This year's Startup Festival program includes many activities: The 9th National Startup Forum in 2024; Announcing outstanding projects of the National Startup Project Development Program, awarding the title of typical units building a startup ecosystem and Launching the National Startup Program 2025.

With over 2,500 startup projects, this year's event marks a significant milestone and demonstrates the robust growth of the global technology and innovation ecosystem, according to Mr. Christopher McCuin, representing the Dubai World Trade Centre. He underlined that the primary objective of these gatherings is not only to collect innovative ideas but also to serve as a conduit for projects to obtain significant funding sources, laying the groundwork for future sustainable growth.

During the event, Mr. McCuin also announced two important awards: the Expand North Star Award 2025, for the startup selected to attend the event in Dubai in October 2025, and the North Star Asia Award 2025, which offers the opportunity to attend the event in Singapore in April 2025.

In particular, the awarded projects will have the opportunity to connect directly with major investors and can receive investments of up to USD 100,000. Mr. McCuin pledged that these excellent projects will be widely introduced to access the best resources, helping them realize their potential.

Two significant awards for exceptional start-up initiatives were announced by Mr. Jayren Teo, Managing Director of Global Entrepreneurship Network Singapore (GEN Singapore), creating chances for creative ideas to be seen on a global scale.

The project "Green Choice - A set of circular products from durian" won the North Star Asia 2025 Award. It is an outstanding endeavor that aims to promote sustainable development by recycling and using natural resources. In addition to representing the event in Dubai in October 2025, the project will receive support to grow internationally and compete in other startup contests.

The project "5Stars - Application connecting the construction industry, home care, minor repairs, calling contractors" received the Expand North Star 2025 Award. In the home services and construction industries, this is a game-changing technology that facilitates efficient communication between clients and builders. With GEN Singapore's strong support, this initiative will represent the event in Singapore in April 2025, giving it access to worldwide markets and international contests.

Mr. Jayren Teo also shared his thoughts about the initiatives that are a part of the program. "The teams did a great job of persuading the Board of Judges with their innovative ideas and exceptional development potential, despite the brief presentation time," he said.

He sincerely thanked the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) for their friendship and support, which helped make the event a success. In addition to receiving recognition during the event, the two winning initiatives are anticipated to make significant advancements in the global arena.