SEA Bridge is the Entrepreneurial & Tech Hub of Thailand under SCOPE Trade, a five-year EU-funded project implemented by ITC, the joint agency of the WTO and UN.
Last updated: 22 September 2026
Under a five-year project funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Trade Centre, SEA Bridge serves as Thailand's hub for preparing tech startups to grow into regional, European and international markets.
Formalized: Letter of Intent between SEA Bridge and the SCOPE Trade project, countersigned 24 June 2026
Bangkok, September 2026. SEA Bridge (Really Corporation Co., Ltd.) is the Entrepreneurial & Tech Hub of Thailand under SCOPE Trade, the trade project of the EU–ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package. SCOPE Trade is funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC), the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations, in partnership with the ASEAN Secretariat.
As Thailand's hub, SEA Bridge is ITC's partner in the country for preparing tech startups to expand across ASEAN and into Europe. That means assessing their readiness, coaching them with ITC's methodology, and connecting them to the project's regional and European opportunities. SEA Bridge works alongside counterpart hubs across ASEAN, with the Thai side coordinated by the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (OSMEP).
About the program
The EU–ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package (SCOPE)
The European Union adopted SCOPE in April 2023 to strengthen sustainable connectivity between the EU and ASEAN, and within ASEAN itself. The package carries a total EU commitment of €60 million across projects in trade, intellectual property, air and maritime transport, digital connectivity, energy, investment and higher education. SCOPE is part of Global Gateway, the EU's strategy for smart, clean and secure connections worldwide in areas such as digital, climate and energy, transport, health, education and research.
22 June 2026, Manila, Philippines – Trinh Thi Huong, Deputy Director-General of the Agency of Private Enterprise and Cooperative Development, Ministry of Finance of Viet Nam, said stronger regional partnerships are essential to help ASEAN startups overcome barriers to international expansion. She is the incoming chair of the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
SCOPE Trade
SCOPE Trade is the package's trade project. It is a five-year project funded by the EU and implemented by ITC in partnership with the ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN sectoral bodies and ASEAN Member States. It works on three pillars of economic connectivity, within ASEAN and between ASEAN and the EU:
Trade policy environment: improved policies and regulation for fair and sustainable markets, trade and investment in ASEAN
Digital connectivity: improved ASEAN capacity for digital connectivity, with a focus on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs)
Sustainable value chains: greater knowledge and capacity for environmental, economic and social sustainability among ASEAN institutions and the private sector
Recent SCOPE Trade activity across the region includes:
Cross-border e-commerce report: A report developed with the ASEAN Secretariat on the barriers small businesses face in cross-border e-commerce. More than 100 reviewers from government, business organizations, online marketplaces, technology companies and service providers validated its findings, and business support organizations are now being helped to put its recommendations into practice.
Standards harmonization: Regional work in June 2026 on harmonizing ASEAN standards and technical regulations, which remain a key non-tariff barrier to trade.
DEFA webinar: A July 2026 awareness webinar with the ASEAN Secretariat on the expected benefits of the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), attended by close to 300 participants.
Sustainable Trade Webinar Series: Run with the ASEAN Secretariat with the support of ACCMSME, it helps policymakers and business support organizations help small businesses meet evolving sustainability requirements.
Hubs and startups: The entrepreneurial and tech hub network and the ASEAN tech startup program, described below.
The startup work reflects a point made by the ACCMSME Chair on International MSME Day 2026. Entrepreneurs need more than access to markets and finance; they also need strong support systems to guide them through each stage of growth and internationalization. The hub network is designed to provide that support in every participating Member State.
22 June 2026, Manila, Philippines – Undersecretary Blesila Lantayona of the Regional Operations Group, Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines, highlighted the country's commitment to advancing ASEAN connectivity so that entrepreneurship support organizations can create more cross-border opportunities for startups.
The partners
European Union: funds SCOPE Trade as part of the EU–ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package.
International Trade Centre (ITC): implements the project. Established in 1964 and headquartered in Geneva, ITC is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. It is the only development agency dedicated entirely to helping small and medium-sized enterprises internationalize.
ASEAN Secretariat: ITC's implementing partner, coordinating with ASEAN sectoral bodies and the 11 ASEAN Member States.
ACCMSME: the ASEAN body for small-business development. It is made up of the MSME development agencies of all ASEAN Member States, meets twice a year, and reports to ASEAN's senior economic officials under the mandate of the ASEAN Economic Ministers. Hub and startup selections under the project are validated through ACCMSME.
Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (OSMEP): Thailand's government agency for SME policy and its representative on ACCMSME. OSMEP coordinates the Thai side of the project with SEA Bridge.
SEA Bridge Founder Mr. Kasper-Tanakrit Sermsuksan presented during the workshop
How Thailand's hub was selected
Application and interview. Organizations across ASEAN applied to ITC to serve as their country's entrepreneurial and tech hub, followed by an interview.
Pre-selection. On 10 April 2026, ITC named one pre-selected hub for each participating ASEAN Member State. SEA Bridge was named for Thailand.
Validation. Pre-selection was subject to validation by ACCMSME, in which Thailand is represented by OSMEP.
Letter of Intent. SEA Bridge and the SCOPE Trade project formalized the hub role in a Letter of Intent. SEA Bridge signed on 17 June 2026, and Ms. Marie-Claude Frauenrath, Senior Project Manager of SCOPE Trade, countersigned on 24 June 2026.
What the hub does
Under the Letter of Intent, SEA Bridge commits to:
serve as the project's focal point in Thailand, with a designated lead and alternate
organize capacity building for Thai startups using ITC's #FastTrackTech methodology
apply ITC's monitoring and evaluation methodology to that work
take part in ITC missions in the region, training sessions and other project activities
In return, the hub receives:
training and coaching to strengthen its services to startups
diagnostics and coaching sessions in areas such as digital marketing, finance and certification
online courses through the ITC SME Trade Academy
participation in the project's international activities
#FastTrackTech gives the hubs three core tools:
360 Diagnostics: a structured assessment of a startup's maturity and readiness to go international
Pitch Perfect: a half-day training to build a pitch ready for international investors
Going International: a seven-step method for designing an internationalization roadmap
Access to ITC's 360 Diagnostics platform is restricted to ITC experts and to local coaches approved with ITC's partner hubs and trained through its Training of Trainers model. SEA Bridge conducts the 360 Diagnostics assessments for Thailand.
The ASEAN hub network
SEA Bridge serves alongside the following hubs, pre-selected by ITC for their respective Member States:
Brunei Darussalam:Brunei Economic Development Board, the government statutory body for economic growth, diversification and enterprise support
Cambodia:Impact Hub Phnom Penh, a social venture builder and entrepreneur community since 2015
Indonesia:KUMPUL (PT Ruang Kreasi Berdaya), an innovation and ecosystem enabler working across Indonesia
Malaysia:Cradle Fund, Malaysia's focal agency for its startup ecosystem and manager of the Startup ASEAN Platform
Philippines:QBO Innovation Hub, the country's first public-private initiative for startups
Singapore:Reactor School, an entrepreneurship education and student startup incubation provider
Vietnam:InnoEx, an annual innovation and business-growth platform based in Ho Chi Minh City
The representatives from ASEAN hubs and ITC team posted with the ASEAN handshake
Timeline
Completed
10 April 2026: ITC pre-selects SEA Bridge as the Entrepreneurial & Tech Hub of Thailand, subject to ACCMSME validation.
22–26 June 2026, Manila: ITC convenes the hubs for a Training of Trainers workshop ahead of International MSME Day on 27 June. The week covers:
training on 360 Diagnostics, Pitch Perfect and Going International
practice sessions with ten local startups
visits to AIM-Dado Banatao Incubator, BrainSparks and QBO Innovation Hub
onboarding of the hubs onto Cradle's Startup ASEAN Platform
24 June 2026: The Letter of Intent is countersigned by the SCOPE Trade project.
July 2026: The hubs review ITC's draft call for applications for ASEAN tech startups. SEA Bridge proposes criteria on readiness to scale in Europe.
13 July – 2 August 2026: The call for applications is open to tech startups across ASEAN.
August 2026: ITC screens applications for basic eligibility. SEA Bridge reviews the Thai shortlist and recommends which startups proceed to interview.
1 September 2026: SEA Bridge conducts 360 Diagnostics interviews with shortlisted Thai startups and records the assessments on ITC's platform. OSMEP coordinates the Thai side.
Upcoming (planned by ITC; dates may change)
September–October 2026: ITC finalizes the startup cohort and opens a call for confirmed startups to apply for places at the B2B events.
October 2026:
an online onboarding session for startups, hubs and ITC
work on an ASEAN tech startup directory
SEA Bridge delivers ITC's half-day Pitch Perfect training for the Thai cohort
9–12 November 2026: Web Summit, Lisbon, Portugal
18–19 November 2026: Slush, Helsinki, Finland
2027 onward: Further cycles of hub and startup activities
Through May 2029: SEA Bridge serves as the Entrepreneurial & Tech Hub of Thailand, with participation reviewed annually.
What this means for Thai startups
Under the 2026 call for applications, ITC set out to select up to 10 tech startups from each ASEAN Member State. Selected startups receive:
tailored business coaching and mentorship, including Pitch Perfect and internationalization support
access to ASEAN and EU startup networks and potential partners
market exposure across ASEAN and the EU, including opportunities to join international tech and B2B events on a cost-sharing basis
strategic support to strengthen business growth and scalability
To be eligible, a startup must:
use digital technology as a core enabler
be a for-profit business
be operating and generating sales
be legally established in an ASEAN Member State
Women-led businesses are strongly encouraged to apply.
ITC assesses the applications. Shortlisted applicants then complete a 360 Diagnostics interview with their national hub, which in Thailand is SEA Bridge. ITC makes the final selection, which is validated by ACCMSME. For 2026, the project is preparing a limited number of places for startups at Web Summit and Slush, where selected ASEAN startups meet potential investors and strategic partners in Europe.
A founder's perspective
"Being Thailand's hub is a responsibility before it is a title. What worked on our Nordic mission with the Royal Thai Embassies in Stockholm and Copenhagen was the sequencing: connect the ecosystem builders on both sides first, then move the companies, prepared against what the other side actually needs. That is the discipline we want to bring to SCOPE Trade for Thai startups." Kasper-Tanakrit Sermsuksan, Founder & CEO, SEA Bridge
For Thai tech startups: If you are preparing to expand across ASEAN or into Europe, register your interest in future SCOPE Trade cycles and SEA Bridge hub activities at team@seabridge.space.
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