OCT 22 · 2026 · VENTURE X · PHNOM PENH
Still building.
Rithy Thul
VENTURE X · RITHY THUL
Still building.
Beyond the startup illusion.
THE STORY WE BUY
Pitch decks.
Funding rounds.
Instant glory.
THE REAL STORY
Doubts.
Broken plans.
Showing up anyway.
WHERE IT STARTED
2011
A dream to build community.
THE EARLY DAYS
No roadmap.
Curiosity. And a shared table.
PHNOM PENH · SINCE 2011
smallworld
A grassroots startup builder.
We turn conviction into companies.
ONE OF OUR COMPANIES
KOOMPI
Tech made in Cambodia.
Open-source OS. School labs. Local infrastructure.
HOW THEY CONNECT
smallworld
grows the people.
The people run KOOMPI.
Students join as apprentices, take on more,
and end up running the company.
HARDWARE AND REALITY
63
School labs across Cambodia. No playbook.
THE HUMAN PART
You carry the weight.
The payroll. The self-doubt.
Long before anyone calls it success.
ENDURANCE
Survival over speed.
Most ventures don’t fail for lack of brilliance.
They run out of breath in the middle.
THE GOLDEN RULE
Stay in the game long enough for your work to matter.
VENTURE X · RITHY THUL
Still building.
Thank you.