TAOstartup: Supporting Startups From The Ground Up

TAOStartup is a dynamic and community-driven non-profit organization that has been at the forefront of supporting the growth of tech startups in Vietnam. Established in 2016, the organization's primary mission is to foster a robust and vibrant startup ecosystem throughout the country. Through a comprehensive array of initiatives, TAOstartup Vietnam empowers budding entrepreneurs with networking opportunities, education, access to capital, and invaluable mentorship. By offering these essential resources and unwavering support, TAOStartup is elevating Vietnam's status as a compelling destination for both enterprising innovators and forward-thinking investors. With that, why don’t you join me in learning more about TAOStartup with its Founder and CEO, Long Tran.

Can you tell us about the inspiration behind starting TAOStartup? How did your previous experience with certain companies influence your motivation to create TAOStartup?

Back in 2016, Vietnam was starting to develop its startup ecosystem. This was fueled by the government in an attempt to transform Vietnam into a startup powerhouse. I’m based in Hanoi, and the startup community here is mostly motivated by profit instead of knowledge and experience. This was the time I had an idea to build a real community for tech startups. One of which put profit second and knowledge and experience first. It would be a community of people willing to share their knowledge and experience with one another, not only in Vietnam but in other parts of the world as well. This was where TAOStartup was born.

After graduating university in Vietnam, I worked for a reseller of Alibaba. This reseller focused on selling e-commerce stores in Alibaba for export companies, which was my first time encountering the tech industry. This made me curious about the tech industry and how Vietnam had the potential to emulate that of other tech companies abroad.  

What sets TAOStartup apart from other tech-startup community incubators in Asia?

We focus on the growth, development, and scaling of our very own startups: Vietnam’s startups. We do this by hosting networking events, business matchings, relationship building, and giving access to funding and mentors. We believe that the key to birthing successful startups is through a strong community who can learn from each other and collaborate on projects, by focusing on internationalization to expand the reach beyond Vietnam by connecting them with international investors, partners, and mentors, and by focusing on positive impacts.

How does TAOStartup support aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage startups? What programs or resources do you offer to help them succeed?

One of the programs we offer is an accelerator program. This program is a 6-month program that provides startups with the resources they need to grow their businesses. The program includes mentorship, training, and access to funding. We also offer a seed fund. This fund provides funding to early-stage startups, it is designed to help startups get off the ground and start growing their businesses. We also have a mentorship program that matches startups with experienced mentors. The mentors provide guidance and support to startups as they grow their businesses. Finally, we host events and workshops that are designed to help startups learn and grow. The events cover a variety of topics, such as marketing, fundraising, and product development.

TAOStartup seems to be making a significant impact in the startup ecosystem. How did TAOStartup impact this ecosystem? 

The first startup matching we had was back in 2018. We were able to connect Vietnamese startups to 10 startups in Taiwan. After this, we slowly gained pace and started to hold more matchings and events. Eventually, we were able to match more than 20 startups locally to abroad. We were also able to work with the Korea IT Corporate Center to promote the K-Startup Grand Challenge in Vietnam in 2019.

Vietnam's startup ecosystem has been evolving rapidly. How do you envision the future of startups and entrepreneurship in Vietnam, and how does TAOStartup plan to contribute to that vision?

I envision the future of startups and entrepreneurship in Vietnam to be a vibrant and exciting one. The blockchain and gaming industries in the country are very big and in demand. Vietnamese people are very open and are very curious when it comes to technology. Potential startups in these industries have a very big potential in scaling in the country. I believe that Vietnam has the potential to become a major startup hub in Southeast Asia, and I am confident that TAOStartup can play a role in making that happen.

TAOStartup plans to contribute to this vision by providing startups with the resources and support they need to succeed. We will continue to offer our accelerator program, and continue to host events to connect startups and entrepreneurs in Vietnam and beyond. We also believe that the students of today hold very big potential in transforming the startup ecosystem here and further catapulting it as a major competitor in the world stage. As such, we are also in the works with partnering with universities in the country to help train students to be the founders of tomorrow.

Long Tran is the Founder and CEO of TAOstartup. Given his role, his primary task is to oversee company operations, build and maintain relationships, represent the company, and lead the company’s growth. Long Tran is a startup community builder in Vietnam and is committed to helping entrepreneurs and startup founders in Vietnam grow faster and more sustainable through sharing knowledge, experiences, and connecting them with each other. His ultimate goal is to grow the Vietnamese startup ecosystem and make it more competitive.

Visit www.techshake.asia if you would like to know and connect more with TAOstartup.