Helping Small Businesses in Southeast Asia Tap into AI: ASEAN Foundation and AVPN Introduce Local Partners for AIM ASEAN Programme

SINGAPORE, Oct. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Small businesses are the backbone of Southeast Asia's economy. But in today's fast-changing digital landscape, many Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) risk being left behind, especially when it comes to using AI to grow their business.

To address this gap, the ASEAN Foundation, working in partnership with AVPN through the AI Opportunity Fund: Asia Pacific, with support from Google.org and Asian Development Bank (ADB), is proud to introduce 9 local organisations that will roll out the AI for MSME Advancement in ASEAN (AIM ASEAN) programme on the ground across Southeast Asia: Big BWN Project (Brunei Darussalam), Kenan Foundation Asia (Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia), KUMPUL Impact and Kaizen Collaborative Impact (Indonesia), XM Technovator (XMT) (Lao PDR), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS – ASEAN Student Association (Malaysia), SMEHub Asia (Myanmar), Limitless Lab (The Philippines), Project Asia Data (Singapore).

These local partners will help train 100,000 MSMEs across the region by developing or adapting learning materials that reflect the real-world challenges and goals of business owners. The training sessions will focus on hands-on, practical uses of AI, such as streamlining operations, boosting online sales, or managing finances more effectively, helping MSMEs tap into AI technology that can make a real difference to their day-to-day work.

What is AIM ASEAN?

AIM ASEAN is a two-year initiative led by the ASEAN Foundation, in partnership with AVPN through the AI Opportunity Fund: Asia-Pacific Phase 2. The programme plays a critical role in reaching 100,000 MSMEs in all ten ASEAN Member States.

Through practical, localised AI training, AIM ASEAN will help small business owners use AI tools to improve their operations, grow their markets, and build resilience. Beyond the training, the programme will also bring together policymakers and experts through national and regional convenings, building a stronger, more supportive ecosystem for MSMEs to thrive in the AI era.

"We are proud to partner with AVPN, with support from Google.org and ADB, to announce and work alongside these outstanding local organisations," said Dr. Piti Srisangnam, Executive Director of the ASEAN Foundation. "The AIM ASEAN programme represents a critical step toward equipping MSMEs with the tools and knowledge they need to thrive in the digital era. It aligns closely with the aspirations of ASEAN Vision 2045, particularly in fostering a resilient and inclusive digital economy. By helping MSMEs across the region understand and use AI in practical, everyday ways, we're investing in the long-term strength and sustainability of Southeast Asia's economy."

AIM ASEAN has also received official endorsement from the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on MSMEs (ACCMSME), marking it as an official ASEAN initiative to support small business growth. This endorsement confirms the programme's strong alignment with ASEAN's ongoing efforts to help MSMEs adapt to digital change and stay competitive.

By helping business owners learn how to use AI in practical ways, AIM ASEAN supports the long-term economic vision laid out in ASEAN Vision 2045, which calls for a stronger, more connected, and inclusive regional economy.

"Building an AI-ready workforce is no longer a 'nice-to-have', it's a shared social mandate that governments, businesses, and impact organisations must act on together," said Naina Subberwal Batra, CEO at AVPN. "Through the AI Opportunity Fund, AVPN is working with local impact partners who bring deep community insights and sector knowledge to ensure AI upskilling is both relevant and scalable. By strengthening these on-the-ground efforts, we aim to catalyse a digital transition that ensures all workers can benefit as Southeast Asia moves towards an AI-enabled economy."

To ensure the training is relevant and practical, the ASEAN Foundation will work closely with these local implementing partners in each ASEAN Member State to deliver customised AI training tailored to the unique needs of MSME business owners. These partners will adapt and enrich the curriculum, leveraging Google's suite of AI tools, to meet the demands of diverse sectors such as retail, agriculture, manufacturing, and services.

Each training module will be delivered through a hybrid approach, combining in-person workshops, online learning platforms, and peer-to-peer support networks. The sessions will focus on real-world applications of AI, with key areas including AI-powered marketing, smarter e-commerce strategies, and tools for managing finances more efficiently.

About the ASEAN Foundation

Three decades after ASEAN was established, ASEAN leaders recognised that there remained inadequate shared prosperity, ASEAN awareness, and contact among people of ASEAN. It was out of this concern that ASEAN leaders established the ASEAN Foundation during ASEAN's 30^th Anniversary Commemorative Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 15 December 1997.

The ASEAN Foundation is an organization by and for the people of ASEAN. The Foundation exists because of one vision: to build a cohesive and prosperous ASEAN Community. As an ASEAN body, the Foundation is tasked to support ASEAN mainly in promoting awareness, identity, interaction, and development of the people of ASEAN. For more info about the ASEAN Foundation, visit www.aseanfoundation.org.

About AVPN

AVPN is the largest network of social investors in Asia, comprising over 700 funders and resource providers across 43 markets. Our mission is to increase the flow and effectiveness of financial, human, and intellectual capital in Asia by enabling members to channel resources towards impact. As an ecosystem builder, AVPN enables its members to connect, learn, act, and lead across key pillars and improve the effectiveness of deployed capital, bringing local field needs, regional expertise, and policy insights to the forefront. For more information about AVPN and our work, please visit our website and read our latest Annual Review 2023/24.

SOURCE AVPN; ASEAN Foundation