ThinkZone Ventures And TNB Aura's Accelerator Program To Help Startups Grow Locally, Globally

Vietnam’s largest local-sourced VC firm ThinkZone Ventures has partnered with the leading VC firm in Southeast Asia TNB Aura Vietnam Scout, to co-invest, mentor, and support Vietnamese tech startups through the Global Minds Accelerator (GMA) program. Its mission is to foster generations of successful Vietnamese startups in the global markets.

The GMA program invests in 5-7 tech startups per batch in the early go-to-market stage with the potential to expand globally in the future.

There’s a reason why Vietnam ranked the 5th best country for startups in Southeast Asia and 54th worldwide. One of those is having programs such as GMA that help boost the opportunities for every idea to grow.

Throughout the 2-month accelerator program, ThinkZone Ventures will utilize its extensive local resources to help startups penetrate and achieve high growth in the Vietnamese market. Similarly, TNB Aura Vietnam Scout will provide startups with insights into successful business models and strategies for effective market expansion regionally.

Through the guidance of TNB Aura Vietnam Scout, from the early stages, startups can leverage their profiles and raise funds more conveniently in their next rounds.

Joe Zhang, principal at TNB Aura Vietnam Scout, said they are excited to be further involved in supporting the Vietnam startup ecosystem by providing close mentorship and investment into top local founders early in their journey.

“Vietnam presents a compelling opportunity in the region, and we look forward to combining our thesis-driven insights and capabilities with ThinkZone Ventures in the GMA program,” Joe added.

Meanwhile, ThinkZone Ventures has consistently focused on pre-seed to Series A tech startups from diverse verticals, with investment sizes up to $3 million. In the past, they have invested in EMDDI, eJoy, GIMO, Edupia, and Fundiin.

Do Bui, founding partner & CEO of ThinkZone Ventures, said in a press statement that despite the incoming fundraising winter when startups are facing more difficulties in raising funds, “ThinkZone Ventures and TNB Aura Vietnam Scout still commit to providing startups with our funding and support resources to grow and overcome the period."

Here’s a quick drop of resources and support ThinkZone and TNB Aura will provide in helping startups grow:

Direct Investment: Startups will receive at least $125,000 from ThinkZone Ventures and TNB Aura Vietnam Scout, with the possibility of further investments, dependent on business performances demonstrated throughout the program. This funding is notably the largest across other accelerator programs in Vietnam, given the possible incoming "Fundraising Winter" when other VCs are anticipated to limit their investment activities.

Local & Practical Know-how: The GMA advisory board consists of C-level leaders from leading startups, corporations, and VCs in Vietnam and the region, including Finhay (CEO), Money Lover (CEO), Appota (COO), eWTP Capital (Country Head), Vietnam Investment Group (Head of Technology Investment), etc. Besides providing advisory and mentorship, these industry leaders are also potential angel investors in the program.

Partner Connection: ThinkZone Ventures and TNB Aura Vietnam Scout will connect startups with local and regional corporations (FPT Telecom, G-Group, Sumitomo, etc.), startup-support institutions (NIC, JETRO, KOTRA, InnoLab, etc.), which are open to connecting and exploring partnership potential with the startups.

Support Packages: $300,000+ support packages of products and services from a network of ThinkZone Ventures partners, including AWS, Google Could Platform, Mixpanel, Stripe, FPT Play, Vietnambiz, and others, to support startups reduce billions of VNDs of operation expenses, sales & marketing costs, legal consultation fees, etc.

Global Minds Accelerator will be a leverage for startups' growth not only in Vietnam but also in the international markets.

If you’re a startup founder, here’s your chance to enter the country’s largest accelerator program. You have until tomorrow to pitch!