TECHFEST Vietnam 2015

Despite the recognition of the economic and social value which technology entrepreneurs create, little attention has been paid to developing a strong startup ecosystem in Vietnam so far. Such a view is held by Dr Pham Hong Quat, Director General of the National Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Development (NATEC), the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam. In order to support new technological projects, the Agency has decided to organise TECHFEST 2015, an event for tech startups. It will be part of the programme of the annual Science and Technology Week. In order to provide clear information about TECHFEST, we would like to offer you a short Q&A session.

Q&A: TECHFEST 2015

When and where will the event take place?

Between 15–17 May at Vietnam National University.

Who else supports it?

The event is a collaborative project between the National Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Development (NATEC), hub.IT, Tech In Asia, Hatch! Program and the Founder Institute.

What are the objectives of TECHFEST?

There are 2 main objectives of the event: 

1. to create a fun startup event in which technology startups could easily approach potential customers, technology experts, investors, business accelerators and media partners;
   
2. to attract 2000 visitors and become a well-known annual startup event.
   

Who can participate?

The event is open for technology and startup experts, startups, startup support agencies (incubators, accelerators), investors, potential startup clients and media companies. There are also invited some representatives from the governmental institutions, students and other people interested in technologies and startups.

What kind of activities will be there?

TECHFEST offers the following activities:  

More detailed information on the event agenda can be found here. 

Why is it worth participating in TECHFEST? 

On the official event website, there is an informative Q&A session on the benefits of participation in the event for different groups. We would like to outline the most important points. 

The biggest participation benefits for startups, according to the organisers, are the following: 

1. an opportunity to interact with potential customers and test your product-market fit, 
   
2. 1-on-1 meetings with investors / business partners,
   
3. useful information from international keynote speakers and workshops, 
   
4. local and international media coverage and 
   
5. a chance to pitch in the Startup Idol Competition.

The organisers promise startup support agencies that out of participation in TECHFEST they would get:

1. an opportunity to interact with potential customers, 
2. useful contacts with investors and other startup support agencies with prospect of partnership,
   
3. an opportunity to consult on how to develop the startup ecosystem in Vietnam as well as
   
4. media exposure. 

Finally, investors could also benefit from given opportunities:

1. 1-on-1 meetings with chosen startups, 
2. gala dinner with Vietnamese policy makers and
   
3. assistance on deal flows.
   

More information on TECHFEST 2015 can be found on the official event website.

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The author of this text is Birute Birgelyte, PR and Communications Trainee at Startup Commons. You are free to re-edit and repost this in your own blog or other use under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License terms by giving credit with a link to www.startupcommons.org and the original post.