Mekong - U.S. Partnership
On June 11-13, TIGERS@Mekong will mobilize different entrepreneurship organizations (accelerators, investors, universities, training programs and others) from each LMI country to the Mekong Ecosystem Summit. The Summit will drive new region-wide startup activities and encourage connectivity within the Lower Mekong region. The Summit will also engage a range of partners, including government and the private sector, in collective efforts to understand the needs of and build the Mekong entrepreneurship ecosystem.
In recognition of the Mekong sub-region’s potential as a source of innovation and in an effort to boost competiveness and growth in the sub-region, the U.S. Department of State launched the Mekong Technology Innovation Generation and Entrepreneurship Resources (TIGERS@Mekong) at the East Asia Summit in 2012 as the signature project under the Connect Mekong framework. TIGERS@Mekong is a public-private alliance platform aimed at enhancing and deepening the startup and innovation ecosystems of targeted Mekong economies by supporting young innovators and entrepreneurs. Connect Mekong increases investment opportunities in the region, particularly in the areas of infrastructure, entrepreneurship, and trade. TIGERS@Mekong leverages U.S. expertise in fostering entrepreneurship and deploys strategic partnerships between U.S. and Mekong private sectors to strengthen the Mekong sub-region’s startup and innovation ecosystem; promote and facilitate connectivity in the region; and foster innovative business models in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
