Vietnam’s accelerator ThinkZone has announced the list of top five startups that are slated to receive an investment of $250,000. Meanwhile, Japan’s Hiroshima Venture Capital has launched a JPY1 billion ($9.3 million) fund that will invest in local startups and small to medium-sized enterprises.
Vietnam’s ThinkZone invests $250k in top 5 startups
Vietnam’s accelerator ThinkZone has announced the list of top five startups that are slated to receive an investment of $250,000 and other support packages from large corporates.
According to an announcement, these startups come from a variety of verticals including manufacturing, healthcare, and edtech.
Top 5 startups will receive a $50,000 each from ThinkZone, with a 3-month acceleration programme.
During the programme, the startups will be connected to ThinkZone’s network of experts and successful founders from Silicon Valley, receiving office-hour to boost their business metrics.
Top 5 startups that receive investment are iSalon, an application for spa scheduling, hair care, hair advice and discounts for customers on off-peak hours; Bluecare, a platform that allows users to schedule home health-care services for babies; and Housecare, a household tasks support platform. The two others are Hachium, a SaaS platform that helps professionals, teachers, schools create an online training system; and Airiot, a compact IoT product that applies Big Data to sensor and analyze data of electricity consumption in home appliances.
“Our goal is to help the startups with comprehensive support packages, so that they can save up to billions VND of expenses. These resources become even more significant in the context that startups need a lot of support to overcome the difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic”, said Catalina Catana, Head of ThinkZone Accelerator.
In February, we reported that ThinkZone is seeking to raise a $30-million venture capital fund focused on tech startups in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
The fund, ThinkZone Ventures, is expected to close by the first half of this year. It will focus on investing across industries such as logistics, supply chain, medtech, fintech, edtech, agritech, proptech and AI.
Japan’s Hiroshima Venture Capital launches $9.3m fund
Japan’s Hiroshima Venture Capital has launched a JPY1 billion ($9.3 million) fund that will invest in local startups and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), according to an announcement.
Called HVC No.2 Investment Limited Partnership, this vehicle targets investments in new technologies/new business models, venture startups and SMEs that may go public.
The firm said that the new vehicle aims to enhance the corporate value of the investee.
Established in 1995 Hiroshima Venture Capital has operated 12 venture capital funds so far.
