TV reality show Shark Tank will be back from July to nurture start-ups in the country and connect them with investors.

In this the second season, each episode will last 45 minutes and be broadcast at 8.30pm on Wednesdays on VTV3.

According to the organisers - TVHub and VTV24, the programme has attracted many start-ups from the industrial sector, indicating the impact of technology 4.0 on start-ups.

In the show, start-up entrepreneurs will talk about their companies to a panel of business owners and executives, hoping to raise investment from them by selling stakes.

The four “sharks” in the panel this year are Nguyen Xuan Phu, chairman of Sunhouse Group; Thai Van Linh, head of strategy & operations of VinaCapital; Pham Thanh Hung, deputy chairman of CEN Group; Nguyen Ngoc Thuy, chairman of EGroup.

They will be joined occasionally by Dzung Nguyen, director of CyberAgent Viet Nam and Thailand; Louis Nguyen, general director of Saigon Asset Management; Nguyen Thanh Viet, chairman of Intracom; and Dang Hong Anh, deputy chairman of TTC.

Shark Tank attracted many viewers when it debuted last season with 48 start-ups and saw 22 of them raise a total amount of over VND116.6 billion (US$5.1 million).

Since then, with guidance from their mentors, some of the start-ups like Tigtac, Emwear, Ogami, Supership, Phleek, and Soya Garden have done exceedingly well.

Soya Garden, in which Thuy invested VND20 billion ($877,000), has planned to open 30 restaurants around the country.

The show also offered viewers many lessons on how to develop a business and explore the market.

Shark Tank, developed by Sony Pictures, has two versions -- Shark Tank and Dragons’ Den.

Since starting in Japan in 2001, the programme has appeared in 35 nations and territories and attracted 300 million views.

In the US, the programme receives an average of 250,000 registrations every season, with 48 per cent of the start-ups succeeding in raising funds from investors. — VNS