NIC and Google Launch Google for Startups Accelerator, Southeast Asia: Vietnam Breakthrough Innovation

12:11, 05/01/2024

Google cooperates with the National Innovation Center and the US Diplomatic Mission to Vietnam to launch the 'Google for Startups Accelerator, Southeast Asia: Vietnam's Innovation Breakthrough' program to promote the development of startups. Vietnamese tech startups

• Intensive training course for 20 technology startups (startups) and large-scale training seminars for 200 startups
• Incorporating 'Generative-AI' into training programs for enterprises' key workforce
• Focus on training six key areas in Vietnam: Education, Health, Agriculture, Retail, Financial Technology and Smart Cities

Hanoi, July 11, 2023, After the success of the program 'Google For Google for Startups: Startup Academy Vietnam' in 2022, today, Google continues to cooperate with the National Innovation Center (NIC) under the Ministry of Planning & Investment, Phai The US Diplomatic Corps in Vietnam introduced the program 'Google for Startups Accelerator, Southeast Asia: Vietnam's breakthrough in innovation'; Google's flagship program for startups in Southeast Asia. The program aims to strengthen support for the national digital transformation by providing training programs and an in-depth mentoring network for Vietnamese startups aiming to accelerate business development.

Follow Southeast Asia Digital Economy Report 2022Vietnam is emerging as the start-up hub of Southeast Asia as the nation's Internet economy is predicted to reach $50 billion by 2025 (the fastest growing region in the region). In addition, Vietnam currently has four tech unicorn companies (as of 2023) and more than 3,400 startups[1] with a human resource rich in expertise and capable of developing advanced technology products and solutions.

This year's program builds on the success of the 'Google for Startup: Startup Academy Vietnam' program, which was launched and deployed for the first time in Vietnam in 2022 for 50 startups from 16 different key fields around the world. country. This year, the program will train six main occupations instead of 16 like last year, in order to ensure an in-depth focus and match the core development areas of the country: Education, Health, Agriculture. Industry, Retail, Fintech and Smart Cities.

'Google for Startups Accelerator, Southeast Asia' is a three-month program that begins with a five-day in-person training camp followed by five webinars in the run-up to Graduation and Demo Day. Startups attending the training will undergo three-month mentoring sessions with experts from Google and industry. In order to ensure efficiency with intensive support from Google and NIC throughout the program, 20 startups will be selected to participate in training sessions, one-on-one mentoring (1:1), mentoring groups and seminars. Selected startups will participate in the global Google for Startups network of more than 1,000 businesses that have joined the initiative from many regions. We hope this gives Vietnamese startups the opportunity to gain exposure, network and access resources to expand globally.

In addition, to ensure that many startups can benefit from the program's content, Google and NIC will co-design online training seminars for 200 startups across the country.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Tran Duy Dong, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment said: “This program is one of the efforts of the Ministry of Planning and Investment in collaboration with Google in supporting the innovation and startup ecosystem in Vietnam. By providing startups with the necessary resources to grow and succeed, the two sides are contributing to training and developing the next generation of innovative entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs. economic growth of the country, and at the same time able to reach abroad. In addition, participating businesses will become part of a like-minded community of innovative businesses, with the opportunity to connect, collaborate and learn from each other.”

Mr. Tran Duy Dong, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment delivered a speech at the event (Photo: NIC)

Thye Yeow Bok, Head of Startup Ecosystem, Southeast Asia, South Asia and Greater China, Google Asia Pacific shared: "The launch of 'Google for Startups Accelerator, Southeast Asia: Vietnam's breakthrough innovation continues our long-term commitment to support Vietnam's economic development, with the goal of accelerating growth. of startups in the country through training courses, mentoring and in-depth networking for startups. We are extremely excited to continue working with NIC and the US Mission to Vietnam to synergistically drive startups to new heights, and even global expansion. In addition to the 20 startups selected to participate in the intensive training program, Google and its partners will co-design to provide additional training sessions for 200 other startups. Google, NIC and the US Mission to Vietnam hope to bring greater benefits to the startup community.”

Mr. Thye Yeow Bok, Head of Startup Ecosystem, Southeast Asia, South Asia and Greater China, Google Asia Pacific shared

The 'Google for Startups: Startup Academy Vietnam' program in 2022 ended successfully after 15 seminars and 283 hours of mentoring with experts and expert advisors. Some of the startups that participated in the program last year, such as Momby, with its personal assistant app for parents, has gained more than 35,000 users, or BenKon has successfully completed a funding round for its energy-saving solution.

The program 'Google for Startups Accelerator, Southeast Asia: Vietnam's breakthrough in innovation' will open applications from July 11, 2023 - August 25, 2023. To learn more and register for the program, visit: goo.gle/gfsa-vietnam