A global effort to uplift young Vietnamese affected by COVID-19

Who We Are

Our Mission

To support these vulnerable populations, VietChallenge, STEAM for Vietnam, VietSeeds, Stay Strong Saigon and several prominent U.S entrepreneurs are working together to organize a fundraiser to benefit three target groups:

  • Children orphaned due to COVID-19;
  • College students who are unable to access higher education due to financial hardships caused by COVID-19; and
  • Students who lack access to technologies for remote learning.

All donations will go toward nonprofits with proven track records of rebuilding and bettering the lives of Vietnamese children and students.

We currently target a minimum fundraising goal of $300,000.

$304,158/$300,000

Founding Organizations

U.S. based nonprofits founded and lead by Vietnamese with proven track records of rebuilding and bettering the lives of Vietnamese children and students

Leadership Team

KENDRICK NGUYEN

Founder & CEO @Republic
FinTech Entrepreneur

Kendrick Nguyen

Kendrick Nguyen is the Co-Founder & CEO of Republic, a billion-dollar business that connects tech startups and blockchain projects with global investors. Although Kendrick moved from Vietnam to the U.S at an early age, he remains deeply connected to his home country. His success as a prominent Vietnamese American entrepreneur allows him to help Vietnam whenever he sees the need arise.

KHANH NGUYEN

CEO @NDH Investment, Board Member
@SSI and The PAN Group JSC

Khanh Nguyen

Mr. Khanh Nguyen is currently the CEO of NDH Invest Ltd., a private company which invests in leading companies in various business sectors including finance, securities, agriculture, food and biotechnology. Mr. Khanh joined SSI at the age of 24. Since then, Mr. Khanh has taken an active role in every SSI philanthropic effort which prioritizes improving Vietnam’s economics, education systems and sustainable development.

HUNG TRAN

CTO @Got It
Founder @STEAM for Vietnam

Hung Tran

One decade after founding Got It and becoming a successful Vietnamese tech entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, Hung founded STEAM for Vietnam, a non-profit coding training project for Vietnamese youth. Hung wants to help Vietnamese children succeed without needing to travel to other countries to study. Instead, STEAM for Vietnam provides free computer programming lessons in Vietnam taught by experts from Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft.

THUC VU

CEO @OhmniLabs, Co-Founder @VietSeeds & @Stay Strong Saigon

Thuc Vu

Thuc has an impressive journey as a tech entrepreneur and educational philanthropist. In 2011, he founded the VietSeeds Foundation with a dream to help Vietnamese students overcome poverty and lead meaningful lives through college education. Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, Thuc’s organization has helped over 3,000 students complete their Bachelor’s Degrees in Vietnam. Thuc also founded Stay Strong Saigon, an ongoing community campaign that provides food and neccessities to underserved residents in Ho Chi Minh City during the long quarantine.

MAI ZYMARIS

Attorney @MoFo, Founder and President @VietChallenge

Mai Zymaris

Mai is a biglaw IP transactional attorney and a nonprofit leader. While in law school, Mai founded VietChallenge, a global startup competition providing a pipeline between Vietnamese startups with high growth potential and American venture capitalists. After 6 years of development, VietChallenge has become the largest annual startup competition for Vietnamese founders, having facilitated the launching of more than 600 startups and boasting a network of hundreds of active investors and VC funds.

DANNY DUONG

Investor @Cross Ocean Ventures

Danny Duong

Danny Duong grew up in one of the most prominent Vietnamese American business families. Currently, he is not only carrying on the family business, he is also carving out an impressive name for himself. In addition to his incredible business acumen, evidenced by his impressive investment portfolio, Danny exhibits a generosity of spirit and a personal philosophy to support the community from which he came.

Our Team

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Kendrick Nguyen

CEO, Fintech Entrepreneur

Kendrick Nguyen

CEO, Fintech Entrepreneur

Kendrick Nguyen

CEO, Fintech Entrepreneur

Kendrick Nguyen

CEO, Fintech Entrepreneur

Kendrick Nguyen

CEO, Fintech Entrepreneur

Kendrick Nguyen

CEO, Fintech Entrepreneur

VietChallenge

VietChallenge is the largest annual startup competition for founders of Vietnamese heritage and non-Vietnamese founders aiming to expand their business into the Vietnamese market.

Since 2015, the three-round competition has helped 600+ startups raise $10 million+ and make connections with 100+ investor networks. Throughout its previous seasons, VietChallenge awarded contestants $200,000 in cash with no strings attached.

In 2021, for the first time, VietChallenge will host its final round of competition in New York City. Here participants of VietChallenge 2021 will compete not only for the cash prize of $15,000 but also for an additional $25,000+ from our investor alliance. We will also designate a large portion of the event to raise funds for children and students in Vietnam affected by COVID-19.

VietChallenge is hosted by VietChallenge, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Massachusetts seeking to nurture the entrepreneurial spirit of young Vietnamese and foster business synergies through mentorship, networking, and access to funding.

STEAM for Vietnam

STEAM for Vietnam is operated by a large network of volunteers (Steameses) including Vietnamese alumni from around the world who share the vision of fostering Vietnamese future talents by providing them high-quality STEAM education at a young age.

Believing in the power of education as a sustainable development for a country, STEAM for Vietnam’s founders hope to bring free, world-class education to all Vietnamese students.

VietSeeds

VietSeeds is a nonprofit organization committed to bringing equal access to college education for all students in Vietnam. VietSeeds’ graduates aim to break the cycle of poverty within their own families and to change not only their own lives but to serve their communities, providing a new generation of active citizens and future leaders from diverse backgrounds, thereby fostering positive social changes.

VietSeeds invests in highly motivated students from underserved demographics. VietSeeds want to empower their scholars to have rich intellectual lives, competitive and fulfilling careers, not only to become financially independent but also to be engaged citizens who give back to society.

Stay Strong Saigon

Stay Strong Saigon is a nonprofit campaign founded during the fourth wave of COVID-19 in Vietnam. The campaign has partnered with VietSeeds, IEG Foundation, and other local organizations to provide essential food, necessities, and mental support to Saigon residents.

VietBay Inc.

VietBay Inc. is a non-profit organization which organizes volunteer-based events to preserve the Vietnamese culture and foster the multi-generational bond of the American-Vietnamese community in the Northern California area. VietBay regularly conducts fund-raising events to assist socio-economically disadvantaged Vietnamese in the face of the pandemic and other emergencies.