Five Thai e-founder ‘champions for development’ launched by Alibaba
Another five young Thai entrepreneurs have graduated from the UNCTAD and Alibaba Business School’s eFounders Fellowship.
For the fourth edition of the fellowship, the Thais joined with participants from 11 Asian countries, as 38 participants from across South and Southeast Asia were selected from over 300 applicants to take part in the intensive 14-day bootcamp.
The Fellowship aims to help bridge the digital divide and enable young entrepreneurs with the right skills for their businesses, and encourages them to share their newly acquired knowledge with the communities they operate in.
The graduation of the fourth eFounders class means Alibaba is on target to fulfil the pledge made by Jack Ma, founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group, in his capacity as the UNCTAD Special Adviser for Young Entrepreneurs and Small Business. UNCTAD is the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
The commitment seeks to empower 1,000 entrepreneurs in developing countries by creating champions for inclusive and sustainable economic development through the digital economy over the next five years.
“This initiative amplifies many of the efforts made by the international community to support digital transformation and innovation for inclusive and sustainable development,” said Arlette Verploegh, UNCTAD eFounders Fellowship programme coordinator.
“Investing in youth entrepreneurship can inspire other entrepreneurs in their endeavours and help create awareness about challenges they face and the opportunities the modern economy offers.”
The participants from Thailand had founded logistics, fintech and tourism startups. The graduates are Nithipont Thaiyanurak, CEO of Box24, a network of 24/7 smart lockers available in Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia; Supichaya Surapunthu, CEO and founder of Piggipo, a credit card management application; Nithi Satchatippavarn, managing director of MyCloudFulfillment, a one-stop order fulfillment for e-commerce and omni-channel businesses; Sittisak Wongsomnuk, CEO and co-founder of GIZITX, an online marketplace of logistics services for businesses to compare logistics prices and book services instantly; and Sipavich Dhumrongvaraporn, co-founder of Bellugg, a company providing on-demand luggage delivery service between the airport and hotel.