South Korea’s second largest conglomerate SK Group has announced the fourth edition of its SK Startup Fellowship programme with US$265,000 in grants for 10 outstanding Vietnamese start-ups.

The fellowship are open to start-ups in all sectors in the early and post-seed stages and with products and revenues.

In the first phase, the programme will select 15 start-ups, preferably in technology and addressing social impact issues in edtech, med/bio, fintech, deep tech, and others.

They will benefit from in-depth training sessions and get feedback from SK Group experts and the Business Startup Support Centre, the programme’s partner.

In the second phase, the top 10 will be selected for a final round.

The jury will pick the top three for funding worth $50,000 each, while the remaining seven will get $15,000.

A special benefit this year is full sponsorship from SK Startup Fellowship for a business trip to South Korea for the top 10 to meet and connect with Korean start-ups and investors.

Throughout the six months of the programme, the 10 businesses will receive comprehensive non-financial support from SKSF and its partners, including networking with SKSF alumni, venture capital funds and SK Group’s member companies across more than 40 countries, training in investor pitching, and one-on-one mentoring.

Started in 2020, the annual programme seeks to discover talented early stage start-ups and provide support for their growth while building long-lasting relationships.

SKSF has granted over $1 million in equity-free funding to 37 Vietnamese start-ups since 2020. — VNS