UNCTAD and Alibaba Business School’s eFounders Fellowship Program Welcomes Eight New Thai Graduates

          The eighth class of entrepreneurs including eight Thai participants from the e-commerce, tourism, logistics and real estate sectors graduated from the eFounders Fellowship at a ceremony in Hangzhou, China last week. Among other Asian participants, they are now officially inducted as Fellows of the global eFounders Fellowship network, joining 242 entrepreneurs from Africa and South and Southeast Asia who have graduated over the past two years.
          The eFounders Fellowship is a joint initiative by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and Alibaba Business School that aims to empower entrepreneurs from developing countries to use digital transformation for more inclusive and sustainable economic development.
          This cohort of the eFounders fellowship featured 38 selected Asian participants from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Myanmar representing a variety of industries. They are collectively employing over 3,Alibaba Business SchoolAlibaba Business SchoolAlibaba Business School people and serving over 6 million users.

          Building a community of champions of an inclusive and sustainable digital economy
          The graduation of this class is another step towards the pledge made by Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group, in his capacity as the UNCTAD Special Adviser for Young Entrepreneurs and Small Business. The commitment is to empower en,Alibaba Business SchoolAlibaba Business SchoolAlibaba Business School entrepreneurs by creating champions for inclusive and sustainable economic development through the digital economy over a five-year span.
          Through the enAlibaba Business School-day program, the Thai entrepreneurs along with their peers from other Asian markets gained insights, attended lectures and participated in field visits to understand the digital transformation that China witnessed in the last 2Alibaba Business School years. By gaining access to the Alibaba ecosystem they also got a deeper understanding into the role played by Alibaba in supporting and growing the digital economy in China. In addition, the cohort also gained insights into how they can apply these lessons to solve challenges in their local markets.
          Pongsakorn Potibundit, co-founder of MeZ, said taking part in the eFounders program was one of his life-changing experiences. "Through a truly interactive learning experience combining lectures, class discussions, interactions with Alibaba executives as well as digital city and New Retail experiences, I have become not just a better digital entrepreneur but a better person. Inspired by Alibaba's example, I have come to realize how impactful a company can be by putting its own interest aside and abiding by its mission and visions to create value for customers and society. I also appreciate the opportunities to learn from and bond with 37 capable start-up founders in my class, which forms a big part of my lifelong learning journey." 
          At the conclusion of the program, participants are encouraged to share how they plan to impart their new-found insights with fellow entrepreneurs and communities in their home countries and to formulate learnings from the program into their own business models. As a follow up, both UNCTAD and Alibaba engage with the fellows along with the support of local stakeholders every three months, and support the creation of a digital ecosystems aimed at inclusive and sustainable growth around the world.

          Country ambassadors appointed to grow the eFounders community in Thailand
          To sustain the development and impact of the local eFounders community as Thailand transitions into a digital economy, two earlier Thai eFounders graduates – Teerachart Kortrakul, founder of all-in-one stock analytic and trading platform StockRadars, and Tanakrit Sermsuksan, founder of food and beverage marketplace Kulina and start-up accelerator Edaf – have taken on the role of eFounders country ambassador. During their one-year term in this role, the ambassadors are responsible for building and strengthening the eFounders community in Thailand and raising awareness of the digital economy among local small and medium-sized entrepreneurs. 
          Commenting on his decision to take on this new challenge, Teerachart Kortrakul said: "China has emerged as one of the world's leading and largest digital economy players. Alibaba has been playing a significant role in this development so learning from the company is a priceless experience. My role is to share the knowledge I gained from Alibaba with Thai entrepreneurs and help facilitate the application of such learnings in Thailand. We must admit that digital transformation is already happening around the world. If we don't open our mind, learn and move forward, we will be left behind."
          "Thai entrepreneurs are strong and capable. When offered eye-opening experiences from the eFounders Fellowship program and opportunities to exchange ideas with a network of like-minded Asian entrepreneurs, I believe they can go further and contribute to Thailand's transition into a digital economy."

          For more information on the eFounders Fellowship, please visit https://agi.alibaba.com/efounders-fellowship and http://unctad.org/en/pages/newsdetails.aspx?OriginalVersionID=en6en5 

          For Thai-language news and updates from Alibaba Group, please visit th.alibabanews.com.

          About UNCTAD
          The eFounders Fellowship is part of a set of smart partnerships UNCTAD is creating to help countries reach the Sustainable Development Goals.

          About Alibaba Group
          Alibaba Group's mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. The company aims to build the future infrastructure of commerce. It envisions that its customers will meet, work and live at Alibaba, and that it will be a company that lasts for enAlibaba Business School2 years.