The event was held by Google in collaboration with the National Innovation Centre (NIC) under the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment, and the US mission in Vietnam in order to promote the growth of Vietnamese tech startups.
The programme aims to enhance support for the national digital transformation efforts by providing training courses and a network of advisors for Vietnamese startups, with the goal of accelerating their business growth.
Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Duy Dong said the programme demonstrates the Vietnamese Government’s commitment to supporting the development of the innovation and startup ecosystem, as well as Google's commitment to backing innovation and entrepreneurship in emerging markets.
It is built upon the success of the 'Google for Startups: Startup Academy Vietnam' programme which was launched for the first time in Vietnam last year, benefiting 50 startups from 16 different key sectors nationwide. This year, it will focus on training six core industries instead of 16, ensuring a more specialised approach and aligning with the country's core development sectors of education, health care, agriculture, retail, fintech, and smart city development.
"Google for Startups Accelerator, Southeast Asia" is a three-month programme that begins with a five-day in-person bootcamp, followed by five online workshops leading up to Graduation Day and Demo Day for investment. Participating startups will have mentoring sessions with experts from Google and industry specialists throughout the period.
Twenty startups will be selected to join in one-on-one training sessions, direct and group mentoring, and workshops. The selected startups will join the global Google for Startups network, which comprises over 1,000 companies from various regions.
Google and NIC will also co-design online training workshops for 200 startups across the country.
Last year, the programme featured 15 workshops and 283 hours of mentoring with experts and industry insiders.
According to the e-Conomy SEA 2022 report, Vietnam is emerging as a startup hub in Southeast Asia, with the national Internet economy projected to reach 50 billion USD by 2025, the fastest growth in the region. Additionally, Vietnam now has four unicorn companies, including a private startup valued at over 1 billion USD as of 2023 and over 3,400 startups with a skilled workforce capable of developing advanced technological solutions and products.
