Six Cambodian Startups Are Building the Future of Green and Digital Innovation

On February 24, Impact Hub Phnom Penh hosted the finale of the DGIx Accelerator — a nine-month program supporting Cambodian startups that operate at the intersection of sustainability and digital innovation. Six startups presented business models designed not just to attract investment, but to build the operational foundations needed for long-term scaling.

The event, titled "Builders and Backers: Scaling Green x Digital Solutions for Cambodia," was organized by Impact Hub Phnom Penh in collaboration with GIZ Cambodia through the Digital and Green Innovation Action program, a joint project between the European Union, Germany, France, Belgium, and Estonia.

The six startups

[Evola](https://www.evola.asia/) tackles Cambodia's food waste problem by converting organic waste into protein-rich animal feed using Black Soldier Fly larvae. The company upcycles nearly 8,000 kilograms of waste fabric annually.

[KonektAgri](https://www.konektagri.com/) advances agricultural finance and financial inclusion through loan assessment and farmer onboarding software for financial service providers — helping banks lend to farmers who previously had no access to formal credit.

[VP.Start](https://vpstart.com/) is transforming Cambodia's conventional power grids into smart, energy-efficient systems. Their IoT-based smart grid technology cuts energy losses by up to 30% and reduces carbon emissions.

[Dorsu](https://dorfrancisco.com/) produces sustainable and ethical apparel by upcycling deadstock fabric from Phnom Penh warehouses. The company employs more than 25 full-time staff, the majority of whom are women in rural areas working under living-wage conditions.

[Ecobatt Energy](https://www.ecobatt-kh.com/) is Cambodia's first licensed e-waste and battery recycler, building systems to safely collect, manage, and recycle the country's growing wave of electronic waste.

[Kasegro](https://www.kasegro.com/) delivers smart farming and supply chain traceability through IoT-enabled greenhouses and a cloud-based farm management platform, helping farmers optimize resources and buyers verify food origins.

Why this matters

Cambodia's startup ecosystem is often overshadowed by neighbors like Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia. But programs like DGIx signal a shift. The focus is no longer just on getting startups funded — it is on making them operationally resilient.

That distinction matters. A startup that raises money but cannot deliver consistently will not last. These six companies spent nine months not just refining their pitch, but building the systems and processes that make a business work day to day.

The green-digital intersection

The startups in this cohort work where environmental sustainability meets digital technology. This is a particularly interesting space for Cambodia, where rapid economic growth creates both environmental challenges and opportunities for innovative solutions.

A country building its infrastructure can choose to build it smart from the start, rather than retrofitting later. A logistics company starting today can build route optimization and carbon tracking into its operations from day one, rather than bolting it on as an afterthought.

What this tells us about Cambodia's tech ecosystem

Three things stand out:

1. The ecosystem support is maturing. Programs like DGIx, backed by international partners like GIZ and local anchors like Impact Hub, provide the kind of structured support that startups need. This is not just mentorship — it is nine months of operational development.

2. Talent is here. Six viable companies building at the intersection of green tech and digital innovation means there are teams in Phnom Penh with the skills and ambition to tackle complex problems. The narrative that all tech talent leaves Cambodia is outdated.

3. The opportunity is local. These are not startups copying models from Silicon Valley. They are building solutions for specifically Cambodian and regional challenges — which is exactly where the best startup opportunities come from.

The connection to AI adoption

Many green-digital solutions rely on AI and automation to function. VP.Start's smart grid uses IoT and data analytics. Kasegro's traceability platform runs on cloud infrastructure and sensor data. KonektAgri uses data analytics to assess loan risk for farmers.

This is the same pattern we see across Cambodian businesses: AI is not the product — it is the infrastructure that makes better products and services possible. The companies already adopting AI in Southeast Asia are the ones building this kind of operational intelligence into their businesses from the ground up.

What comes next

The DGIx finale is a milestone, not an endpoint. The real test for these startups is what happens over the next 12 months — whether they can convert their refined business models into consistent revenue and real environmental impact.

For the broader Cambodian business community, it is encouraging. The ecosystem is growing, the support infrastructure is improving, and the talent is here. Whether you are a startup founder, an established business exploring digital tools, or an investor looking at the region, Phnom Penh is worth paying attention to.

If your business is exploring how AI and digital tools can make your operations more efficient and sustainable, that is exactly the kind of conversation we have every day.