More than 1,000 participants including local and foreign investors, start-up businesses and investment funds will attend the second International Start-up Conference and Exhibition in Da Nang on July 21-22.

Chairman of Da Nang’s Co-ordination Council for the Business Start-up Network, Vo Duy Khuong made the reveal at a press conference yesterday, stating that the event, entitled Surf-the start-up wave 2017, would include 80 pavilions from start-up projects and businesses, institutes, colleges and sponsors in panel discussions, roundtables, pitching competitions, and exhibitions.

Khuong said the event’s organising committee had invited motivational speaker Jeff Hoffman, who is cofounder of Priceline.com and cofounder of ColorJar, to join the two-day event focusing on the start-up ecosystem, support policies and investment as well as sharing experience and technology.

The event aims to boost Da Nang as an innovation hub of central Viet Nam and the region.

The event is sponsored by the Asia Development Bank, the Mekong Business Initiative, Swiss EP and the Innovation Partnership Programme in Viet Nam.

Last month, the central city’s Song Han Incubator launched a tourism start-up programme with the sponsorship of the Viet Nam Mentors Initiative, I-Angel, Women’s Initiative for Start-up Enterprise and Swiss SP. — VNS