Dinh Tuan Anh – Outstanding Participant at the Social Impact Innovative Start-up Training Course.

After six sessions, the Social Impact Innovative Start-up training classes under the Startup Impact Training Programme concluded successfully. With the participation of lecturers, guest speakers, and more than 100 participants from diverse professions, fields, and positions, the programme attracted not only innovative start-up enterprises but also projects at the idea stage or at more advanced stages. All were encouraged to register, provided they offered solutions or orientations contributing to one or more Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) being implemented by the United Nations in Vietnam.

The lecturers included:

Mr Phan Dinh Tuan Anh – Founder of Angels 4 Us, Vice Chairman of the National Innovative Start-up Advisory Council – VSMA.
Ms Nguyen Dang Tuan Minh – Expert in digital enterprise management and innovative start-ups, IPP trainer.

Guest speakers included:

Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Journalist Pham Ngoc Tuan – Editor-in-Chief of Business Forum Magazine, Deputy Head of the Organizing Committee of the National Start-up Programme.
PhD Dam Quang Thang – General Director of Agricare Vietnam Co., Ltd., Expert in Innovative Start-ups, Chairman of the National Start-up Advisory Council – VSMA.

It is known that the eligibility requirement for participation in the training course was being under 35 years old and having an idea/project/enterprise related to innovative start-ups creating social impact. In addition, the training regulations were clearly stipulated: participants were required to attend all sessions of the course, with absence permitted for no more than one session due to special reasons and with approval from the Organizing Committee; keep cameras on during class; attend sessions on time as required by the Organizing Committee and be ready to engage and complete assignments; choose a quiet environment with minimal external disturbance and stable internet connection; submit reports and provide feedback to the Organizing Committee at the end of the course; and especially commit to continuing the implementation of their ideas/projects/enterprises after the course, with projects aimed at sustainable development and positive social impact.

The training course was organized with the objective of supporting projects that aim to build and refine business models for innovative start-ups creating social impact, thereby generating positive impacts on the environment and local communities, and creating livelihoods for vulnerable groups such as women, ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, the elderly, unemployed individuals, or those with low income nationwide.

Mr Phan Dinh Tuan Anh and Ms Nguyen Dang Tuan Minh delivered sessions on understanding fundamental concepts (What is an impact start-up? Types/methods of creating impact? What is sustainability in impact start-ups? etc.), the Youth Co: Lab programme and the significance of the UNDP Sustainable Development Goals to the start-up community and society, and analyzing and outlining the target customer profile that participating projects aim to serve (What is your idea/solution? Whom does it serve? What problem does it solve? Which SDG target does it address?). In addition, guest speakers shared highly practical and valuable content with participants. At the end of the course, participants who completed all sessions were awarded certificates.

From Lac Hong University, participants included PhD Nguyen Van Tan – Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration - International Economics and Head of the Start-up Training Division of Lac Hong University, and Dinh Tuan Anh, a student from the Faculty of Mechatronics and Electronics, whose “Electric Wheelchair” project recently won First Prize at the EPICS Competition. They attended the training course with the aim of gaining further experience and practical knowledge, as well as promptly grasping orientations and visions for developing ideas, directions, and sustainable innovative start-up goals in the future.

With the “Electric Wheelchair” project, Tuan Anh was selected by the Organizing Committee as an outstanding participant. During the course, he shared about his project, presented his personal views on the training programme, and outlined his future plans. He found the course highly interesting and beneficial, particularly the content on market size measurement (using methods such as Facebook, Google, TAM/SAM/SOM, bottom-up approach), especially the sections on customer surveys and interviews to evaluate and update the business model. He also received additional knowledge and skills from experts and CEOs. From this experience, Tuan Anh has gained further confidence and experience to continue participating in competitions and pursuing his own aspirations.