Startup hub: Factory Phnom Penh

Factory Phnom Penh is a vibrant and innovative creative hub located in the heart of Cambodia’s capital city. It is a dynamic space that brings together entrepreneurs, artists, designers, and creators from various fields to collaborate and showcase their talents.

If you’re a digital nomad, a tech startup founder, or freelancer, looking for a workspace where you can also connect with others essential. While the concept of co-working spaces in Cambodia’s Phnom Penh has been around for some years, finding a few of the best isn’t easy. In this blog post, I’m going to share with you about Factory Phnom Penh, the city’s largest co-working space or hub of tech startups in Cambodia.

Once a 3.4-hectare garment factory complex, this Factory Phnom Penh houses about 60 startups building the digital economy of the future. A lot of big and small tech and creative events happen here.

Pros:

– Unite most of Phnom Penh’s startups in one large community

Cons:

– Not in the heart of Phnom Penh city

Address: 1159 NR2, Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh’s tech startup co-working spaces

Shared offices or co-working spaces are the best workplaces or hubs for tech geeks and emerging entrepreneurs to work and collaborate. They’re very popular in cities around the world, including in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

In Cambodia’s largest city alone, there are many co-working spaces tailored for tech startup people and digital nomads. In addition to providing collaborative workspaces, the most sought-after coworking spaces are the ones where people can get their work done: productivity. To meet this need, tech hubs like Emerald Hub (permanently closed), TekHub, ImpactHub, Trybe, and AngkorHub (Siem Reap) strive to offer fast fiber optic Internet connections.

Also: [The Best Internet Providers in Cambodia: Guide](https://cambopedia.com/internet-providers-cambodia/)

ImpactHub Phnom Penh

Is one of the most popular coworking spaces in Boeng Keng Kang 3. Not just an ordinary shared workplace, [ImpactHub](https://phnompenh.impacthub.net) has a lot to offer to startup people with events and programs that connect and foster entrepreneurship. Always a full house, the ImpactHub has high speed fiber Internet connection for the hub people. ImpactHubbers (as they call themselves) can focus on their work and productivity, not the Internet speed.

Factory Phnom Penh

[Factory Phnom Penh](http://www.factoryphnompenh.com/) is the newest, largest co-working space that’s not in the heart of Phnom Penh. Location: 1159 National Road 2, Khan Mean Chey, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

SmallWorld Cambodia

A shared workspace for early startups and freelancers in Toul Kork district. Co-founded by eccentric Cambodian Rithy Thul, SmallWorld helps grow and nurture a number successful startups in Phnom Penh. Teams like Codingate and Chenla Media spent their early years bootstrapping in this not yet crowded district before heading out for a new place.

TekHub

Located in The Asia Foundation office, TekHub is a sister coworking space of ImpactHub. One of the permanent tenants is Codingate, headed by Sopheak Monkol, a Cambodian entrepreneur named recently in Forbes magazine in 30 Under 30 2017.

Trybe

Trybe is the latest coworking space. Also a maker-space, Trybe is located just opposite the French Institute Of Cambodia. It sets itself apart from Emerald Hub, ImpactHub, and TekHub for it’s a place where people make things (hardware like 3D printing and Arduino programming). ARC Hub PNH and System Experts are the permanent tenants at Trybe.

Sok Leap of System Experts, a technology consulting company, told me that “A modern coworking space has a lot to offer to startups. A hub for co-working, networking, and building things that matter. Fast and stable Internet is an integral part of the makerspace like Trybe.” Currently, System Experts manages the WiFi system for the whole Trybe, which uses Fiber Pro 50Mbps connection.

Emerald Hub

A large space on the 11th floor of Phnom Penh International University (PPIU), this first Emerald Hub offers private rooms for established businesses as well as desks for freelancers and startup teams. One of Cambodia’s successful startup BookMeBus has its own private room there. The Emerald Hub has its second location in Beng Keng Kang 3, too.

AngkorHUB

In Siem Reap, a tourist town popular for Angkor Wat, [AngkorHub](https://angkorhub.com/) is more than just a coworking. Well, it’s also co-living place. While most places mentioned in this blog post are shared offices, AngkorHub is the only place that also offers accommodation in addition to the collaborative working environment.

BioLAB Coffee & Office

According to PlacesToWork.net, there are at least 15 best coworking spaces/cafes in Siem Reap. [BioLab Coffee & Office](https://www.biolabcafe.com/) is on top on the list. Located on Wat Bo Road, it’s a nicely designed coffee shop and shared office in one. Eat, work, study, and relax all in the BioLab Coffee & Shop?

More Co-Working Places You Should Know

– [Regus co-working space in Phnom Penh](https://www.regus.com.kh/)
– [The Desk](http://thedeskcambodia.com/)
– [Outpost Cambodia](https://www.thegreenpenthouse.com/)

What makes Phnom Penh a smart city? And what makes you a smart commuter and traveler? While Phnom Penh doesn’t have to be Asia’s Silicon Valley, local entrepreneurs can look for inspiration from there, where startups want to change the world, the way we travel and commute to work.

When Cambodian startup founders want to create new technology-driven solutions, they start with a strong focus on the daily challenges facing the very ordinary people. It’s a really good start. And a space and community like the Factory Phnom Penh for a lot of Cambodian startups and founders hang out together is a good sign.

The technology startup community in the Cambodian capital city has been growing remarkably in the past five years. One thing to note is the growing number of co-working spaces. In Phnom Penh alone, there are almost ten venues dedicated to those who start to execute their ideas. It’s as if the future of shared space is here to stay.