2023 - 2025
Vietnam Sunny Impact Startup (VSIS)
Vietnam Sunny Impact Startup (VSIS), jointly organized by The Happiness Foundation and Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training and implemented by IID, helps student-led impact startups refine their products and business models through training, mentorship, bootcamps, and seed funding.
Overview
Across its 2023 and 2024 cohorts, VSIS supported 20 teams through online training, dedicated mentorship, bootcamps, enterprise visits, and two seed funding rounds per cohort, helping participants strengthen business skills and prepare for market entry.
Problem Statement
Student impact startups often lack the business skills, mentorship, and funding needed to bring their solutions to market.
The VSIS program combines the following key activities:
Online Entrepreneurship Training: Expert-led modules cover social entrepreneurship, business models, product–market fit, marketing, communications, finance, and fundraising.
Dedicated Mentors and Peer Buddies: Each team receives guidance from two startup mentors and coordination support from one peer buddy.
Hanoi Bootcamp, Enterprise Visits, and Founder Talkshows: Participants strengthen practical skills and learn from established impact businesses through training, networking, and founder exchanges.
Pitching Day and First Seed Funding Round: Teams present their products and development plans to an expert panel. Selected projects receive funding for the next stage.
Fundraising Preparation and Coaching: Teams refine financial plans, funding proposals, and pitches with expert guidance.
Demo Day and Second Seed Funding Round: Teams showcase their progress, compete for further seed funding, and celebrate graduation.
Impact Metrics
- 3,000+
student users reached through U.T.E’s university pilot
- 200
sheets of mango-peel bioleather pre-ordered from S2M
- 04
projects recorded as having established companies
- 20+
student startup teams supported
Gallery
Stories
“VSIS 2023 helped us turn our entrepreneurial dream into reality.”
Through VSIS, Crystella developed a more structured business strategy and secured VND 80 million in seed funding to advance its hands-on science kits. The team also expanded its online community and organized science exhibitions and workshops, bringing practical STEM learning experiences to students and young people.
Partners
The Happiness Foundation - SK Group, South Korea
The Happiness Foundation jointly organizes VSIS with MOET as part of their strategic collaboration to support student-led social impact entrepreneurship in Vietnam.
Ministry of Education and Training (MOET)
MOET jointly organizes VSIS and connects the program with the national SV-Startup competition, creating a pathway for promising student projects to receive further development support.