Recap of
The 2025 Grass Roots Investment Forum
Navigating Growth in Indonesia and Beyond
This panel explored how grassroots entrepreneurship can drive inclusive and sustainable growth across ASEAN and the Global South. Speakers shared real-world insights and strategies on unlocking grassroots potential through policy, innovation, and collaboration.
Making Capital Work for the Grassroots Economy
This panel discussed how to unlock and direct capital toward the grassroots economy in ways that are sustainable, inclusive, and scalable. What will it take for banks, philanthropic actors, and private investors to move beyond traditional risk metrics and engage with community-level innovation?
Stronger Together: Shaping A More Inclusive Economy with Women Leadership
This panel delved into why women’s leadership matters in shaping the future of ASEAN and the Global South. What systemic changes are needed to unlock women’s full potential in driving innovation, equity, and long-term growth? How can institutions, from development banks to local governments, take bolder action to embed inclusion at the core of their strategies?
To Reform or to Deform: Reshaping Entrepreneurial Policy and Partnership for Inclusive Growth
This panel highlighted how reshaping entrepreneurial policies and fostering innovative public–private partnerships can create more inclusive, sustainable growth. It examined how governments, investors, and ecosystem builders can work together to create frameworks and mechanisms that truly support local innovation, MSME resilience, and equitable economic participation.
How Gender-Lens Investing is Reshaping ASEAN’s Economy
This panel discussed the growing momentum of gender-lens investing in Southeast Asia and beyond as a strategic approach to bridge funding gaps for women-led businesses, promote inclusive economic growth, and unlock financial returns.
From Innovation to Impact: Scaling Change Through Tech & AI
This panel examined both the promise and perils of AI and tech as change drivers for social good. From reducing inequality to enabling grassroots innovation, how can we scale digital solutions responsibly and equitably? What safeguards must be in place to avoid exacerbating exclusion? And what partnerships can accelerate meaningful adoption of technology for the communities furthest behind?
The Purpose of Growth: Balancing Scales with Quality
This roundtable explored how companies can grow responsibly, ensuring that their expansion strategies reflect broader sustainability and inclusion goals. From reducing greenhouse gas emissions to improving gender equity at the leadership level, responsible growth demands a holistic lens.
Reskilling for the Intelligent Age
This session discussed how we can drive equitable, human-centered reskilling across sectors. Speakers highlighted which skills are most in demand, how to design reskilling programs that reach the most vulnerable workers, and how to motivate continuous learning through strong leadership. The roundtable also examined how companies can measure success and ensure that innovation enhances, rather than excludes, human potential.
Empowering Communities Brick by Brick
This roundtable delved into how organizations can support community empowerment into their core strategies, from encouraging entrepreneurship among underserved populations to scalable, tech-enabled service delivery, to sport as a means of empowerment. The session explored what role partnerships, ethical frameworks, and inclusive infrastructure play in creating solutions that respond to real, on-the-ground challenges
Promoting Entrepreneurial Society – Perspectives from Academia
This roundtable discussed how academic institutions and scholars can advance the concept of an entrepreneurial society—one that is multi-disciplinary, cross-sectoral, community-driven, and built on collaborative action. In the face of global challenges such as climate change, pandemic, rural marginalization, and development inequality, we ask: How can the academic world contribute not just knowledge, but actionable frameworks for inclusive innovation and local empowerment?
Breaking Poverty Cycle Through Digital & Entrepreneurial Skills
This discussion centered on overcoming infrastructure and inclusion barriers while enhancing grassroots resilience through technology, policy, and collaboration. This panel brought together development finance, microfinance, and tech implementation experts to unpack real-world innovations, structural roadblocks, and bold strategies to accelerate digital and entrepreneurial inclusion for those at the bottom of the pyramid.
The Arc of Progress in Startups
This discussion explored how startups in ASEAN can embed sustainability and inclusion into their business models from the outset, and why doing so could be a long-term competitive advantage. Panelists discussed how large digital platforms, investors, and regulators can align to foster an ecosystem where profitability and purpose go hand in hand.
Social Innovation in Action: Can AI help us achieve the SDGs?
This discussion highlighted how targeted Gender Lense Investing (GLI) strategies can drive gender equality, with the potential to boost ASEAN’s GDP by $370 billion annually, and how financial institutions can benefit, as gender-balanced teams are linked to up to 20% higher returns