This is the sharing of Ms. Le Han Tue Lam, Executive Director of VinVentures Fund (Vingroup Corporation) about the direction and goals of the fund.

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“Multi-directional launch complex” promotes science and technology

- Information about the launch of VinVentures Investment Fund is creating great excitement in the startup community. However, there are also concerns that while both Vingroup and billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong are focusing on VinFast, will this investment decision be off track, madam?

There is definitely no deviation! The launch of VinVentures is part of Vingroup's consistent strategy to develop into a leading technology corporation in the region.

More importantly, VinFast itself is in the high-tech field, not simply a mechanical product like traditional cars. Therefore, investing in VinVentures, when successful, in addition to financial revenue, will also create a synergistic force to help VinFast take the lead in integrating breakthrough technologies into its vehicle lines. This will help increase the value and competitive advantage of VinFast electric vehicles in the market.

- But if it is simply investing in science and technology, is it necessary to establish VinVentures, because in fact Vingroup also has many funding funds for this field?

More precisely, VinVentures is the next effort of Vingroup and billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong personally in contributing to the creation of a "multi-directional launch pad complex" to promote the comprehensive development of science and technology in Vietnam and around the world, from research to application and commercialization.

Funds such as VinIF, VinFuture or Vingroup Science and Technology Scholarship all have their own missions, targeting different specific subjects, focusing on the research stage or having been applied in practice. Meanwhile, VinVentures was born to provide support for highly breakthrough technology startups to create conditions for innovative ideas to be realized into products and services for the market.

As a company that continuously starts up in various fields, especially high technology, Vingroup understands the difficulties of startups, especially in terms of capital in the initial stage. Without capital, many bold ideas can remain just ideas forever. Therefore, with our resources, we will support potential startups to soon "reap the fruit".

However, as an investment fund, VinVentures will have a different way of operating. We will buy shares in startups and become shareholders, instead of providing non-refundable funding.

- Aiming for such a big goal, the fund size of 150 million USD seems quite modest. What do you think?

150 million USD is just the initial figure, committed to be funded by billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong and Vingroup Corporation. This scale can be expanded further when the market develops strongly and we realize that there are many startups with real potential, which can bring high value to invest.

- Sitting in the hot seat of a large investment fund like VinVentures to "score" million-dollar startups, must be very stressful for you?

In fact, I am just a representative to run the fund's daily operations. All investment decisions of VinVentures will be personally approved by the founder, billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong.

In addition, VinVentures also has its own executive board consisting of many leading experts in the fields that the Fund targets, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Semiconductors, and Cloud Computing... This team of experts will evaluate and give advice on whether a startup is worth investing in or not.

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The door to cooperation is always open

- Besides capital, what are the differences and advantages of VinVentures compared to other investment funds?

VinVentures puts efficiency first. We target startups with great growth potential, clear products and good development. If we do not achieve the expected goals, we will consider changing the investment strategy.

However, the biggest difference and also the advantage of VinVentures lies in the value that the fund brings. That is connecting startups with Vingroup's technology ecosystem. This will be the ideal environment to evaluate and test the quality of startups' technology products and services before they are released to the market. At the same time, the Vingroup ecosystem will also be potential customers for startups.

In addition, with the resources of a leading corporation in Vietnam, we are ready to provide consulting when necessary and connect them with other partners to expand the market. This is a benefit and outstanding value that not many investment funds can bring today.

- As a young fund, does VinVentures have the capacity to choose the right potential startups to invest in and earn expected profits?

Although newly launched, VinVentures has inherited Vingroup’s strong investment portfolio. These are large, professional startups in the fields of security, energy, self-driving car technology, battery technology, etc. with large investment scales, up to tens of millions of USD per startup.

Vingroup's vision has been confirmed when some names in this investment portfolio have become unicorns, or are approaching unicorns (soonicorns), such as StoreDot (Israel), Prologium (Israel), AM Batteries (USA)... Therefore, if breakthrough technology startups do well, they have the opportunity to receive strong capital flows from VinVentures.

- Is VinVentures willing to cooperate with other funds to help potential startups take off?

VinVentures welcomes the participation of other funds. This is an important part of our strategy. For large deals, cooperating with quality funds to form an alliance or syndicate will help reduce risks for each party, increasing investment efficiency.

As a professional technology investment fund, with extensive cooperation experience inherited from Vingroup, and holding a deep portfolio, VinVentures easily finds a common voice with big names in the market. VinVentures is always ready to connect with funds that share the same interests to multiply the power of the investment, helping to increase opportunities and accelerate the success rate for startups.

Even if funds want to expand into new areas where VinVentures has strengths, we are open to cooperation. This is a practical way that VinVentures contributes to promoting the development of the startup ecosystem, thereby creating technology businesses in Vietnam and around the world.

Thien Lam (Performed)