Mentors are those who provide their valuable startup-related knowledge and advices, and financial aid, for young start-up lovers.

The Btaskee project developer presenting his plan in front of the jury board at the Startup Conference and Exhibition 2017 (SURF)

Currently, an advisory council of the Da Nang Entrepreneurship Support Company (DNES) comprises 6 members who are owners of large businesses in the city.  They include General Director of the BQ Shoe Company and Chairman of the local Young Entrepreneurs’ Association Phan Hai, Director of VinaCapital Da Nang Le Minh Phuc, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the DINCO company Le Truong Ky. 

Despite their involvement in different types of business, all of the council members have expertise in start-up skills. 

In particular, Director Phuc is giving useful advices for young start-up lovers involved in business management and development projects.  In addition, he is helping them contact domestic angle investors.  Meanwhile, Chairman Ky is helping the start-up lovers develop their own business plans and marketing strategies, as well as assisting them to attract venture investment.   

Ms Pham Thuy Lien, Director of DNES’s incubator programme, said that DNES is working closely with local entrepreneurs and start-up experts to organise up to 2 training courses for young start-up lovers every month.  In addition, many local businesspeople have taken the initiative to share their valuable start-up experience with those who show keen interest in start-up activities, as well as facilitated them to visit and learn about the operation of their companies.

23-year-old Pham Minh Cong, a former student from the city’s University of Science and Technology, is the developer of a project on automatic feeding trough for pigs.  His project has won many prizes at municipal, regional and national-level start-up contests.

Cong said that he met with Mr Phan Hai, General Director of the BQ Shoe Company and Chairman of the local Young Entrepreneurs Association, in a start-up contest in the city.  Mr Hai facilitated Cong to visit his company to learn about his business model by himself. 

A customer learning about Mojitok application created by Korean start-up lovers at SURF 2017

Mr Phan Hai said that his Young Entrepreneurs’ Association has offered numerous consultancy services for local young entrepreneurs over recent years.  In particular, the Association has cooperated with the University of Da Nang to organise the annual ‘Innovative Business Ideas’ contest since 2008.  To date, a total of over 40 students who participated in this contest, have become successful entrepreneurs in various aspects. 

Also, the Association’s young members have become actively involved in teaching at junior colleges and universities across the city, as well as giving career guidance to local students.

Director of VinaCapital Da Nang Phuc remarked that young start-up businesses always face many difficulties, especially a severe shortage of capital.  He, therefore, asked for help from the local authorities to issue a tax exemption or reduction policy for such businesses during the first years of their operation.

During his meeting on 24 September with young local start-up lovers, Deputy General Director of the VNPT Media Corporation Nguyen Van Tan encouraged them to develop start-up projects which can be based on his Corporation’s information technology infrastructure and its customer network. 

He added that VNPT’s science and technology fund is about 500 billion VND, and up to 400 billion VND can be annually granted from this fund to support project developers involving science and technology sector.  He affirmed that VNPT is willing to help young local start-up lovers to bring their feasibility projects to fruition.

In attempting to help young businesses to deal with their capital-related difficulties, the Young Entrepreneurs’ Association will provide financial assistance to developers of feasibility projects, and help them access the city’s preferential policies, in the years ahead, Mr Hai noted.