The future of audio; Digitising mom-&-pop shops; Electric bikes; Platform-driven AI models & More
Your monthly newsletter on Vietnamese in tech
Hi! Welcome to issue No.1 of Accelerate Vietnam.
2020 has been wild so far. Although Vietnam has gradually returned to normal, the coronavirus is still spreading like wildfire in other corners of the world. We are seeing mass unemployment like we haven't seen in a century, crushed consumption, a liquidity crisis that must get absorbed somewhere, and it's unclear when and how the crisis will end.
Before we jump into this month's highlights, I want you to take a deep breath. I just want you to remember that this breath is there and it's yours. Don't take it for granted. 🙏🏻
Insights
Expansion managers from ShopBack, Zenyum, and more share their top tips on market launching in Vietnam. The challenges highlighted are: building trust, finding talents, finding the right partners, and consumer education.
From the Investor & Operator
Why We Invested in Telio: Digitising mom-&-pop shops
– Jixun Foo / GGV Capital
Why Vietnamese startups still attract investors despite COVID-19 ⚡
– Charles Rim / Access Ventures via kr-asia
From the Maker
Why you don’t want the APPLE to fall far from the platform
– Linh Pham / LOGIVAN
Hitting the waves with Southeast Asia's audio content creators.
– Kevin Gao and Ben Le / Waves via Insignia Business Review
On the journey to build a healthtech startup
– Peter Nguyen / BuyMed via Genesia Ventures
The future of electric bikes 🏍️
– Son Nguyen / Dat Bike via Vietcetera
Venture Capital Deals
500 Startups backs Vietnamese bookkeeping automation startup Bizzi.
Vietnam’s audiobook and podcast platform Voiz FM secures seed funding from 500 Startups.
Sapo Technology, a multi-channel management and sales platform, raised an undisclosed amount in Series A funding from South Korea's Smilegate Investments.
JobHopin, an automated job-recruitment platform, raised $2.45M in Series A funding from SEMA Translink, KK Fund, Mynavi Corporation, Edulab Capital Partners, NKC Asia and Canaan Capital.
BravoHR, an HR tech startup, raised an undisclosed amount in seed funding from Zone Startups Vietnam and 1005 Ventures.
FoodHub, fresh farm food-to-table platform, raised an undisclosed amount in seed funding from MP Solution. 🌾
Trending in Vietnam Tech
Vietnam planning its own ‘Silicon Valley’ in Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam cashless spending up 39 percent.
Tiki and Sendo have agreed to merge their businesses in an all-stock deal.
E-commerce firm Tiki tables proposal to loosen IPO rules.
US-based ride-hailing app inDriver launched in Vietnam’s central region.
E-commerce market develops significantly in Ho Chi Minh City
Overseas Vietnamese
Sister duo Vanessa and Kim Pham launched Omsom, a seed-stage food startup that sells packaged “starters” to recreate authentic Asian dishes at home. 🍜
“As we were seeing Asian Americans claim their voices in media and in culture more broadly, we then would juxtapose it with walking down this ethnic aisle in the grocery store and see the way Asian flavors were being represented,” Vanessa told
Uber’s CTO Thuan Pham steps down as company reportedly mulls 20 percent layoffs.
Opportunities
– Grab Ventures Ignite (GVI) is now open for applications to all early-stage Vietnamese founders.
– Surge 04 (by Sequoia) applications are now open. The program is designed for a range of different founders. It could be someone with just an idea and a PowerPoint, or an early-stage company that already has a product-market fit and a round of seed funding.
– The Assembly Program by FEBE Ventures matches top-notch founders with successful business models already proven in other emerging markets.
– Sequoia Remote Job Board for tech talents.
– SEAriously Awesome People List helps start-up employees laid off due to the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak find new opportunities
– Mentor for Hope provides mentorship to founders affected by COVID-19 and raise funds for charity at the same time. Register as a mentee here. Register as a mentor here.
– Crucial Talking Points by Bobby Liu gives founders a chance to pitch their company and receive feedback from a stellar line-up of investors. 🎙️
Virtual Events
🗓️June 10-11
SaaStock Remote
🗓️June 11
Market Launching In Vietnam The Right Way by Vietcetera and Hustle Fund
🗓️June 11
Startups and Product Management with Ha Nguyen, Partner at Spero Ventures
🗓️June 17
Fundraising workshop: How to go from Seed to Series A & beyond
🗓️June 25
FemTech Forum 2020 – the first global virtual conference about FemTech
More things I consumed this month
Read 📰 SoftBank's Earnings Results Briefing for FY2019. Pinduoduo and the rise of social e-commerce. How to be “Series A-ready”.
Listen 🎧 The Anonymous Report that brought down Luckin Coffee with Rui Ma.
Attend ✋SaaStr Summit The New New in Ventures.
Watch 📺Four Trends in Consumer Tech by Connie Chan (a16z); Morning Coffee with VTV3 featuring RENS Original
Try out: Make professional square videos in minutes with PlayPlay.
Thank you for being part of Accelerate Vietnam this month. 👋
If you are a Vietnamese investor, founder or startup operator, I'd love to feature your content. If you come across a blog post that you think I should feature, please let me know via the same form.
Comments, questions, tips? Send me a direct note.
Curated by Amy (Trang) Nguyen, pre-seed investor at Wave Ventures. Born in Ho Chi Minh City. Based in Helsinki. You can find me elsewhere on LinkedIn, Medium, and Twitter.