SK Startup Fellowship 2022 (SKSF 2022) DemoDay officially took place

SKSF is an annual program of SK Group with the goal of discovering and supporting early-stage startup talents. The program lays the foundation for SK Group’s companionship with Vietnamese startups, which demonstrates the Group’s long-term commitment to investment and cooperation in Vietnam. SKSF Batch #3 was officially launched on April 14, 2022 and attracted more than 150 applications. After two successful batches, the SKSF program has established its reputation in the Vietnam startup ecosystem, demonstrated by the fact that the startups operate  in a variety of sectors, many startups possess highly integrated core technologies, strong research capabilities and valuable patents, the founder teams are composed of Vietnamese and international talents who have strong educational background and startup experience in Vietnam and international markets, and all of them share a common vision of creating positive impacts on society. On June 23, 2022, SKSF 2022 announced Top 12 startups who entered into a 6-month acceleration program. After 6 months, with SKSF’s support through many intensive acceleration activities, Top 12 have achieved breakthrough achievements and development milestones. On November 10, 2022, Top 12 SKSF 2022 startups participated in Demo Day – the finale of the program to select Top 4 to receive a grant of US$50,000 /startup; one startup to receive the Honorary Award worth US$26,000 and the remaining startups to receive US$16,000/startup. These are all cash and non-equity grants. 

After being held online in the previous two years due to the Covid19 pandemic, SKSF Demo Day was finally held offline in 2022 so that SK Group, alumni, partners and guests of the program can meet and connect directly. The Demo Day welcomed the participation of more than 100 attendees who are Startup Alumni, Investors, VCs, Corporations, etc., to discuss business cooperation and investment opportunities. Speaking at the opening of Demo Day SKSF 2022, Mr. Yoo Ji Han, Executive Vice President SK Group said “Top 12 startups selected to the final round are operating in various sectors including healthcare, edutech, fintech, agritech, IoT, AI, block chain, and they all possess strong growth potential given their stellar R&D capabilities coupled with patented and highly integrated core technology. I hope that we will soon hear the news of the Next Unicorn from our fellows and alumni. After a long Covid pandemic period, we have seen the light. However, many startups continue facing challenges in scaling up and fundraising amid the existing political and economic uncertainty. However, I believe that with the insightful industry knowledge and determination of the founders, as well as innovations and efforts of the startups to survive through this “winter”, “spring” will soon return. I promise that SK will always accompany your endeavors as you spread your wings to continue your journey.”

Mr. Yoo Ji Han – Executive Vice President of SK Group opened Demo Day SKSF 2022

The Board of Judges for Demo Day SKSF 2022 comprises leading experts in the Vietnam startup ecosystem: Mr. Hung Truong – Senior Investment Director at SK Vietnam, Ms. Truong Ly Hoang Phi – Chairwoman & CEO of IBP and Vice President of YBA, Mr. Rishab Malik – Venture Partner at Jungle Ventures, Ms. Phuong Tran – Co-head of Investment and Head of Vietnam at Wavemaker Partners, and Mr. Chuck Kim – Head of Fundraising at Grab. The judges stand from different perspectives including those of individual investors, venture capital fund managers, and entrepreneurs, and each has 10 to 20 years of working experience in the startup and innovation ecosystems in Vietnam and the region. As members of leading corporations, the Board of Judges brought sharp counter-arguments and valuable suggestions for each business model of Top startup SKSF Batch #3. Each startup had a 5-minute pitch and a 5-minute Q&A in front of The Board of Judges. In this challenging competition, Top 12 startups of SKSF 2022 shared comprehensive pictures of their businesses that emphasize their innovative business models and demonstrate breakthrough technologies, thereby providing convincing answers to the judges. Having listened to those presentations, corporations, investors, and investment funds could obtain useful information as they explored opportunities for cooperation, investment and companionship with Top 12 startups in their growth journeys in the near future.

Mr. Michael Han – Chief of Representative Office SK Group presents gifts to thank The Board of Mentors SKSF 2022

In addition, Demo Day also brought startups and attendees a deep multi-dimensional perspective through the sharing of Mr. Louis Nguyen – Founder & CEO of Saigon Asset Management (SAM).

Mr. Louis Nguyen – Founder & CEO Saigon Asset Management (SAM) with Open Keynote at Demo Day SKSF 2022

The 6-month acceleration journey of Top 12 startups SKSF 2022

Through the SKSF program, SK Group aims to help startups build foundations and create networks of partners for business growth. Besides the non-equity grants, SKSF 2022 has brought invaluable non-financial support for startups to boost their inner strengths. The non-financial support includes two main streams of activities: training and mentoring during the 6-month journey of the SKSF 2022 program.

In particular, Top 12 SKSF 2022 have gone through 24 in-depth 1:1 mentoring sessions with 11 mentors who are investors, entrepreneurs, and experts with years of experience in the Vietnamese and international markets, in-depth training sessions on corporate finance management with KPMG, and networking sessions with more than 20 investors, investment funds, large corporations… Sharing about the progress of Top 12 startups after the 6-month journey, mentor Nguyen Thi Dieu Hang – CEO of BSSC, Vice President of YBA said “Because the Top 12 SKSF 2022 are all outstanding and come from a variety of industries, I think batch #3 will be the most “challenging” batch of the three batches for The Board of Judges to select the Top 4”. Mr. Thong Le Anh Tuan – Founder & CEO Selly looked back at SKSF 2022’s 6-month accelerator journey and said “SKSF is one of the best value-creating accelerator programs that I have ever participated in. In the past 6 months, I have obtained immeasurable values from the connection with outstanding founders among which we have shared many lessons together, as well as the connection with an extremely quality mentor. SKSF has created an impressive playground with many excellent founders; together we have experienced very difficult challenges of the program. Many thanks to SK Group!”

The program is rigorous, and designed to push startups to “do more faster”. By the end of the 6-month program in 2022, SKSF startups have shown significant growth and achievements:

–       Bizzi signed a partnership agreement with HCMC Young Business Association (YBA) which gives them strategic access to a large potential customer pool

–       Fundiin and VUIHOC successfully raised 6-figure rounds from regional and local investors amid difficult economic times

–       BenKon, Selex Motors, Hi-tech Care Technology JSC, Realbox, Selly, SoBanHang, Cypher AI, CyberPurify, N2TP all made significant progress in key business functions such as revenue growth, new product launch, human resources and organizational development, etc.

These highlights demonstrate that Top 12 startups of SKSF 2022 have channeled their efforts into building strong internal capabilities which later paved the way for their sustainable growth strategies and successful fundraising during times of economic downturn. Graduating from the program, SKSF startups now have a strong foundation ready to scale. All of these were shared on stage at SKSF Demo Day 2022, making the event a unique opportunity for investors and corporations alike to look for potential startup investment deals or partnerships.

Who are Top 4 startups of SKSF 2022, Bach#3?

Top 12 SKSF 2022

After the presentations of Top 12, the Board of Judges SKSF 2022 selected Top 4 startups to award the highest prize of SKSF 2022. Ms. Truong Ly Hoang Phi – Member of The Board of Judges for Demo Day SKSF 2022 shared “I have been a member of The Board of Judges of SKSF for 3 years. I realize that SKSF is increasingly proving its credibility in the process of selecting and screening startups into the Top startup. For Batch#3, it was quite difficult for The Board of Judges to choose startups in the Top 4 because each company is excellent in its field. Even if some of them are not in the Top 4, I still admit them as very strong companies from the team, the founder team is really good, working very well to create the good products. I think SKSF’s endorsement for the Top 12 is also one of the good platforms for them to work harder and have new growth momentum. To me, besides the Top 4 that received the highest awards, the Top 12 are also excellent. I believe that they will go very far in the future. Today SKSF also invites many investment funds and large companies to Demo Day to seek cooperation and investment opportunities. I believe the value of the program lies there as well.”

Top 4 SKSF 2022

Selly is the leading Social Commerce platform in Vietnam. Selly empowers women and people with disadvantaged backgrounds to become micro-entrepreneurs and earn extra income with zero investment.

VUIHOC is a K12 after-school online education platform with 2 main products: VUIHOC DUO & VUIHOC TUTOR. VUIHOC makes learning exciting, engaging & effective by leveraging deep pedagogy & cutting edge technology. 

Bizzi is the B2B SaaS startup to help simplify and automate business payment processes.

SoBanHang focuses on empowering MSMEs to thrive on digital technology and create a sustainable impact on society. In which, SoBanHang application was created to help small and micro businesses build online stores, sell to more customers and manage cash flow easily on smartphones.

Honorary Award, a grant of US$26,000 belonged to N2TP (SmartDose AI) which is a platform that supports hospitals in personalizing dosage regimes for drugs with a narrow therapeutic window, helping increase the drug’s therapeutic effects while minimizing adverse events, hence, bringing more benefits to patients.

Honorary Award of SKSF 2022

The remaining startups received US$16,000/startup: Benkon, CyberPurify, Cypher AI, Fundiin, Hi-tech Care Technology JSC, Realbox, Selex Motors.

Demo Day has wrapped up the SK Startup Fellowship 2022 program. The program is a memorable milestone for Top 12 in their growth journeys as they received valuable support from SKSF. Besides the grant of nearly US$350,000, Top 12 SKSF also obtained knowledge from in-depth training sessions, experience shared among alumni, mentors’ sharp product thinking and practical business mindsets, strategic vision with international business development orientation from SK Group, and networks of valuable relationships in Vietnam and regional startup ecosystems from Program Partner BSSC and Partners such as KPMG, Do Ventures, Vinacapital Ventures, GRAB, Nextrans, Jungle Ventures, Wavemaker Partners. The SKSF 2022 program is temporarily ended, but SK Group and its partners continue to support startup alumni in their growth journeys after the program.

On June 23^rd, 2022, SK Group kicked off the series of events for Top 12 startups of SK Startup Fellowship 2022 (SKSF 2022) by hosting the first event – Orientation Day.

After nearly a month of opening the registration process, SKSF 2022 has received applications from more than 150 startups. Regarding the field of operation, SKSF season 3 has shown a lot of diversity with the ability to attract startups in many different fields, from Healthcare/Wellness, Environment/CleanTech, E-commerce, FinTech, to Enterprise Solution, AI/Deep Tech, PropTech , EduTech.

With the success of the previous two seasons, this year’s program has received a lot of attention from many fast-growing startups. The 12 most potential startups of SKSF 2022 were officially revealed after a rigorous screening, evaluation and face-to-face interview process.

Highlights of Top 12 SK Startup Fellowship 2022?

In general, the Top 12 SKSF 2022 are mainly comprised of companies in the stage of accelerating development and on the path of defining strategic directions. In terms of technology adoption and implementation, SKSF 2022’s finalists can be grouped into 2 distinctive approaches.  While some startups have shown great agility through their ability to capitalize on and implement new technologies and global trends, AI, others have shown their determination to find breakthrough solutions for relatively traditional industries like AgriTech.

Firstly, many startups possess a high-tech core, achieved through extensive research and have successfully secured patent ownership such as Benkon, Cypher AI, SmartDoseAI, Selex Motor, CyberPurify. Particularly, some of the startups in the hardware field have entered the commercialization stage and found a suitable market. In fact, high-tech products with integrated software and hardware manufactured in Vietnam require a great deal of software development capabilities, as well as the ability to manage raw materials, supply chain and supporting ecosystems.

Secondly, apart from being highly trained and highly knowledgeable in their specialized industries, founders of SKSF 2022 also have a very practical business mindset; many of which have extensive experience in both Vietnam and international markets, for example Realbox, Fundiin.

Thirdly, this year’s Top 12 clearly demonstrated a sustainable business development mindset: to come up with solutions to bring about environmental and social impact but at the same time create economic value such as Selly, SoBanHang, Hi-Tech Care, Benkon. In addition, many startups are offering solutions that are suitable for the current context and the needs of Vietnam’s rapid digital transformation such as Vuihoc and Bizzi.

SKSF is considered as one of the pioneering programs that bring value to startups by leveraging the resources of economic groups to support the development of Vietnam’s startup ecosystem. Orientation Day is the event that marks the beginning of the nearly 6 month journey of this year’s Top 12.

At the event, Mr. Truong Minh Hung – Senior Investment Director, SK Vietnam shared during the opening speech: “From the perspective of the Organizing Committee, I am very impressed with the consistency in application quality of the finalists of SKSF 2022. Every single one of the Top 12 teams is very strong and possess an impressive business model with high social impact. With that being said, I think choosing the Top 4 will not be an easy task for our judges.”

After listening to SK Group’s representatives share details about the program’s activities, the participating startups have gotten a better picture of the financial and non-financial values that SKSF can bring, which can be leveraged to help their businesses achieve stronger growth in the future. Nguyen Nguyen – Co-Founder and CEO of Selex Motors said, “I believe that joining the SKSF program can open the door for Selex Motors to participate in SK Group’s ecosystem, taking advantage of the group’s strong resources to accelerate growth”.

Immediately after the announcement of the Top 12, startups will continue to participate in programs to share knowledge and experience in financial management, fund raising, etc. from SK’s partners such as the leading venture capital funds in the region, KPMG, BSSC, along with many opportunities to interact with SK’s network and the Vietnamese startup ecosystem. It is expected that in November 2022, the SKSF 2022 program will come to and end with the Demo Day event, where startups will present their business models in front of Investors and Judges. Top 4 will receive a non-equity funding of USD 50,000/startup; and USD 16,000/startup for the remaining 8 startups.

List of Top 12 SK Startup Fellowship 2022, Batch#3

HCMC, 11 November 2021

SK Startup Fellowship 2021 (SKSF 2021) DemoDay officially took place

SKSF is an annual program with the goal of discovering early-stage startup talents, and supporting them. The program lays the foundation for SK Group’s long journey of companionship with Vietnamese startups. SKSF Batch#2 seeked startups with social impact, officially launching on the 9th of March 2021. SKSF attracted nearly 200 startups which was 3 times more than Batch#1. On 6th of May 2021, SKSF 2021 announced the Top 13 startups to be entered into the 6-month acceleration journey, helping the startups achieve  breakthrough growth for the next phase. As the most important event, Demo Day marked the final the program, after 6 months of activities.On the 11th of November 2021, Top 12 startups of SKSF 2021 participated in the Demo Day – the final round of competition to choose the Top 4 outstanding startups to win the grant of 50,000 USD per startup. In addition one startup won the consolation prize of 26,000 USD while the remaining startups received 16,000 USD per startup. These are all cash grants and SK Group does not require exchange of shares.

The Demo Day SKSF 2021 event was held as a hybrid event (online and offline) that has connected the Vietnamese bridgehead (HCMC, Hanoi) with the international bridgehead (Australia, South Korea). With the support of technology, the event not only ensures safety amid the complicated situation of the epidemic, but also creates conditions for Top startups connection with  international attendees, despite the geographical distance. Opening speech of Demo Day SKSF 2021, Mr. Woncheol Park – Managing Director SK SouthEast Asia, said “For the second year program, we focused on building strong relationships while providing experiences more tailored to go on fellow startups. The newest 1on1 mentoring program provided customized support as well. The mentors were matched based on the needs of each individual startup and helped them with the strategic building , business planning and relying on their operating systems. This was a really difficult task due to COVID-19 but we were able to do it. Thank to strong support provided by our program partner BSSC and the local expert mentors”

The Board of Judges of The Final Round SKSF 2021 who are the 4 leading experts in the Vietnam Startup Ecosystem: Mr. Henry Nguyen – CEO of TIMO; Ms. Truong Ly Hoang Phi – Chairwoman of the Board and CEO of Investment Business Partners (IBP); Ms. Le Hoang Uyen Vy – General Partner Do Ventures; Mr. Hung Truong – Senior Director SK Vietnam. The Board of Judges has 10 to 20 years of experience in working with the startup & innovation ecosystem in Vietnam and the region, standing from many perspectives such as investors, venture capital fund managers, entrepreneurs of leading corporations in Vietnam and internationally, etc. The Board of Judges brought sharp criticisms and valuable suggestions for each business model of Top startup SKSF Batch #2. Each startup has a 5-minute presentation and a 5-minute Q&A in front of The Board of Judges. At this heated competition, Top Startup SKSF 2021 clearly presented innovative business models, demonstrated breakthrough technologies, and answered intelligently and convincingly.

In addition to the attractive competition of Top startup SKSF 2021, Demo Day also brought useful knowledge and a deep multidimensional perspective through the sharing of Mr. Le Hong Minh – Founder and General Director of VNG, the first unicorn startup of Vietnam. After that, Demo Day had the lively discussion on the perspective of “Key elements for fast-scaling” from 2 speakers Ms. Tran Phuong Ngoc Thao – Member of the Board of Directors, Director of Digital Transformation at PNJ and Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Giang – Partner of Talent and Culture at Mekong Capital, Ms. Ha Thanh An – Co-Founder & COO Investment Business Partners (IBP) hosted the panel discussion. The experiences of the speakers have brought many valuable lessons to the Top startup SKSF 2021 as well as the Demo Day attendees.

The 6-month journey of “makeover” of Top startups SKSF 2021

SK Group aims to help startups have the best foundation and growth opportunities, so in addition to the financial grant at the end of the program, SKSF 2021 has provided invaluable non-financial support to help startups enhance their inner powers. These non-financial support items are in 2 main axes of activities, training and mentoring along the 6-month journey of the SKSF 2021 program.

Top 13 SKSF 2021 has finished 78 intensive 1:1 mentoring sessions from 19 mentors who are investors, entrepreneurs, and experts in the Vietnamese and international markets (Korea, Malaysia). In the midst of COVID, many startups experience a change in their growth journey. To comment on the “makeover” in the 6-month journey to join SKSF 2021 of the Top startup SKSF 2021, mentor Nguyen Thi Dieu Hang – CEO of BSSC, Vice President of HCMC Young Business Association (YBA) shared “Top startup SKSF 2021 have three characteristics: core technology, social impact, and the ability to scale up to international markets. SK Group is one of the large corporations, actively participating in supporting the Vietnam startup ecosystem in particular and the region in general. Programs like SKSF give startups many opportunities and motivation to continue on the path that the startup has chosen.” Mr. Le Hoang Thach – CEO of WeWe Technology JSC (Voiz FM) looks back on the 6-month mentoring journey of SKSF 2021 “The Mentoring Program of SKSF 2021 is very special with the companionship of 2 mentors: a Vietnamese mentor with management experience for domestic market and an SK Group mentor with a perspective of international market. During the 6-month journey of mentoring, Voiz FM has accumulated a lot of knowledge, skills and changed multidimensional perspectives, sharpened thinking in approaching, analyzing and evaluating problems to come up with correct business decisions. We not only applied them to manage our company with a typical Vietnamese environment, but also prepared for future plans to reach out to the international market.”

Who are Top 4 excellent startups of SKSF 2021, Bach#2?

After the competition of startups, the Board of Judges selected Top 4 excellent startups to award the top prizes of SKSF 2021. Ms.Truong Ly Hoang Phi, member of The Board of Judges SKSF 2021, shared “Top startup SKSF this year has the equal capacity. They have clear products and business models. Some startups know what they need. And all startups have strong teams to complement each other and It is also one of the things that makes The Board of Judges difficult to choose the Top 4. To talk about the Top 4 this year, I’m quite satisfied with the results. I see that most of them have made impressive initial steps, in addition to preparing to be able to scale up strongly in the near future. About the remaining Top 8, they are all excellent. I think each program has its own criteria, the fact that they are in the Top startup of this year’s program is an affirmation that their business models are very potential. In addition, I think with the potential of SK Group, it is always ready to connect the alumni network so that they can support each other in the near future.”

The top 4 SKSF 2021 named the startups that received the highest award of the program as a grant of 50,000 USD/startup:

• VAIS (Vietnam Artificial Intelligence Solutions): VAIS builds core AI engines which help computers to understand human speech and natural languages. On top of the core engines, VAIS makes products that improve human productivity and creativity.
• WeWe Technology JSC (Voiz FM): WeWe Technology JSC is the owner of Voiz FM, the leading pay-for-knowledge audio platform in Vietnam. Currently, we’re anchoring in audiobooks while still expanding our portfolio into other formats, such as podcast, pod-course, pod-series, sleep aid.
• GIMO: Aimed at serving millions of underbanked Vietnamese working people, Gimo offers Earned Waged Access (EWA) service that is transparent and provides users with instant access to their earned income ahead of a scheduled payday.
• Umbalena: an educational application to nurture the love of reading and enhance the reading culture of Vietnamese children from 2 to 6 years old.

The consolation prize is a grant of USD 26,000 that belongs to VIFO: a SaaS platform to connect and provide full-scale solutions for all insurance stakeholders at once.

The remaining startups receiving grants of 16,000 USD per startup include: Otrafy, Palexy, Veritas, Med247, Nam Tuoi Cuoi (Smiling Mushroom), CyHome, Phenikaa Maas.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Quan Co-Founder & CEO of GIMO shared his feelings right after Demo Day “All Top13 SKSF 2021 are very talented, so the competition taking place at Demo Day is really competitive. Personally, I think GIMO was lucky to be in the Top 4 so my feelings right now are exciting!”

Demo Day closes the 6-month acceleration journey of Top startup SKSF 2021 with the values that startups receive even higher than grant awards: knowledge from intensive training sessions; real combat experience shared among alumni; the sharp product thinking and business acumen from mentors; strategic vision and global thinking in business orientation; valuable relationships in the Startup Ecosystem of Vietnam and the region.

SK Startup Fellowship (SKSF) is a startup program run by the SK group, which is the third-largest conglomerate in Korea. In 2021, the program continues its second batch with 13 startups. After an intensive 6 months of training, workshops, and mentoring sessions, all startups will present their best at the Final Demo Day on 11 Nov 2021.

It is our pleasure to welcome you to join with our startup fellows on the Final Demo Day.

Register

Ho Chi Minh City, 26th October 2021

On 11/11/2021, SK Group will organize a Demo Day event for SK Startup Fellowship 2021 (SKSF 2021). Top startups in SKSF Batch#2 has gone through a 6-month intensive training with experts, 1:1 mentoring with Vietnamese and international mentors . At the Demo Day event, startups will have a heated competition in showcasing their innovative business models in front of the Board of Judges including Investors, Venture Capital Funds, Entrepreneurs and Leading Experts. With sharp and comprehensive perspectives, the Board of Judges will assess and select the Top 4 to receive grants worth $50,000/startup. So which startups will be selected for the Top 4 in SKSF Batch#2? To know the answer, SK Group is pleased to welcome the startup ecosystem in Vietnam and interested guests to participate in Demo Day event of SKSF Batch#2 on 11/11/2021.

Why you shouldn’t miss the Demo Day of SKSF 2021?

The top startups of SKSF 2021 cover a wide range of industries such as  MedTech, FinTech, EduTech, AgriTech. Startups have shown their ability to catch up with the global trends by investing in R&D, and successfully exporting to the global market, such as alternative protein technology from mushrooms of Nấm Tươi Cười (Smiling Mushroom). Besides Nam Tuoi Cuoi, Otrafy is also very quick in responding to the Vietnam market by developing cutting edge technology solutions for the food industry supply chain. Its mission is to utilize Vietnam as the center stage to penetrate deeply into the Southeast Asia market. Overall, the Top startups have proven their sustainability and strength with a unique and innovative business model, and a mindset of developing global products with scalability.

The Top startups have spent over 6 months sharpening their business model with training activities such as Corporate Financial Management by KPMG, Pitching with investors by BSSC. More than that, the Board of mentors in the program, who have mentored and supported the startups throughout the past 6 months includes Vietnamese and international experts with many years of experience in business, technology and business globalization. Mentoring activities covered 1:1 in-depth mentoring for the startups, connecting them with the Vietnam Startup Ecosystem, creating a foundation for the startups to improve and develop a scalable business model.

The next highlight of the Demo Day event is the Board of Judges, which includes 4 leading experts in the Vietnam Startup Ecosystem. SK Group also emphasized that the Judges are the pioneers in building and developing support and investment programs for innovative startups in Vietnam and possesses 10 to 20 years of experience in the Vietnam innovation ecosystem. With diverse experience and expertise from many positions such as investors, venture capital fund managers, successful entrepreneurs of leading Vietnamese and international corporations, the Board of Judges is expected to have profound comments/ feedbacks on each business model of Top startups in SKSF Batch #2.

At SKSF Demo Day 2021, Mr. Le Hong Minh – Founder and General Director of VNG, Vietnam’s first unicorn startup, will have an Open Keynote session. His sharing is expected to focus not only on creating value but also brings deep insights for the Top startups. This would be a great opportunity for them to learn directly from Mr. Le Hong Minh, a leading speaker at many prestigious international conferences such as the World Economic Forum and Vietnam M&A Forum.

After a 6-month acceleration journey, Top startups have been equipped with profound strategies, effective tactics and experience to succeed in the market. All of them are eager to present and showcase their startup at Demo Day of SKSF 2021.Register for the SKSF Demo Day 2021 taking place on 11/11/2021 via this link https://skstartupfellowship.vn/sksf-2021-demo-day-registration/

HCMC, 06 May 2021

On the afternoon of May 6th, 2021, SK Group held Orientation Day to officially welcome the

TOP 13 startups and kick off the SKSF program in 2021.

As shared by SK Group, the 2nd batch of SKSF received close to 200 applications, more than three times the number of applications received last year. This demonstrated the strong interest in the program from the Vietnam startup ecosystem. It should also be noted that the program clearly identified selection criteria, especially in the sectors and development stage, which helped to set expectations and attract the right applicants. It was observed that startups in batch #2 were just as outstanding as Batch#1.

What’s outstanding about Top 13?

Startups in Top 13 SKSF 2021 come from a wide range of sectors such as mobility, healthcare, medtech, fintech, edutech, AI/deep-tech, etc. Despite the difference in sectors, most startups share the same vision of creating a positive social impact with their products/ solutions. Such examples are GoDee, Busmap, Smiling Mushroom, Med247, Umbalena… to name a few. Indeed, social impact is a new but no less crucial criterion for SKSF to select this year’s fellows.

Another outstanding feature of Top 13 is their founding team. SKSF 2021 welcomes not just local founders but also Vietnamese who have studied and worked abroad, and even those seeking opportunities in a foreign land. A good mix among local and international talents in batch #2 is something rarely seen in other startup programs or accelerators. It’s also interesting to observe the recent shift where Vietnamese founders like Thong Do from Palexy or Truong Do from VAIS are bringing the technology and the expertise they acquired from their time abroad to launch their business in Vietnam. When done right, these startups could form a strong competitive advantage where they combine the world’s advanced technology with local insight. Looking ahead, this shift shows that Vietnam is becoming a startup hub for both local and international talents. 

Interestingly, Top 13 had two approaches in their business development which are “start from Vietnam then go global”; and “start globally then entering Vietnam”. In the first approach, the startups had strong R&D capabilities, especially in trendy sectors such as foodtech. When the world is moving towards alternative food, one startup in SKSF 2021, Emmay, is getting ready to export their fungi-based meat globally. In the second approach, the startups showed a high adaptation to the local market when bringing new technology or solutions from the world to Vietnam. Such examples include GoDee and Otrafy. These startups also believe that Vietnam could be a launchpad for them to penetrate into the Southeast Asian market.

Coming to the program this year, Top 13 express both expectation and appreciation for the values tailored for them, such as mentoring, networking with SK Group and local business, access to the experts and investors in SK Group’s ecosystem. At Orientation Day, Mr. Tuan Truong, Founder & CEO of Med247 shared the reason they joined SK Startup Fellowship 2021: ”We believe Med247 would be able to connect and build a relationship with mentors, experts, and other alumni who could support Med247 in our development journey and creating a good impact on society through the program”

SKSF 2021 expects to bring more value and build strong networks for the startups. Orientation Day is the start of the Top 13’s journey in the program this year. They will continue to have intensive training programs from SKSF partners such as KPMG, BSSC, Nextrans; and in-depth networking sessions with the key players in the startup ecosystem in Vietnam and the region. The Top 13 will also have the opportunity to participate in Vietnam Startup Day 2021 which is one of the largest startup events in Southeast Asia hosted by BSSC. SKSF 2021 will end with the Demo Day event in October 2021. During the DemoDay, each startup will pitch in front of investors/judges and the Top 4 team will be selected to receive a no-equity grant worth $ 50,000 per startup; the other 9 startups would each receive a grant worth $ 16,000. 

Top 13 SK Startup Fellowship 2021, Batch#2

Ho Chi Minh City, March 9, 2021

It is without doubt that the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 has caused tremendous challenges in international trade and business development all over the world. Despite that, the Vietnam startup ecosystem has welcomed good news in the beginning of 2021. SK Group, the third largest conglomerate in Korea, has officially kicked off the second batch of SK Startup Fellowship Program in 2021. This has demonstrated a strong and long-term commitment of SK Group towards its investment and social responsibility in Vietnam. 

SK Startup Fellowship Program (SKSF) has the mission to discover high potential early-stage startups and provide them with grant and in-kind support. At the same time, the Program strives to build a long-lasting relationship with all the startups alumni. For the second batch in 2021, SKSF aims to source and select 12 finalist startups who have raised less than $3 million in total funding. The 12 finalists would all receive grants (non-equity funds) from SKSF, with the top 4 receiving $50,000 each and the other 8 startups receiving $16,000 each. Beside grant, all finalists would receive in-kind support from SKSF and its partners throughout the 6 months of the Program, including training on financial management from KPMG, training on Investor Pitching from BSSC, 1on1 mentoring, workshop with Vietnam businesses, networking activities with the startup ecosystem. More importantly, the finalists would have the chance to connect with SK Group and its subsidiaries over 40 countries to explore opportunities for further business development. SK Group has future plans to invite SKSF finalists and alumni for a tour at SK Group’s facilities in Korea and meet up with top management, this has clearly demonstrated the Group’s goodwill in building strong relationships with the Vietnam startups.

SK Startup Fellowship 2021 also welcomes a local Program Partner – Business Startup Support Center (BSSC), to bring more benefits for the startups, particularly in connecting with the local business ecosystem. The 12 finalists would get exclusive offers from BSSC to participate in Startup Day 2021 – one of the largest and most intensive startup exhibition events in Southeast Asia. At Startup Day, the startups would pitch with more than 500 investors / VCs, showcase their technology and products/services, as well as approach 15,000 potential customers and business partners.

The SK Startup Fellowship 2021, Batch#2 is now open for Vietnamese startups across all fields, with priority given to startups applying technology to solve social problems. Vietnamese startups in the early stage or post seed stage with products and revenues are all welcomed to apply for the program. Hi-tech startups holding a service/product related patent(s) will be eligible to participate even without the revenue requirements.

Application for SKSF 2021 details are as follows:

• Application form: https://skstartupfellowship.com/apply 
• Deadline: 24 Mar 2021