Phan Anh Vu, founder of Beecube: Realizing the dream of making a "national" projector
Nurturing the dream of making a "national" projector since he was in school, through the process of studying and doing business, Phan Anh Vu decided to pursue his passion, opening a new chapter for the Beecube mini projector brand in the Vietnamese market.
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The key to competition
In Phan Anh Vu's memory, winter 2020 is unforgettable. In the cold of more than 10 degrees on a day at the end of December, Vu still remembers how he excitedly rushed into the night, riding his motorbike more than 10 km to deliver the first order of Beecube projectors to customers, then enthusiastically instructing customers on how to use them. Although the order only brought in exactly 1 million VND in profit, it was a source of motivation for Vu to be confident in his path.
“In 2021, we achieved revenue of 7 billion VND,” Vu said.
Some people also think that the 9x founder had a lucky time, when Beecube launched right when the Covid-19 epidemic broke out, the demand for buying mini projectors for home entertainment increased sharply. But the important point that helped Beecube succeed was the different direction, hitting the needs of customers. Those are beautiful, compact projectors, optimized for the price range.
Before Beecube appeared, the Vietnamese projector market in general and mini projectors in particular were fertile ground for a series of famous brands such as Sony, LG, Samsung... to less famous brands from China. The common point of traditional projectors is that they are bulky and must be connected via a wire system to many external devices.
A good brand is made from a good product, that is a necessary condition. But the sufficient condition is that the brand needs kindness in sales culture and for customers. 
- Phan Anh Vu, Founder of Beecube
Understanding this weakness, the "box-shaped bee" Beecube was born, impressing with its youthful appearance and color, light weight, and convenient for moving. Integrated with the Android operating system, Beecube easily operates without connecting via a wire system. Even compared to other projectors running the Android operating system, Beecube has a special advantage when equipped with a separate Vietnamese virtual assistant, creating friendliness for customers.
After its launch, Beecube's product range has been continuously expanded, from the low-priced segment (1 - 3 million VND/product), to the mid-range (over 6 million VND/product) and the highest is 16 million VND/product.
Beecube is currently in the top mini projector brands sought after by customers in Vietnam. The brand not only provides high-quality products, but also focuses on customer care. Within 12 months from the date of purchase, Beecube applies a 1-for-1 exchange policy if a defective product is detected. In addition, Beecube has built a private group of up to 23,000 members on Facebook, creating a playground for customers to interact, share and receive timely support if they encounter problems during use.
Brand building journey
Born into a farming family in Hung Chinh Commune (Vinh City, Nghe An Province), Phan Anh Vu first encountered projectors during classes at Vinh University High School. At that time, Vu thought about using a projector to watch movies, then asked himself why the machine was so bulky and required so many connecting wires. The young man dreamed that one day he would create a compact, affordable projector that anyone could buy to watch movies at home.
However, due to a lack of clear direction, after finishing high school, Phan Anh Vu chose to take the entrance exam to the Faculty of Finance and Banking, Foreign Trade University. Admitting that he was not good at finance, after graduating, Vu proactively switched to business, from buying and selling phones to wireless headphones, to continue to stay in the capital. During the process of selling technology products, Vu's dream of making a "national" projector gradually revived and he decided to pursue that dream.
With the money accumulated from business activities, the young founder spent hundreds of millions of VND to import many different types of projectors on the market for reference. Vu researched the components, prices, as well as professional terms in the industry. This is when Vu discovered that many brands claimed their projector products were “full HD”, but when experiencing, the actual resolution was only 480p or 540p, the output image was very blurry.
In mid-2020, Vu found the first Chinese partner to produce full HD LCD LED panels. Vu sent his design to the partner for production, but the product he received could not be used in Vietnam because the application was incompatible, did not have Vietnamese, could not connect to wifi... Vu started over again, trying to create software, "Vietnamizing" each letter... so that the product could be sold in the Vietnamese market.
During the Covid-19 period, although monthly retail sales reached nearly 1 billion VND, there were times when the supply chain was broken and goods could not be received, causing Vu to suffer consecutive losses for several months. After serious consideration and reorientation, Vu determined that he would not only retail himself, but also expand cooperation and bring products to large chains such as Cellphones, Hoang Ha Mobiles, etc. This strategy has proven effective, helping Beecube's revenue jump from 7 billion VND in 2021 to 25 billion VND in 2022 and 39 billion VND in 2023.
Currently, Beecube owns 6 stores from North to South, including 4 stores developed by the brand itself and 2 franchise stores; not to mention a wide distribution partner system. The founder said that in 2024, Beecube's strategy is to continue franchising the brand, opening many stores nationwide so that customers can easily experience the products. Furthermore, Beecube aims to become a "national" projector brand for Vietnamese people, exporting to countries in the Southeast Asian region.
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