The United States Mission to Vietnam is pleased to announce a competition to encourage Vietnamese youth to think entrepreneurially and further the development of a Vietnamese entrepreneurial ecosystem that we’re calling “The Ambassador’s Entrepreneurship Challenge” (AEC). Students and budding entrepreneurs are invited to compete for support of the best ideas, first regionally – centered in Hanoi, Da Nang and HCMC – and then nationally.
- Regional winners can find their own mentors or request for help to find mentors through the U.S. Embassy’s network or from the alumni network of University of Hawaii’s Vietnam Executive MBA Program (VEMBA).
- Before competing in front of judges, investors and incubators, the regional winners will attend a fully-funded 2-day workshop to prepare for the national competition.
- Three winners of the national competition will receive seed funding ($1,000 for the 1st Prize, $750 for the 2nd Prize, and $500 for the 3rd Prize), which will be held by their chosen incubators to help move their ventures forward!
- The winning team’s leader will be offered a $5,000-scholarship from VEMBA.
HOW IT WORKS
Teams of 2-5 students and budding entrepreneurs must create a brief and succinct description – maximum of two pages in length – of the startup or social entrepreneurial idea that demonstrates the essential skills for bringing an idea to life: entrepreneurship, creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, language ability, and presentation skills. Videos of not more than 3 minutes in length are also welcome. Please register here.
RULES
At least fifty percent of the team members must be Vietnamese citizens. The plan must be new – no existing businesses allowed! One entry per team! Be innovative. Be visionary.
