Vietnamese and foreign businesses and individuals running more than 200 start-up models will present their innovative products and services at the 2018 Start-up Day that opens today in HCM City.

Besides usual participants like technology start-up projects in e-commerce and Internet of Things, this year there will also be many new business models based on evolving technologies like fintech, edutech, virtual reality, automated robotics, and AI, as well as new technologies in agriculture.

More than 10,000 stakeholders including start-ups, investors, investment funds, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders are expected to attend the two-day event organised by the Business Start-up Support Centre (BSSC) and the HCM City Young Businesspeople Association.

It aims to support young start-ups in finding investors, consultants, business partners, and customers.

The event also includes a final stage of the Viet Nam Start-up Wheel contest, where the top 60 start-up models chosen from 1,500 contestants will take part in three parts of the contest: challenging the creativity of the product and level of market compatibility (through exhibitions, sales activities); the ability to attract and solicit investment; and testing the effectiveness of the business model (through a two-minute presentation to convince the jury and attendees).

The jury will choose the 10 outstanding start-up projects for the final awards categories, including the first, second, third prizes and awards for the best innovative project, best start-up student, and best female founder totally worth VND2 billion (US$85,836).

After starting in HCM City in 2013 two years later Start-up Wheel became a national event.

This year it has become part of the Government’s Project 844 to support a national innovative start-up eco-system and renamed Vietnam Start-up Wheel.

The sixth Start-up Day, the biggest annual event for the start-up community in the country, will be held at the Riverside Palace in HCM City’s District 4. — VNS