NEW-API founders (from left) Tanya, Yap, Fong and Goon.
BEING among a chosen few participants of a global programme, Malaysia’s Krista Goon has set out to share her newfound connections with other women in the region.
Goon was among 23 people from eight countries who were selected to join the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) programme.
Held in the US, IPEF saw participants from Asean countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Funded by the US Department of State’s bureau of educational and cultural affairs, the programme aimed to promote collaboration, innovation and economic prosperity across the Indo-Pacific region.
Goon then teamed up with Sharyne Fong of Fiji, Tanya Raj of India and Mona Celine Marie Villas Yap of the Philippines to set up the Network for Entrepreneur Women Associations in Asean-Pacific-India (NEW-API).
This alliance aims to empower women-led organisations in entrepreneurship across the region, reported state publisher Buletin Mutiara.
Goon co-owns Redbox Studio in Penang and co-founded WomenBizSENSE with Datin Josephine Yoong.
A podcaster since 2020 with her show Womenpreneur Asia, Goon expressed her enthusiasm for the programme’s goals and its positive impact on participants.
“We learned about trade, business and investment opportunities and to encourage partnerships that can foster economic prosperity between the US and our region,” she shared in an interview.
Through NEW-API, the four women hope to offer opportunities for knowledge sharing, network building and business growth.
Each founding member brings unique expertise to the network.
Fong is a business consultant and managing director of Insight Business Advisory Pte Ltd in Fiji.
Tanya is the founder and chief executive officer of Ficuslot & Eduratnam Innovation Pte Ltd, a technology firm in India.
Yap leads the Quezon City Small Business Cooperatives Development and Promotions Office in the Philippines.
“We realised we could accomplish so much together, even as friendly competitors within the region.
“We aim to support each other in growing our business,” Goon elaborated.
She added that NEW-API would invite women’s organisations across the region to join.
The IPEF, launched in 2022 with 13 partner nations, focuses on opportunities related to a fair, clean, connected and resilient economy.
Each participant country had three representatives.
The exception was Fiji which had two.
Besides Goon, the Malaysian delegation included Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) senior principal assistant director Wong Wai Khuen as well as Institute of Strategic & International Studies (Isis) researcher Chong Zhi Zheng.
The programme began in Washington, DC where participants met with US Department of Commerce representatives.
They also met with National Security Council international economics director Mikaela Rear.
This visit was followed by a stop at the US-Asean Business Council, which is marking its 40th anniversary this year.
The council, a non-profit organisation, conducts research and analysis of economic, environmental, financial, political and social conditions of the 10 Asean member countries.
The group also met with Department of State officials and directors of the Wilson Centre, which in 2019 was named the number one regional studies think tank in the world.
Later, the participants were split into three groups that visited different locations.
Goon and her group travelled to Atlanta in Georgia while the other groups went to Columbus in Ohio and Phoenix in Arizona. They later reconvened in Seattle, Washington.
In Atlanta, Goon’s group engaged with local government officials, entrepreneurs and community members.
Doing so allowed them to gain insights into grassroots initiatives.
In Seattle, they met with local business people to foster trade and investment opportunities.
Goon observed the strength of public-private partnerships in the US, where corporate entities often extend support to communities and business centres.
When they visited the Russell Innovation Centre for Entrepreneurs (Rice), she learned how local black-owned businesses were supported and nurtured through various programmes.
Atlanta, home to Georgia Tech, one of the nation’s top universities, impressed Goon with its robust ecosystem.
She saw corporations, universities, government and communities combining their efforts to bring investment and business opportunities into the city.
In Seattle, participants visited the headquarters of Amazon and Microsoft.
There, they had discussions with Humanly chief executive officer Prem Kumar about ethics in artificial intelligence (AI).
They also had the opportunity to meet Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, a former astronaut who was among the crew of STS-131 to the International Space Station in 2010.
“Meeting her was quite inspiring because we had mostly been engaging with business leaders,” Goon shared.
“From young, Metcalf-Lindenburger had dreamed of becoming an astronaut but at one point, she detoured and became a teacher instead.
“Then, she applied to the astronaut programme, was accepted and went on to achieve her dream.
“No matter what you are, if you have the determination and are persistent, you can get there,” said Goon.
Goon has similar hopes for NEW-API. She sees vast potential for women entrepreneurs in the region.
