A-Star Group Honored to Participate in the Swiss EP Partner Summit 2026

From March 12 to 14, 2026, in Hue, Mr. Nguyen Duc Thang, CEO & Co-Founder of A-Star Group, represented the company at the 6th Swiss EP Partner Summit. This event for key partners and organisations within Vietnam's innovation ecosystem marked a 10-year milestone of strong collaboration and growth, supported by the Swiss Entrepreneurship Program (Swiss EP).

Overview of the Swiss EP Partner Summit 2026

Centred around the theme "Building from the Inside: Value in Uncertain Times," the event gathered 40 representatives from 26 organisations. The program featured the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the Swiss EP leadership board, the National Innovation Center (NIC), the Da Nang Innovation Center, the Da Nang Department of Science and Technology and the National Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Development (Nacentech).  Accompanying the event were prominent investment funds such as Thinkzone, BKFund, VIC Partners and VPCA; the corporate and university sectors, including Becamex, BK Holdings, and FIIS and incubators such as A-Star Group, Decentralab, and Ecomdy. The core objective was to create a forum for organizations to share perspectives, evaluate opportunities and strengthen collaboration.

Key discussions on "Building from the Inside: Value in Uncertain Times"

Throughout the two days, discussions focused on current challenges within the ecosystem. The participating units analyzed the market's shift into a highly volatile phase driven by geopolitical factors and inflation. This context makes incubation and fundraising activities more rigorous, demanding high practicality from investment funds and large corporations. However, significant opportunities lie in a transparent policy framework and the Government's push for innovation. A significant portion of the event was dedicated to a "Peer Reflection" session among partners, helping organizations identify their strengths and weaknesses for mutual growth. SECO representatives also shared their vision and key projects. Additionally, the event covered updates on legal and capital market developments, the specific needs of major enterprises such as Becamex, and multidimensional perspectives from startups, incubators, and investment funds in the current fundraising landscape.

Strategic Vision and Opportunities for A-Star Group 

Through these meetings, A-Star Group's leadership identified and expanded upon several crucial development opportunities. Grasping the shifts in investment criteria among funds and corporations allows A-Star Group to refine its incubation strategy to be more logical and closely aligned with market realities, thereby increasing the fundraising success rate for its startup projects. Furthermore, the event served as a bridge for the company to deepen its relationships with other organizations in the ecosystem. This establishes a solid foundation for future strategic partnerships.

Strengthening the Partnership with Swiss EP Leadership 

Following the success of the program in Hue, A-Star Group was honored to welcome Ms. Malin Borg, Head of Swiss EP, and Mr. Hub Langstaff, Swiss EP Country Manager in Vietnam, for a direct visit and working session at the company's office. This meeting held significant importance in consolidating a robust strategic partnership. It also provided A-Star Group with an opportunity to present a detailed overview of its execution capabilities and key ongoing projects. Through this, both sides look toward a shared vision of building a sustainable startup ecosystem driven by internal resources.