Scaling What Matters: How ASEAN Entrepreneurs Are Turning Impact Into Regional Opportunity

A sustainable personal care brand and a coffee enterprise improving farmers’ livelihoods are showing how ASEAN businesses can grow beyond their home markets while remaining rooted in the communities they serve.

MAGWAI, a sustainable personal care enterprise, and Real Bean Coffee, a Vietnamese coffee enterprise working to improve livelihoods for farmers, were selected by the ASEAN Foundation and SAP to participate in the ASEAN Inclusive Business Forum and MSME Summit held on 21 and 22 September 2026 in Manila, Philippines.

Both enterprises are alumni of the ASEAN Social Enterprise Development Programme (ASEAN SEDP) and participants in ASEAN SEDP Elevate, a programme designed to help social enterprises turn local impact into sustainable regional growth. Their participation in the Forum created opportunities to showcase their products, engage with investors and potential partners, and explore access to wider ASEAN markets.

Local solutions, regional ambitions
MAGWAI and Real Bean Coffee represent a growing generation of ASEAN entrepreneurs proving that business growth and social impact can move forward together.

MAGWAI is building a sustainable personal care business that encourages more responsible consumption, while Real Bean Coffee is helping create more inclusive value for coffee farmers through its enterprise model. At the ASEAN MSME Summit and Inclusive Business Forum, both enterprises introduced their products and stories to visitors from across the region.

The showcase highlighted a central goal of ASEAN SEDP Elevate: helping entrepreneurs translate solutions developed for local communities into businesses with the potential to scale across ASEAN.

“ASEAN SEDP is part of our commitment to fostering a more connected and inclusive ASEAN ecosystem where social enterprises can collaborate and access opportunities beyond their home markets,” said Dr. Piti Srisangnam, Executive Director of the ASEAN Foundation. “Through ASEAN SEDP Elevate, we continue to create pathways for social enterprises to grow and expand their impact across the region.”

Building businesses that create impact
Launched in 2026 as a continuation of the ASEAN SEDP, ASEAN SEDP Elevate connects 17 ASEAN SEDP alumni from all 10 ASEAN Member States with industry experts, mentors, investors, and strategic partners.

The programme begins with a needs assessment to identify each participating enterprise’s business challenges and growth priorities. Based on these needs, entrepreneurs receive tailored support through one of five tracks: Market Access, Investment Readiness, Social Impact, Artificial Intelligence, and Custom Support.

Participants receive one-on-one mentorship, business matchmaking opportunities with investors and strategic partners, and SAP Masterclasses focused on applying AI to practical business challenges. These include expanding market access, improving investment readiness, and strengthening social impact measurement.

For many social enterprises, the challenge is not only developing a meaningful solution. It is also building the strategy, systems, partnerships, and capabilities needed to grow that solution sustainably.

Through ASEAN SEDP Elevate, social entrepreneurs gain support to move from early-stage community impact toward stronger business models, broader customer reach, and more resilient operations.

Technology for real-world challenges
SAP’s partnership with the ASEAN Foundation brings a digital dimension to this support. As a global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, SAP leads Masterclasses that equip programme participants with practical tools and capabilities to respond to real business needs.

“At SAP, we believe meaningful digital transformation begins when people have the skills and confidence to apply technology to real-world challenges,” said Liher Urbizu, President and Managing Director of SAP Southeast Asia. “That belief is at the heart of our partnership with the ASEAN Foundation through ASEAN SEDP Elevate. We are not simply providing access to AI tools; we are investing in the entrepreneurs and innovators who are driving positive change in their communities.”

By strengthening digital and AI capabilities, the programme aims to help social enterprises make better decisions, identify market opportunities, communicate impact more clearly, and prepare for long-term growth.

“By equipping social enterprises with practical digital and AI capabilities, we are helping build a more resilient, inclusive, and future-ready economy across Southeast Asia,” Urbizu added.

A track record of inclusive growth
ASEAN SEDP Elevate builds on the four-year track record of ASEAN SEDP, which has supported 401 social entrepreneurs from 100 social enterprises across the 10 ASEAN Member States.

Collectively, these enterprises have reached 6,241,157 people through their products, services, and community-based solutions.

The programme has also helped advance a more inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystem:

• 83% of participating enterprises are led by women
• 17 participating enterprises employ persons with disabilities
• Seven enterprises are led by persons with disabilities
• More than 65% of alumni say the programme strengthened their strategic leadership
• More than half of alumni report revenue and profit growth ranging from 5% to 194%

These results reflect the potential of social entrepreneurship to generate economic value while responding to issues that directly affect people’s daily lives, from livelihood and environmental sustainability to access, inclusion, and community development.

MAGWAI’s next chapter
For MAGWAI, participation in ASEAN SEDP Elevate and the ASEAN Inclusive Business Forum is an opportunity to build on the lessons gained through mentorship and new business connections.

“ASEAN SEDP Elevate has strengthened our strategy for growth through valuable mentorship and new connections,” said Czarina Carbonel, Co-Founder and CEO of MAGWAI. “We hope to build on these lessons to expand our reach, deepen our impact, and create lasting value for the communities we serve.”

The enterprise’s journey reflects what the programme is designed to enable: helping entrepreneurs maintain the purpose at the heart of their business while developing the capabilities to scale responsibly.

For MAGWAI and Real Bean Coffee, growth is not simply about selling more products. It is about creating more opportunities for consumers to make sustainable choices, for farmers to access better livelihoods, and for communities to benefit from businesses that put impact at the centre of their work.

A regional platform for social enterprises
As ASEAN Chair for 2026, the Philippines hosted the ASEAN Inclusive Business Forum as a platform to strengthen connections among social enterprises, governments, businesses, investors, and ecosystem partners across the region.

The Forum provided a direct space for enterprises such as MAGWAI and Real Bean Coffee to demonstrate that inclusive business models can be commercially viable, community-driven, and ready for regional opportunity.

“As the ASEAN Chair for 2026, the Philippines is proud to once again welcome ASEAN’s social enterprise community,” said Department of Trade and Industry–Bureau of SME Development OIC Director Faye L. Solina.

“Social enterprises and MSMEs are the backbone of our economy, and they are the ones that grow our communities and uplift Filipino families. Hosting them from across the region at the ASEAN Inclusive Business Forum gives our government, businesses, and investors a direct window into the innovative, community-driven solutions being developed throughout Southeast Asia.”

In line with the Philippines’ Bagong Pilipinas agenda, Solina said the Department of Trade and Industry remains committed to supporting platforms that help social entrepreneurs access new markets, partnerships, and investment.