The NVIDIA Inception program is a free startup acceleration initiative that offers young businesses access to cutting-edge technology, potential investors, and the latest technical resources from NVIDIA and FPT. Notably, the program supports all stages of a startup’s life cycle, providing tailored assistance for each phase of a company’s development.
On the occasion of officially introducing the program at the Startup Empowerment event, Dr. Ettikan Kandasamy Karuppiah – Technologist/Director of NVIDIA, Dr. Tran Minh Quan – Senior Developer Technologist at NVIDIA, and Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Minh – Deputy General Director of FPT Smart Cloud shared insights on the opportunities and development orientations for the Vietnamese startup community. The event also featured the participation of Mr. Do Tuan – CTO of N2TP Joint Stock Company and Mr. Tran Quang Duc – CEO of AI HAY. These two representatives of successful Vietnamese startups have benefited from the NVIDIA Inception program.
What motivates NVIDIA to actively expand its international startup network in Vietnam? And what are the key factors that make Vietnam an attractive destination for NVIDIA in this field?
Dr. Ettikan Kandasamy Karuppiah: Recognizing AI as a pivotal key to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, NVIDIA has long been committed to partnering with governments in developing national AI strategies by supporting technology research and mastery and fostering the growth of the business community in this field. From 2016 to the present, NVIDIA has successfully incubated an ecosystem of over 19,000 AI startups.
By choosing to expand our AI startup network in Vietnam, NVIDIA aims to attract more startups, especially potential technology startups in the country. The cases of N2TP and AI HAY testify to the significant success potential of Vietnamese tech startups with NVIDIA Inception’s support. Particularly, with the partnership of a large technology company like FPT, NVIDIA is confident in assisting and supporting more projects and startups in Vietnam.
Dr. Ettikan Kandasamy Karuppiah shares NVIDIA’s desire to invest in Vietnamese startups
Dr. Tran Minh Quan: Vietnam is one of the top four countries in the ASEAN region and among the top 50 countries globally in AI research, development, and application. This environment is considered highly promising for startups in this field. The stable economy, rapidly growing ecosystem, favorable startup environment, and support from government policies and large enterprises enable AI startups to thrive. A little extra push is all it takes for Vietnamese startups to accelerate their progress in this race. NVIDIA is honored to collaborate with FPT in bringing this fantastic support opportunity to the country’s young business community.
What is your assessment of Vietnamese AI startups and the market? What are the main advantages of Vietnamese startups in the AI market?
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Minh: Mr. Jensen Huang, the founder of NVIDIA, once said that the next ten years would be the era of AI explosion. Artificial intelligence will permeate every aspect of life and transform the entire working process and everything we have. Currently, we are only taking the first steps in AI application, and so I am very optimistic about the potential of the Vietnamese market. The Vietnamese startup market is dynamic and full of surprises. For example, N2TP has accomplished remarkable feats in just three years, implementing its solutions in 45 hospitals despite being a young startup.
Like NVIDIA, I believe that the strongest asset of the Vietnamese is the capability of our developers, especially in the field of technology and engineering. When I go abroad, I see that our AI applications are not inferior at all. A prime example is FPT.AI, which is now expanding into Indonesia, the Philippines, and soon, Japan. Vietnamese have a remarkable ability to adapt quickly to new technologies, especially AI. In the next three to five years, the Vietnamese AI market will undoubtedly explode with the startups we see excelling today.
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Minh believes that Vietnamese startups possess excellent capabilities and have great potential for development
Dr. Ettikan Kandasamy Karuppiah: In the future, opportunities and potential for tech startups will continue to grow as we attract more foreign investments. Both investors and startups have their unique advantages, and expanding the network to connect investors with startups will create synergistic benefits for both parties.
What are the secrets to a startup’s success, and how can they make the most of the program’s support?
Mr. Do Tuan: The most critical success secret for N2TP is staying updated with the latest research from universities worldwide, not just businesses. Due to the specific nature of the biotechnology industry, we spend half of our time reading numerous research papers and studies from universities before developing our products. This approach gives us a comprehensive overview of global trends, allowing us to modify and adapt ideas to suit the Vietnamese market.
N2TP has been part of the program since 2021. Back then, most people had no idea about Generative AI, especially its application in protein research. Fortunately, I was introduced to the NVIDIA Inception program and received NVIDIA’s Cloud Credit support, gaining access to their vast research repository. Although our team initially lacked programming skills, we learned and created applicable AI models. Finally, the annual AI conference – NVIDIA GPU Technology Conference (GTC) for global developers helped us understand our position in the world and our next steps.
Mr. Tran Quang Duc: AI HAY’s success lies in two critical factors. First is our talented team of about 30 people with a deep understanding of technology, products, and content distribution for end-users. Second, we have “awesome” partners like NVIDIA and Google. We maintain a win-win relationship, collaborating and growing together. These two strengths enable AI HAY to move faster and more confidently, knowing that our path ahead is clear, and we will persist.
With their potential and the support of large corporations like FPT and NVIDIA, the Vietnamese startup community is expected to achieve many breakthroughs, helping Vietnam make its mark on the global AI map with AI solutions bearing Vietnamese sovereignty in the coming years.
Sign up for the FPT and NVIDIA startup program here.
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