Young people from Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand are invited to take part in the ‘Start-up Francophone 2018’ competition, which will open from March to September.

Last year, ‘TrueStack’ team from Foreign Trade University in Ha Noi won the first prize in the competition with their original idea of creating a platform to help startups find funding and develop their products. (Photo courtesy of AUF)

The University of Ha Noi and l’Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (Francophone University Association, AUF) in Asia-Pacific have jointly launched the competition targeting youth under 35, studying or having graduated from AUF member universities in Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.

The contest is also organised by the alumni network of the French Vietnamese Centre of Management, and Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship-National Economics University.

The competition aims to create links between the academic world and socio-economic actors in the region, as well as to reward innovative business projects by French-speaking students and young graduates. It allows young participants to benefit from experts’ support.

Registration is open until March 31. Online registration form is available at https://goo.gl/forms/QXn53MDBmwZNcDDK2.

In July, individuals or groups of individuals with the 20 best business ideas will get the opportunity to participate in a training workshop on business foundation to perfect their business plan. They will also have the opportunity to participate in start-up visits, seminars and discussions with professional experts who will lend their rich expertise to setting up business projects.

The top four teams will compete in a regional final in Ha Noi, scheduled for late September. They will present their business plan to a jury of entrepreneurs. The first prize of the contest is 1,000 euros (1,230 US$), the second prize is 500 euros (620 US$) and the third 250 euros (310 US$). The winners will get the chance to do internships in French-speaking companies in the region, and meet French and Vietnamese investors.

The competition was organised for the first time in 2017 by the Foreign Trade University (FTU) in partnership with AUF. In the 2017 final, FTU’s TrueStack team beat three competitors to win the first prize with their original idea of creating a platform to help start-ups find funding and develop their products.

(Source: VNS)