Contest Student with Startup Ideas in the Mekong Delta: FUNDGO Pushes on Incubating Vietnamese Young Talents

On November 12, 2022, the final round of "Student with Startup Ideas in the Mekong Delta” (organized the first time in 2022) was co-organized by the Student Startup Supporting Network in the Mekong Delta, Tra Vinh University and the Youth Union of the school. The event took place with the participation of 17 excellent teams selected from the preliminary rounds.

The goal of the contest is to promote the entrepreneurial spirit of the young as well as enable students to practice, gain experience and knowledge about business, and seek a future career, thereby contributing to the incubation of potential startup projects. This is also an occasion for young talents to present and introduce their ideas and attract investors. 

Mr. Nguyen Minh Hoa, Rector of Tra Vinh University and Chairman of the Board of the Student Startup Supporting Network in the Mekong Delta, speaks at the event. 

Student with Startup Ideas in the Mekong Delta 2022 is a large-scale contest of enormous value in terms of training, education, and fostering the national startup network. The program welcomed Mr. Nguyen Minh Hoa - Chairman of the Board of the Student Startup Supporting Network in the Mekong Delta, Rector of Tra Vinh University; Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh - Vice Chairman of the Board of the Student Startup Supporting Network in the Mekong Delta; Mr. Nguyen Van Vu An, Secretary of the Youth Union, Director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship of Tra Vinh University; Mr. Nguyen Xuan Niem – Deputy Director of Department of Science and Technology of Kien Giang Province; Mr. Truong Gia Bao - Chairman of Digital Transformation Alliance (DTS), Vice Chairman of FUNDGO Startup and Innovation Fund; Mr. Le Pham - Senior Advisor of FUNDGO; representatives of organizations, businesses; teachers and students of universities and colleges in the Mekong Delta.

The organizers and judges receive flowers at the event.

There were 17 excellent projects competing in the final round, including Banana fabric, Shrimp fish sauce; Counseling & psychological services center; Equipment to monitor field water level and control pump remotely; Coriander products; Lemon and potato jam; Handicrafts and jewelry from seashells and snail shells; Dried lotus seeds with salted egg flavor; Pink lotus restaurant; Dry pancake with sweet peanuts and lotus seeds; Green bananas (Greban); Aquarium maintenance services; Face masks with tangerine flavor; Green anchovies; Monk fruit wine; Snail rolls stuffed with kaffir lime leaves; Set of Vietnamese food flags. The contestants presented their projects and answered questions from the judges. With a breakthrough and highly creative idea, the project "Green anchovies" by team Nguyen Thi Thuy Lien from Kien Giang University won the first prize; The second prize went to the project "Equipment to monitor field water level and control pump remotely" by team Nguyen Huu Tai from Tra Vinh University; the third prize was the project “Dried lotus seeds with salted egg flavor” by team Nguyen Thi Ngoc Cam from Dong Thap Community College; two consolation prizes were given to the project “Counseling & psychological services center” by team Nguyen Nhat Huy from Tra Vinh University and the project “Green bananas” by team Huynh Nhu Ngoc from Kien Giang University. In addition, FUNDGO Startup and Innovation Fund - the main sponsor of the contest awarded 7 potential projects in the Top 10 and gave Run Together technology sneakers to the Top 5 of the competition. In particular, FUNDGO also awarded a consulting and support package worth VND 30,000,000 to the winners. 

Mr. Le Pham - Senior Advisor of FUNDGO awards the winners.

As a judge of the contest, Mr. Le Pham highly appreciated the meaning and value that it created for the national startup ecosystem. He affirmed,“The event was a rip - roaring success as it received the attention and positive response of students from universities and colleges in the Mekong Delta. I also appreciate the efforts and performance of each team. The 17 finalists are all creative projects with potential future development. With sound resources, FUNDGO is ready to support students on the way to realizing their ideas and initiatives, hence incubating more talents for the country.”

The organizers took photos with the teams.

At the event, Tra Vinh University signed cooperation agreements with Ca Mau Investment Promotion & Enterprise Support Center (iPEC), the Department of Science and Technology of Kien Giang Province, and DTS. This marked a new milestone in the long-term partnership among the organizations in education and training in the region. 

The contest ended with outstanding achievements and highlights. It also created a useful playground for students to learn and promote creativity as well as gain more skills in entrepreneurship to confidently bring products and ideas to life.

Here are some images from the event: