SAAMBAT Digital Agriculture Accelerator is a local agri-tech accelerator supporting agri-tech entrepreneurs to strengthen their Minimum Viable Product (MVP), gain customer validation, and accelerate their path to viability through a technology-oriented designed curriculum. It is an equity-free 6-month  program for early-stage agri-tech startups.

The program will assist the startups from shaping the business model stage to the product launching stage on the demo day.

The SAAMBAT Digital Agriculture Accelerator is open to startups, corporates, NGOs, associations, or autonomous government agencies (except Government administrative departments) that are passionate about improving the lives of smallholder farmers and rural unemployed/underemployed youth by using software technology to modernize and improve efficiency in agricultural value chains: agriculture, production, distribution/retail, learning/sharing, and so on.

2 types of digital innovation initiatives that are eligible for the program:

• New innovative product or service: a project in which a new value proposition is developed and launched. This may include startups or innovation arms of corporates or Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) or autonomous government agencies, which are at the prototype or early-operation stage.
• Expansion into a new market(s): a project which launches an existing product or service into the new market(s). The project must focus on the further development of the proof-of-concept solution or scaling proven solutions and approaches.

To be eligible for funding and to join the Accelerator program, the applicant must meet the following criteria:

1. Is based in Cambodia
2. Have at least 1 team member with qualifications and experience either in digital technology or in the development of the rural economy; Registered business is not compulsory at the application stage, but they will be required to register a company during the program commencement.
3. Propose to develop a digital application linked to Khmer Agriculture Suite (KAS) that can be used for an economic purpose in rural Cambodia (applications for purely social or recreational purposes are not eligible)
4. Demonstrate that there is no equivalent application with the same functionalities, already available for use in rural Cambodia
5. Demonstrate how the application can become self-financed and sustainable
6. Must co-finance in cash or resources of at least 25% of the grant amount requested
7. Have an adequate financial management system to report to Impact Hub Phnom Penh