberto Crotti, Ekaterina Travkina (OECD), Shivank Singh Chauhan (Digital India Foundation) and Tom Hancock (GEC). Eugenia Klimenka and Ingvild Gillet provided valuable administrative support. Andrew Brenner provided editing support. Evely Geroulakos supported the formatting process. Delphine Grandrieux and Elizabeth Nash co-ordinated the publication process, to which Aida Buendia also contributed.
This report was the result of policy and empirical research on India, Indonesia, Thailand and Viet Nam, as well as country roundtables with relevant stakeholders to identify priorities, important trends for future ecosystems and best practices to support start-up development. The report was shaped and enriched by contributions from participants in the following events:
“Start-up Asia: Chasing the Innovation Frontier”, Global Peer Dialogue in the framework of the 18th Plenary Meetings of the OECD Initiative on Global Value Chains, Production Transformation and Development, May 2022: Nadim Ahmad (OECD), Pun-Arj Chairatana (National Innovation Agency, Thailand), Arvind Gupta (Digital India Foundation, India), Tu Minh Hieu (National Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization, NATEC, Viet Nam), Srun Pagnarith (Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, Cambodia) and Danhui Yang (Institute of Industrial Economics, CASS, People’s Republic of China).
Country Roundtable on the Case of Viet Nam, March 2023: Giorgio Aliberti (Ambassador of the European Union to Viet Nam, EU), Bui Do (ThinkZone Ventures), Dam Quang Thang (Vietnam Startup Mentor Alliance & Agricare), Nguyen Dang Tuan Minh (KisStartup), Maria Cecilia Paña (Global Green Growth Institute, Viet Nam), Pham Hong Quat and Tu Minh Hieu (NATEC).
Country Roundtable on the Case of Thailand, April 2023: Pun-Arj Chairatana (National Innovation Agency), Kaywalee Chatdarong (Chulalongkorn University), Jittrapon Jiraskulsomchok (National Innovation Agency), Prempreedee Kitirattrakarn (PTT Group & Thai Venture Capital Association) and Casper Tanakrit Sermsuksan (Thai Startup Association). The efforts of Chaiyatorn Limapornvanich and Mokkhavesa Walairatchata to set up this event are gratefully acknowledged.
Country Roundtable on the Case of Indonesia, April 2023: H.E. Tri Rismaharini (Minister of Social Affairs), H.E. Sandiaga Uno (Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy), Vincent Piket (Ambassador of the European Union to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, EU), Siti Azizah (Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs), Kariem El-Ali (Jakarta Provincial Government-GIZ & Smart Change Jakarta), Muhammad Neil El Himam (Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy), Rama Mamuaya (DS/X Ventures, DailySocial.id, Association of Indonesian Venture Capital and Startups), Bonifasius Wahyu Pujianto (Ministry of Communication and Information Technology) and Dini Indrawati Septiani (Asian Venture Philanthropy Network, AVPN). The efforts of Ivan Sandjaja, Managing Director, Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), Indonesia, were crucial in setting up this Roundtable.
The report also benefitted from fruitful collaboration with GEN. The authors are grateful to Jonathan Ortmans, Founder and President, and Matt Smith, Vice President. The Global Entrepreneurship Congresses in Riyadh (2022) and Melbourne (2023) featured dedicated discussions to Start-up Asia, with the participation, in addition to stakeholders mentioned above, of Krithpaka Boonfueng, Executive Director, National Innovation Agency, Thailand, Huynh Thanh Dat, former Minister of Science and Technology, Viet Nam, Chanmeta Ken, State Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation, Cambodia and Chairul Saleh (Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia).
The authors are also grateful to the staff at the respective Embassies to Paris for the co-ordination, notably to Vicka Rompis, Sandri Ghifari and Dimas Halif from the Embassy of Indonesia, Lai Thi Thanh Mai from the Embassy of Viet Nam, and Chittrapon Lerttaweewit from the Embassy of Thailand.
Start-up Asia: Chasing the Innovation Frontier would not have been possible without the financial contribution from the European Union. We are especially thankful to the team (both current and former) at the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA) for their support throughout the process, as well as to the Ambassadors and staff at the Delegations of the EU to India and Bhutan, Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, Thailand and Viet Nam. Particular thanks go to Gonzalo Serrano de la Rosa, Alice Warin, Pia Buller, Brenda Candries, Laura Lindoro, Iva Isravivani, Francesca Gilli and Michael Bucki.