Creating conditions for startup projects and products entering the market

​(News Portal – Dong Nai) - Startup activities and startup businesses in Vietnam and Dong Nai province are attracting attention. Favorable conditions are being created for young people to start a business, but there are multiple challenges, including issues of management skills, connections, and market development to raise the competitiveness of new businesses.

Coffee products of Laven Group Co., Ltd. at a trade promotion program organized by the province 

Recently in Dong Nai province, local departments and localities have organized support programs that help connect businesses with supermarkets, retail channels and other trade promotions, but the results are still minimal.

Support startup businesses

The Department of Science and Technology is assigned the province's permanent task of implementing the innovative start-up program. The department has also organized many startup competitions over the years to pick businesses with development potential, then support them by bringing their products to the market, and improving the quality of production and business management. On the topic of connection between businesses and startup projects, Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology Huynh Minh Hau said that Dong Nai province always tried to promote and support connecting scientific research results with businesses to make these ideas into reality and bring products to the market.

Besides the Department of Science and Technology, other organizations such as youth, women, farmers' associations, and industry and trade sectors in the province also have their own support programs. Integrating support programs with the goal of bringing start-up products and local products into the market and building brands is considered an essential task.

Deputy Director of Dong Nai Trade Promotion Center (under the Department of Industry and Trade) Nguyen Van Linh said that the Department of Industry and Trade was focusing on trade promotion programs and prioritizing local products and start-up businesses, as well as small and medium sized enterprises.

For example, in 2022, the center organized 14 conferences, seminars, trade connections programs, and helped connecting supply chain inside and outside the province; 10 fairs and exhibitions were also organized with the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises and startups. In the first 9 months of 2023, the organization also held many trade promotion programs of the industry and trade sector inside and outside the province. The unit wants to promote the commercial activities, conferences on connecting supply and demand, connecting manufacturers and suppliers in the province with wholesale markets, supply chains, and retailers. At the same time, the center is building a database system for trade promotion networks, industries, and markets to achieve greater efficiency.

As a start-up business, Mr. Dinh Thanh Thien, Director of Laven Group Co., Ltd. (Bien Hoa City) said that the company had a wide range of products, from coffee makers to roasted and ground coffee. Currently, the company's main market is Dong Nai province, with a large concentration in Bien Hoa and Long Khanh cities... Participating in trade connection programs is an opportunity for the company to build its brand and develop potential sales channels, as well as find suitable markets for the company.

There is still much work to be done

According to startups companies, small and medium-sized enterprises, the first achievements are quite good, but the problem is that in order to bring businesses to a higher level, brand recognition needs to be able to help bring products into a modern distribution chain. However, the distribution of goods in the supermarket channel is still underperformed. Despite feeling confident about their products' quality, the procedures and documents for participating in the distribution channel are confusing small and medium-sized enterprises.

During the process of entering the market, businesses and startup comapnies also want to receive support from supermarkets, distribution channels and local facilitation. Besides, the issue of linking and building a startup ecosystem, connecting businesses and projects, creating a local startup community is still an unanswered question.

The fact that startup projects and competitions for startup companies are "done and left behind", according to Ms. Le Thi Cam Van, Director of Vfarm Trading Services Company Limited (Bien Hoa City), it is important that after the programs, startup projects and competitions for startup companies need to have mechanisms and activities to build and connect the business community and startup products together as a way to motivate them to move forward.

“We hope to see continued, regular activities after startup programs and competitions. For example, guidance and support for projects on promoting products on electronic platforms; how to take photos, make introduction videos through online channels... It is necessary to organize classes on financial management, human management, business management, these are aspects that entrepreneurs still lack. Besides, we must build an ecosystem and start-up community that are intrinsically linked together, has periodically meeting to find solutions for connecting, cooperating, and solving challenges..." - Ms. Van Ky said.  ​