Village Connect
A new generation of Asia Pacific entrepreneurs demonstrated how sustainability, international trade and cross-cultural collaboration can come together as the 2026 FedEx/JA International Trade Challenge concluded its regional finals in Singapore.
Organized by Federal Express Corporation and Junior Achievement (JA), the competition marked its 20th anniversary this year, highlighting two decades of helping students develop practical skills in entrepreneurship, economics, business strategy and global commerce.
More than 4,000 students from Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand joined this year’s competition. From the participants, 48 students advanced to the Asia Pacific finals in Singapore.
The finalists faced a timely business challenge: develop a market-entry strategy for an innovative and sustainable product that repurposes used packaging materials while creating economic, environmental or social value in Cambodia.
To encourage international collaboration, students were paired with participants from different markets. Each two-person team had to combine different cultural perspectives, research the Cambodian market, develop a commercially viable concept and present its strategy before a panel of entrepreneurs and business leaders.
Team Ascent emerged as the champion. Indonesia’s Farra Santoso and the Republic of Korea’s Harry Jang developed a lightweight thermal shield using recycled industrial packaging. Designed for Cambodia’s hot climate, the solution could be installed in existing buildings to reduce incoming heat without electricity, potentially lowering energy costs, improving working conditions and diverting packaging waste from disposal.
Two teams finished as runners-up. Team Baksei, composed of Japan’s Masato Hirozane and Malaysia’s Sara Nileshkumar Jasani, proposed converting discarded soft-plastic packaging into durable, flood-resilient permeable tiles.
Team Ventra, featuring Philippine finalist Minette Cabaluna and Indonesia’s Rayden Cleverson Suhardi, introduced a modular cooling solution made from recycled plastic waste. Their concept aims to reduce indoor temperatures without relying on electricity.
Salil Chari, president of Asia Pacific at FedEx, said the competition has evolved over its two-decade history from introducing students to international trade into a platform for entrepreneurial thinking, cross-cultural teamwork and practical problem-solving.
The anniversary edition also expanded the learning experience. Findings from a regional survey involving more than 4,000 students across 10 Asia Pacific markets were incorporated into the program, providing insights into workplace readiness, entrepreneurship, global trade knowledge and perceptions of artificial intelligence.
Former participants also returned as mentors, speakers and judges, connecting current finalists with alumni who have experienced the program throughout its 20-year history.
Vivek Kumar, President and Chief Executive Officer of JA Asia Pacific, said the finalists demonstrated the qualities the challenge was created to develop—bold thinking, collaboration across cultures and the ability to transform classroom knowledge into practical business solutions.
The 2026 regional winners will also visit FedEx operational facilities in their respective markets and interact with company team members, giving them firsthand exposure to logistics, supply chains and international commerce.
Since its launch, the FedEx/JA International Trade Challenge has reached more than 54,000 students across Asia Pacific, helping prepare young people for an increasingly connected global economy.
Twenty years on, the competition is showing that tomorrow’s entrepreneurs are already developing solutions where commercial opportunity, sustainability and social impact can work together.
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