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  • Singapore and Vietnam to boost cross-border start-up innovation pipeline through BLOCK71’s UniVentures

 

 

 

PRESS RELEASE

29 January 2026

Singapore and Vietnam to boost cross-border start-up innovation pipeline through BLOCK71’s UniVentures 

  • The top 10 start-ups will incubate at BLOCK71 Vietnam, with the top two progressing to a further incubation at BLOCK71 Singapore to expand into regional markets. 

Singapore, 29 January 2026 - Singapore and Vietnam are strengthening bilateral innovation ties through UniVentures, a new regional accelerator programme led by BLOCK71 Vietnam in collaboration with Temasek Foundation. Announced today at the UniVentures Gala Dinner held in Ho Chi Minh City, the initiative reflects growing innovation collaboration between Vietnam and Singapore under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The event also recognised the top 10 Vietnamese university start-up teams selected to receive funding and incubation support under the UniVentures programme. (Please refer to the Annexe for the recipients of the Golden Gate Ventures’ UniVentures Prize.)

BLOCK71, a global network of physical accelerators across 11 cities, including Ho Chi Minh City, is part of NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial heart of the National University of Singapore (NUS). Its UniVentures programme is supported by the Singapore Global Network, Vietnam’s National Innovation Center, Golden Gate Ventures (GGV), Start-up and Innovation Hub of Ho Chi Minh City, Youth Union of Ho Chi Minh City, Google Cloud, IBM, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, and the Reactor School.

UniVentures aims to nurture aspiring founders from Vietnamese universities – including students, alumni and researchers – who are developing practical, market-ready solutions to address the region’s most pressing challenges. Focus areas include healthcare access, environmental sustainability, productivity and skills development, and financial literacy.

Through an intensive multi-stage screening process, UniVentures attracted strong nationwide interest receiving over 1,400 applications. Thirty teams were shortlisted to pitch in a closed-door session for the GGV UniVentures Prize, which carries a total prize pool of around S$320,000 (US$250,000). From this group, the top 10 start-ups were each awarded S$32,000 (US$25,000) and selected to participate in a three-month incubation programme at BLOCK71 Vietnam, where they can gain hands-on support, mentorship, and exposure to the local market. Following the incubation, the teams will return for a final pitching round. The top two start-ups demonstrating the strongest market traction will advance to a further three-month incubation at BLOCK71 Singapore, gaining access to regional markets and opportunities to scale up their ventures.

“All start-ups begin with a team of talented and passionate people. Great start-ups need great founders. UniVentures provide a platform for such Vietnamese founders to meet and transform their ideas into practical, scalable solutions to tackle major needs,” said Professor Benjamin Tee, Vice President (Innovation & Enterprise), NUS Enterprise. “By anchoring this unique early-stage incubation programme in Vietnam and giving high-potential teams the chance to scale in Singapore and globally, we continue to enhance our Singapore-Vietnam partnership for bilateral innovations to flow between the two countries.”

“At Golden Gate Ventures, our mission has always been to bridge local founders with global capital. Vietnam’s start-up ecosystem is entering a new phase of maturity, with founders increasingly focused on solving real, market-relevant challenges. UniVentures provides a structured platform that brings together capital, mentorship and regional exposure to help them grow beyond their home market.” said Mr Vinnie Lauria, Founding Partner at Golden Gate Ventures.

The UniVentures Gala Dinner, supported by The Business Times, Singapore’s only financial daily, brought together senior representatives from government, universities, corporates, investors and the innovation ecosystem across both countries. The event also featured a keynote by the Guest-of-Honour, Mr Heng Swee Keat, Chairman of the National Research Foundation and former Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, reflecting strong public-private alignment in advancing cross-border innovation collaboration.

Additionally, eminent thought leaders including Ms Lim Hwee Hua, Chairwoman of Tembusu Partners and former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore; Ms Omi Dang, Chairlady of TTC AgriS; and Mr Nguyen Dung Do, CEO and Co-founder of EnFarm, shared insights at a panel discussion titled “Catalysing Sustainable Innovation: The Next Frontier for Vietnam-Singapore Partnership”. The session was moderated by Ms Chen Huifen, Editor of The Business Times.

 

Annexe – Top 10 start-up awardees of the GGV UniVentures Prize

S/N Start-up Solution
1 BioWraps BioWraps is a sustainability-focused start-up founded by a recent graduate of Nguyen Tat Thanh University. It develops biodegradable packaging made from polylactic acid and cellulose powder extracted from king orange peels using nanotechnology. The product is safe, chemical-free, and versatile across industries, and is produced through an eco-friendly process that helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 
2 EggVision  EggVision is an AI-driven start-up from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City. It addresses humanitarian and economic challenges in the poultry industry through a non-invasive computer vision solution that identifies chick gender at the egg stage, reducing unnecessary culling and significant costs for hatcheries.
3 Lawzy Lawzy is an AI-powered contract management platform founded by a student from Ho Chi Minh City University of Law. Guided by the slogan “Safe signing, effortless management”, Lawzy helps individuals and businesses navigate complex legal systems by making contract creation, review, and management simple, accessible, and secure. 
4 MediPath  MediPath is an AI healthcare start-up founded by a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Da Nang. It is developing an AI operating system for hospitals in Vietnam to reduce administrative burden and address chronic overcapacity in the healthcare system. 
5 Rustech  Rustech is a student-led team from Ton Duc Thang University, mentored by university professors. The team is developing open, localised AI-powered unmanned aerial vehicle systems with on-device processing and swarm coordination for agriculture, rescue operations, education, and public-sector use in Vietnam.
6 Selformy  Selformy is an AI-powered learning platform that helps language centres attract new organic students each month while significantly reducing operational costs. The start-up was founded by alumni of the University of London and the University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City. 
7 ShieldNet  ShieldNet is a hybrid AI start-up founded by a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Da Nang. It provides smart governance solutions for government agencies, as well as real-time digital scam protection for end-users. 
8 Trazen  Trazen is an AI-powered technical training platform founded by a recent graduate of VinUniversity. It addresses Vietnam’s technical talent shortage by enabling manufacturers to train and upskill workers at scale, replacing manual training processes and slow evaluation methods. 
9 Volterra  Volterra is a team of professors and students from VinUniversity developing an AI-driven solution for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The solution accelerates sustainable mobility through renewable energy integration, smart battery energy storage systems, and AI-based optimisation.
10 Welgun BMS Welgun BMS, from Saigon University, is a predictive safety and life-extension platform for energy storage systems and electric vehicles. Unlike traditional reactive battery management systems, Welgun uses non-invasive internal resonant diagnostics to detect power-path degradation early, preventing thermal runaway before temperatures rise.