On July 12, the American Center Hanoi hosted “A Conversation between the U.S. Ambassador and 2016 GIST TECH-I Pitch Competition First Place Winner Dao Xuan Hoang”. Through multiple rounds of competitions against over 1,000 applicants from over 100 countries, in June, Dao Xuan Hoang, founder of Monkey Junior, a language teaching app, emerged as the 1st place winner of the Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) Tech-I Competition at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Silicon Valley.
Ambassador Osius interviewed Hoang on his successful entrepreneurial journey and his experience at GES. Over 100 entrepreneurs, investors, and donors attended the event. The audience eagerly asked Hoang questions, including advice on early childhood education and language acquisition and tips on how to successfully establish a startup in Vietnam.
American Center Hanoi supports Vietnamese entrepreneurs at different stages of their startup development, either as a student, a budding entrepreneur, a seasoned entrepreneur or an investor. Our programs range from Smithsonian Entrepreneur Incubator course for budding entrepreneurs; the Ambassador’s Entrepreneurship Challenge to boost startup projects through seed funding, mentorship, training and a scholarship; and many MOOC courses. To build a sustainable growth of the innovative ecosystem in Vietnam, in September, we are sending 10 startup investors to the U.S. for a 10 day study tour to learn how to invest in startups to build a sustainable with native-grown investors. The American Center Hanoi has developed a reputation as the place to gain support on entrepreneurship.
