First Mekong Entrepreneurship EcoSystem Summit

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From June 11-13, entrepreneurs, ecosystem builders, and explorers from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam came to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to connect, build bridges, and compete for $20,000 to fund their initiatives during the first Mekong Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Summit, organized by the Centre of Business Studies and Assistance (BSA) and DHVP research as part of the TIGERS@Mekong public-private alliance.

TIGERS@Mekong (Technology Innovation Generation and Entrepreneurship Resources) is a consortium of country and region-specific partners. As found on the TIGERS@Mekong site:

“The U.S. Department of State launched the Mekong Technology Innovation Generation and Entrepreneurship Resources (TIGERS@Mekong) as a flagship project under the Connect Mekong framework at the East Asia Summit in 2012.”

Of the participant countries from the Lower Mekong, they are at different stages of market development and interest despite encompassing more than 230 million people in the region. The two shining stars, Thailand and Vietnam, currently have a lot of interest from venture capitalists and have almost 160 million people between them. Vietnam also has a lot of interest from foreign investors as the TPP is expected to pass soon. Laos and Cambodia are still largely developing and share approximately 22 million people between them; Cambodia, and especially Laos, have a lot of room to grow. And Myanmar (population north of 50 million), although “open for business” since 2011, has largely elicited a “wait-and-see” approach from foreign investors and their representative offices. There are elections later this year, so perhaps things will be different after. Already in the region, there is the Mekong Business Challenge, which has entered its 10th year so there is already some sort of dialogue in place and deepening it will only positively impact the region and its inhabitant.

So while it was good to bring the countries together, it’s also necessary to recognize that each country has its own strengths and weaknesses, and market opportunities. Thus, a tour through each country (perhaps a two-week Bootcamp to cover a topic) in a graduated fashion would allow participants to learn new skills, but also learn more about the countries in the region, and also establish a wider network. Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand could be a suitable 10-week path in the form of topics such as Ideation, Market Research, Concept Refinement, Prototyping, and Pivoting (if/when necessary).

The Pitches

Below, are some of the top 10 pitches for new initiatives which were presented at the summit (in their entirety, as described by those who pitched).

“LAUNCH PAD

The main reason of failure of tech startups in the region is the serious lack of VISION and KNOWLEDGE about the market, players and customers. And the 2nd main reason is, once they have built first versions of products or services, they don’t have a proper way to LAUNCH and TEST their business.

With these 2 reasons, I believe that we must build a LAUNCH Platform for all tech startups in the region to:

  1. join, see and learn what other tech startups are doing in the region (Eye-Open). This helps them a better VISION what should do.
  2. Test their products before launching, get feedbacks from peers. And
  3. Find partners from other countries for EXPANSION when they grow

 

CROWD FACTORY

CrowdFactory consists of three main parts: CrowdPitch, CrowdCoach and CrowdData.

CrowdPitch is an event that helps startups have a chance to practice their pitching to a live audience. There are multiple events every year (depending on each local landscape) and each event has 4 startups that pitch. Audience pays for a ticket to attend and 75% of their ticket money goes straight to their favorite startup. That means it’s an offline crowdfunding event. CrowdCoach is CrowdPitch’s sister event. The number one winner of CrowdPitch gets to attend CrowdCoach, where for two hours, the startup gets to interact directly with four mentors, who give private and in-depth feedback to the startup. All of this is supported by CrowdData, as the local organizers collect new startups and mentors, they slowly collect data on the ecosystem, supporting the cycle of events under CrowdFactory.

 

Mekong Startup Training for Trainer

The program trains startups on necessary skills needed such as sales and marketing skills, users experience, digital marketing, tech skills and so on. In order to complete the program, the group of trainees need to train other startups. For those outstanding ones, will be going to train startups in other countries.

By doing this, startups in each country will meet and they will then share the business and investment information of their own country and build there networks.

This program will help ensure the wellbeing and to strengthen the networks of our Mekong region startups ecosystems.

 

Mekong Startup Weekcamp

The IDEA behind his concept is about

–        – engagement between potential Tech-Startups and Business Start-ups to share of their skills and expertise each other.

–        – networking among key players in local and regional

al The event will take 4 day long at National Event and basically the following activities will include and can adapt as per local needs.

–        Selection Process to Potential Entrepreneurs (Potential Tech and Business Start-ups) to enter Training Session

Activities are:

–        National Start-up Weekcamp Training (2 days)

–        Industry Experts /Founders’ Talk – Experiential Sharing  (1 day) “Regional Founders or Experts will be invited” (1 day)

–        IDEA Showcase and Feedback from Regional Founders/ Experts and award ceremony at Networking Night (1 day)

Along with IDEA Showcase, local Business and Start-ups booths will be exhibited by regional Start-ups  (to meet with the regional accelerators/investors from the country and from the region)

We can adapt the activities as per local needs and can leverage this concept to local and regional areas.

 

Coenlight 

Coenlight is an innovative educational platform for effective skills-based learning and with the mission to create an edu-lab that incubates intellectual potential. This platform is a grassroots initiative tailored to the Cambodian and ASEAN context. We are driven by a strong social mission to revolutionize Cambodia’s and ASEAN’s education ecosystem based on our unique strengths. At Coenlight, we believe that any passionate skilled individual can develop into an extraordinary instructor. We seek to challenge the existing paradigm that becoming a teacher is a static threshold to pass over and uphold that learning is a life-long process.

Our Model:

1) Train individuals to translate their skills into innovative courses.

2) Match passionate instructors with motivated students.

3) Build an ecosystem that fosters critical thinking, skill building, and mentorship.

4) Empower the most talented students to “pay their learning forward” by becoming Coenlight instructors.

 

Wicked Problems Worth Working On…

Many times we get stuck into thinking about market size and we filter out everything except our customers (whoever we think they might be).  However, Southeast Asia has a number of major challenges common to almost everyone in the region: disparity between rich and poor, gaps in the education system, rural poor, corruption, energy, water issues…  These are major challenges which are bigger than any single country, and they represent big opportunities for impact entrepreneurs and impact investors who can craft the right solutions.

If we could only put together a list of the Wicked Problems, clearly defined, focused, and yet still significant, we could encourage players in the ecosystem to galvanize around one or more of them, to run themed boot camps, provide seed grants, compete in themed business plan competitions, and encourage funding from industry players.

This project asks for initial funding to help find a methodology to develop this list of Wicked Problems.  Tapping into the expertise and connections of government agencies like USAid and other aid organizations there must be people (academics? NGOs? or…?) who have developed a suitable methodology that could be used to seek out, define, and get support for a good list of Wicked Problems for Southeast Asia.  How do we find out what has already been done, what can be borrowed or co-opted for our purposes, and how could we implement it?

 

CrowdHelping

We want to build an online platform that transforms the way small scale local social entrepreneurs get access to funds, by crowdsourcing bureaucratic grant proposal writing to volunteers.

Picture a small scale social entrepreneur operating in rural Myanmar. She has intimate local knowledge, she know what kinds of ventures will have the most positive impact on her community, she is already bootstrapping her idea to build a social enterprise. All she needs is access to a small grant to push her idea to the next level.

Now picture a charitable organisation, an impact investor, or an aid agency sitting in an office in Yangon. They have money that they want to give away to people exactly like our social entrepreneur.

What stands between them? Bureaucracy.

Our social entrepreneur only speaks her regional language, she cannot write a 4 page proposal, she doesn’t understand the forms she has to fill out to qualify for grants. However, she does have a smartphone.

. How does it work?

  1. Social entrepreneurs simply shoot a short video of themselves pitching their idea in their local language, posts it on their profile on our platform
  2. A network of seasoned mentors who have close connections with local NGOs and social enterprises will vet the ideas that social entrepreneurs post, in order to create trust.
  3. Volunteers who have successfully applied for grants and know how to write proposals to apply for grants will browse the pitches of social entrepreneurs posted on the platform. Through the mentors vetting process, the volunteers will know which of the pitches are made by trustworthy entrepreneurs.
  4. Once the volunteer sees a pitch she likes, she will help fill out forms, write proposals and help submit them to organisations that can give out small grants

We want to replace bureaucracy with a trust network. It’s AirBnB for access to grants.”

Going Forward

The winners were Agri-Tigers, Mekong’s Next Top Mentor, and Crowdpitch but it would be great if the organizers could host all the pitch decks online for interested parties to view and perhaps develop. Across the board, technology and entrepreneurial leaders want to inspire venture building, boost the entrepreneurial capabilities of young people, and garner a stronger entrepreneurial spirit overall. In part, it will require a mindset shift, a way of not only thinking differently, but acting differently as well.

Last weekend’s event in Ho Chi Minh City was an opportunity for those on the frontline of building and shaping ecosystems to share ideas, failures, and successes with each other—and also garner support for new initiatives. In all, it was good step toward connecting key individuals and organizations in the region in a cohesive fashion and will hopefully lay down the groundwork for increased communication and cooperation in the region.

 

Knowmads Hanoi

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Knowmads Hanoi began in November, 2013 as Team 1, comprised of 15 students from France, Vietnam, Bolivia, and the Netherlands. Not even two years later, the program is about to start its fourth batch of entrepreneurs on Saturday, June 20 until Sunday, August 2 (every Saturday and Sunday for seven weekends).

The program is the product of collaboration between Center for Sustainable Development Studies Vietnam (CSDS) and Knowmads Business School Amsterdam (which started in February, 2010); it asks $350 for local participants and $550 for international participants to join a team of approximately 15-20 people.

As found on the Knowmads Hanoi website:

“After 3 successful programs, we have created a community of students, staff and trainers. We know that there are many people out there who are entrepreneurial, creative, curious, brave, involved and who want to take action.”

The curriculum has a very emphasized entrepreneurial focus, even while dispelling the notion that money should be the singular focus for success. Yet, it still wants people who can make and impact so the Knowmads Hanoi program specifically seeks individuals who are:

“-Between 20-35 years old

-Curious, creative and entrepreneurial

-Brave, involved and ready to take action

-English speaking”

In some developing parts of the world, the generational gap is widening (traditional vs. modern lifestyles) so programs like Knowmads Hanoi are essential to complementing the conventional education model (not just in Vietnam but worldwide since Knowmads Hanoi has sister organizations in Berlin and Sevilla). Thus, the program helps participants tap into their inner-entrepreneur and provides them the framework to make their ideas become a reality.

Some of the benefits of joining the Knowmads Hanoi program include:

“ • Get real life experience through working on your personal projects and/or partner-project

•Broaden your international network of  trainers and Knowmads alumni

•Have a clear(er) understanding of who you really are and what you are capable of.

•Have a dream or even started working on realizing one, whether it is a business, a job or a long term project.

•Have a clear(er) picture of your interest in this world and how to create your part in it.

•Have had training in and worked with topics like business design, marketing, personal development, sustainability, entrepreneurship, social innovation and creativity.”

Last month, we sat in on a Team 4 Info session where program coordinator Guus Wink, trainer Christian Sextl, and trainer Mercedes Carenzo led prospective Team 4 participants through an exercise to give them a taste of Knowmads Hanoi life.

There was also a mix of Team 3 alumni at the event who helped drive the evening during the group sessions. Speaking to your author, they shared that the Knowmads Hanoi program had been a transformative event in their lives; some had made friendships that were as important as friendships from high school and/or university.

During the exercise, the three groups had their members share with each other what they would do if money were not a consideration at all; the examples ranged from photography to videography. Afterwards, the participants went through a brainstorming session where the other members contributed ideas to help each other reach their respective goals. At the end of the information session, Guus Wink challenged each member to do one action item that same night, or by latest at 9:30 AM the following morning.

As one participant from that night shared:

“I needed to get inspired and motivated to get myself going again and that’s exactly what I got that night! Inspired by the young Vietnamese participants of the event who were really interested in each others story and dreams and were very eager to contribute to that dream in terms of suggestions, ideas and contacts. Inspired by the organisers of the event who came up with a very dynamic, creative and effective programme for Team 4. And inspired by all the opportunities which arose only by attending one information event.”

So the program builds confidence in its participants, it inspires creative thinking and promotes collaboration—all valuable skills for life in the 21st century. Guus, trainer, facilitator, and founder of Knowmads Hanoi was kind enough to answer a few of our questions about the origin of Knowmads Hanoi, and what might be in store for its future.

From the previous three Knowmads Hanoi teams, have any tech-related companies/projects emerged?

Guus Wink (GW): No tech related projects but here’s a look at some of the projects students have started.

Could you tell us more about how you first started?

GW: I tried to start a weekend program in HCM, but to be honest I didn’t have the time nor the network to make it happen. Valuable lessons learned though. After I had moved to China I received a message from a guy who works for CSDS, a local NGO in Hanoi. He had met some people from Knowmads Amsterdam at the Youth Initiative Forum (YIP) in Sweden, and they had told him about my story. So CSDS asked me if I had any plans to come to Hanoi. My girlfriend and I were looking for the next destination after China and we were up for going back to Vietnam, as we had enjoyed the country a lot.

You will be returning to the Netherlands after the conclusion of the Team 4 program, right? What will happen to Knowmads Hanoi after you leave?

GW: Yes, I will travel back to the Netherlands by train from the middle or the end of August, a few weeks after finishing Team 4. I am looking forward to being on the road and in the train for 2 months to reflect upon my time in Asia and to think about my next steps back in Europe. In the Netherlands I might work for Knowmads in Amsterdam and I am curious to see what else will come on my path. It will be related to education and/or social work, in the direction of the transition I feel the world is in.
Christian and Mercedes will be in Hanoi for another few months, and we hope someone from the Knowmads network will come to Hanoi to continue our work. In the ideal scenario, Knowmads Hanoi will continue running independent programs in Hanoi, as well as trainings at universities and organizations. In the case Knowmads Hanoi will stop, we hope our stories will be an inspiration for people in Hanoi to build their own educational programs. We are working on a short film to share our story and to inspire people in Hanoi and the rest of the world.

You’ve worked a lot with young people in Hanoi—what are some trends/themes that you have noticed?

GW: Young people in Hanoi have the keys in their pocket for a bright future. In my opinion it is all about ‘being able to respond’, taking responsibility for yourself.
Young people are challenged because of the fast changing globalizing world they live in, while dealing with expectations from the generation above them. I feel they have to take the time to decide what they think about the world they live in. What are the choices they want to make in their lives. If they are able to take this responsibility, then I think they can build great companies and organizations.

What is your proudest achievement of working with Knowmads Hanoi?

GW: Above all creating the space for almost 60 Changemakers to develop themselves personally as well as professionally. It is fantastic to see all individual learning journeys, and to see the energy and the confidence growing during the process.

Besides this starting up Knowmads Hanoi Team 1 from scratch in only 2 months, designing the program, connecting with many trainers, creating promo material, our website and events, and finally being able to start with a great team of 15 students from 4 different countries.

What will you miss the most about Vietnam?

GW: I will miss the buzzing energy. Since I moved to Vietnam I have been impressed by the energy in this country. The country is so young and everyone seems to be determined to build a better future.

Do you have any advice for people who want to set up a program and make a positive impact like you did? Any advice for locals or foreigners who want to become entrepreneurs in Vietnam? 

GW: Connect and meet with as many interesting people as possible. Share ideas, co-create, and keep developing your story and your dream, and keep shouting out this story online and offline. Don’t wait for miracles to happen, work hard, and learn by doing. Above all, be real and authentic.

Thanks to Guus Wink, Christian Sextl, and Mercedes Carenzo for sharing their time with us.

 

TechFest Vietnam 2015

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From May 15-17, history was made when the first TechFest Vietnam was held in Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi.

According to TechFest Vietnam 2015 website:

“TECHFEST is an all-encompassing platform for All-Things-Tech.

From being the entrepreneurs building the next big thing, to innovators of cool gadgets looking to launch. From purveyors of cutting edge digital tools to latest digital entertainment platforms, we have it all. It’s a celebration of the 21st century; where technology meets lifestyle.

TECHFEST is a celebration of the Next-Generation innovators and their communities. This is a platform to build and foster great ideas and talents, gather thought leaders, stage for the next trend, better yet, be the trend-setter, where innovation begins.

TECHFEST is the platform where strong network and lasting collaborations begins between ASEAN and the world.

TECHFEST is the national festival for innovators, entrepreneurs, angel and institutional investors, supporting agencies and communities, technology experts, consumers and the tech media. With the selection and gathering of the most potential entrepreneurs as well as experts and investors with the rich and diverse experiences, NATEC and its partners are confident to bring about an informative, innovative and extremely practical event for the startup ecosystem in Vietnam.

The inaugural TECHFEST will be held this year and will be recognized as an integral activity within the Science and Technology Week, an annual national ceremonial week prior to the Science & Technology Day on May 18th, in celebration of S&T activities in Vietnam.”

Room to Grow

Entrepreneurs, investors, innovators, and tech enthusiasts all gathered at Vietnam National University over three days to hear a variety of keynote speakers and panelists share their thoughts about funding, challenges to starting up, and building the ecosystem in Vietnam.

Three weeks later, we spoke to some startups, investors, and attendees to get their feedback on the inaugural event and see what impressions remained. Taken by itself, the event was a success—simply because it hadn’t been done before. [Note: your author helped to organize the event.] Overall, it was great; exactly what was needed to boost the community, build momentum, and to showcase the talent and innovation in Hanoi and in Vietnam.

There was consistent and positive feedback from investors in the region:

“I want to invest in Vietnam.”

“I don’t know much about Vietnam.”

“I want to learn more about Vietnam.”

“I’m concerned about investing in Vietnam.”

However, in terms of feedback from startups, it was a mixed bag. Many complained that the start up booths were outside in the sweltering heat—under a tent, no less. Then on the second day the entire startup section was moved indoors, which made those who had invested in their booths upset over the last-minute logistical changes.

One startup in particular commented that there was no official delegation to take the VIPs through to meet the startups in the exhibition area. A co-founder from the same team commented that he wished there had been more startups present; by his count there were about 14 startups which were exhibited.

Moreover, some out-of-town guests were surprised that the translation of services during major portions of the event were only from English-to-Vietnamese but not the reverse. Almost all of the investors spoke English but the VIP section in front row (ministers and other honorable guests) spoke Vietnamese so some startups pitched in Vietnamese with an English pitch deck shown behind them. Still, it was unclear if their respective target markets were at the event or if the presenters made lasting impressions on the front row audience.

(It’s important to note that once Vietnamese startups go beyond Vietnam they will have to pitch in English as it is the language of doing business around the world.)

As the event unfolded, certain workshops were entirely in Vietnamese and from the program guide it was not clear if a session or workshop would be in English or Vietnamese. The opening ceremony on the first day was full of young people but it did not seem like the students on campus took advantage of access to the event on other days.

In the future, it would be nice to have the festival portion at night on campus in the form of a concert. Thus, startups could play their promotional videos in between sets of musical acts. Sunday was the definitely the most relaxed day—it seemed like the event sort of tapered off so a closing ceremony would be good to unveil some major news or exploring the option to shorten the event to two days might be best way to start and finish the event strongly. Along those lines, perhaps a change of venue, with more accommodating facilities, would be apt for the next TechFest Vietnam. Foreign Trade University could be a viable option—or any rotational system to showcase the various universities in Vietnam.

Still, the event was a resounding success; ecosystem building, forging regional connections, and talent exposure are all steps along the path to greatness for startups in Vietnam. In some ways, it might surprise some outsiders that the event happened in Hanoi instead of another city in Vietnam. For one, Ho Chi Minh City is the economic capital of Vietnam; there are financial services companies, venture capitalists, marketing agencies, and the city itself has a greater entrepreneurial feel. On the other hand, Hanoi is the political and cultural capital—but it also positioning itself as the startup capital—something that might not surprise those who have spent considerable time in both cities. Even so, startups, as well as institutional and angel investors from Ho Chi Minh City did participate in the first TechFest Vietnam.

What’s next for TechFest Vietnam and the scene?

Overall, it would be great to see more entrepreneurs ad more product developers come to Vietnam and team up with local developers to develop products and services. Then the Vietnamese development team could leverage newfound skills, experience, and network to develop their own products and services.

Lately, things have been picking up here and even more exciting milestones are on the horizon. However, there is a clear need for additional information—the lack of coverage in the Vietnamese tech scene is startling, especially with multi-polar cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang. The under-reporting in Vietnam could be an obstacle to newcomers who wish to join the growing community but with drive, commitment, and investment in the right activities, all of those obstacles can be overcome.

As for TechFest Vietnam, the bottom line is that startups here are getting them ready to scale beyond Vietnam; the startup community in Hanoi sent a clear message to the outside world:

“This is what we have done.

This what we are doing.

This is what we are going to do—do you want to join us?”