On the afternoon of December 11, 2025, at Vietnam National University, Hanoi (144 Xuan Thuy Street, Cau Giay District, Hanoi), the Center for Knowledge Transfer and Startup Support – Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) and the Innovation Startup Incubator jointly organized VNU Venture Day 2025. The event combined the Final Round of the RnD to Start-up 2025 Innovation Startup Competition and the Demo Day of startup projects incubated at the VNU Innovation Startup Incubator.
VNU Venture Day 2025 serves as a comprehensive networking platform connecting scientists, students, startups, investors, enterprises, and the startup support ecosystem, with the aim of promoting market-driven innovation and fostering the development of university-originated ventures.
RnD to Start-up 2025 – Green Transformation and Startups Toward Sustainable Development
In 2025, the RnD to Start-up Competition continues to be assigned by Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) to the Center for Knowledge Transfer and Startup Support for organization, under the theme “Green Transformation – Startups Toward Sustainable Development.”
The competition is designed to ignite creativity and passion for scientific research among young intellectuals; promote science and technology solutions for green transformation, circular economy, and clean production; create opportunities for the commercialization of research outcomes, inventions, and practical solutions; and identify and incubate high-potential startup projects from students and young researchers of VNU and across the country.
In 2025, the competition continued to attract broad participation from students, lecturers, and research groups from universities nationwide. The six finalist projects focus on key areas of sustainable development, including environmental technology and green energy, AI for resource management, IoT in smart manufacturing, eco-friendly advanced materials, low-carbon solutions, applied biotechnology, and health technologies, among others.
DemoDay 2025 – Where Research, Startups, and Investors Meet
A key highlight of VNU Venture Day 2025 is the integration of the Final Round of the R&D to Start-up Competition with the DemoDay of four startup projects currently incubated at the VNU Innovation Startup Incubator, including: Tinktalk – an AI-powered solution for communication skills training for enterprises; GeneSkin AI – a personalized skincare solution applying next-generation gene sequencing technology combined with artificial intelligence; Yumgo – a group food-ordering platform for university dormitories and office buildings; and Inflow – an AI agent platform specialized for the fresh food supply chain.
Tinktalk – an AI-powered solution for communication skills training for enterprises
GeneSkin AI – a personalized skincare solution applying next-generation gene sequencing technology combined with artificial intelligence
Yumgo – a group food-ordering platform for university dormitories and office buildings
Inflow – an AI agent platform specialized for the fresh food supply chain
At the DemoDay, startups will present their products, business models, and development roadmaps directly to investors, venture capital funds, entrepreneurs, and the innovation community. This is not only an opportunity for the projects to demonstrate their technological potential and commercialization capabilities, but also a chance to receive practical feedback, refine their models, and open up future collaboration and investment opportunities.
In addition, the audience will have the opportunity to hear challenging yet inspiring startup journeys of student-led ventures, shared by Mr. Tran Phi Long – Director of the VNU Innovation Startup Incubator.
Sharing by Mr. Tran Phi Long – Director of the VNU Innovation Startup Incubator
Speaking at the event, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Truong Ngoc Kiem, Director of the High-Tech Park and Innovation – Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) and Head of the Center for Knowledge Transfer and Startup Support, emphasized:
“VNU Venture Day marks a new step forward in VNU’s journey to promote innovation—where scientific research, startup ideas, and investment capital converge. We expect this event to become an annual platform to support high-potential projects in developing into real enterprises, contributing to the national startup ecosystem.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Truong Ngoc Kiem also noted that all projects reaching the Final Round of RnD to Start-up 2025 will be given the opportunity to participate in the 2026 incubation program of the VNU Innovation Startup Incubator, and to be connected with the VNU Alumni Entrepreneurs Club and partners to further refine their products, business models, and growth strategies.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Truong Ngoc Kiem, Director of the High-Tech Park and Innovation – Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU)
Ms. Kim Yen, representative of Sunwah Innovations in Hanoi, commented:
“The finalist teams of this year’s RnD to Start-up Competition have demonstrated remarkable maturity by effectively combining technology, business models, and market understanding—a quality that is rarely seen in many student startup competitions. In addition, their entrepreneurial spirit and problem-solving mindset are truly commendable. Several projects not only show strong commercial potential but also align with sustainable development and green transformation, creating positive social impact—factors that investors genuinely care about.”
Mr. Le Thanh Nam, Fund Manager at Touchstones Partners, representing the investment funds attending the DemoDay, remarked:
“The projects incubated by the VNU Innovation Startup Incubator demonstrate a high level of maturity. Many of them already have prototypes, pilot results, market data, and clear scaling orientations, and, most importantly, possess the capability to address real-world challenges faced by businesses and the community.”
VNU Venture Day 2025, organized by the Center for Knowledge Transfer and Startup Support and the VNU Innovation Startup Incubator, marks a significant transformation in Vietnam National University, Hanoi’s (VNU) innovation support activities. By integrating competition, incubation, and investment connection into a single event, VNU is shaping an international-standard innovation gateway model. Many experts believe that VNU Venture Day 2025 will become a sustainable bridge between technology startups and the market, contributing to the development of a new generation of young entrepreneurs with a strong scientific foundation.
The event is not only a celebration of university-based startups, but also a testament to VNU’s pioneering role in promoting the knowledge economy, green transformation, and sustainable development in Vietnam.
