P4G 2025 Conference: Accompanying Vietnamese startups

On the morning of April 16, the Ministry of Science and Technology held an open discussion session at the Policy Dialogue Forum with the theme "Encouraging investment, business, and promoting innovative startups in the field of green transformation and sustainable development."

The forum is part of the Partnership for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Vietnam 2025 Summit taking place from April 14-17.

At the discussion session, many domestic and international experts shared their experiences and proposed cooperation solutions to promote green transformation and sustainable development.

P4G fully supports Vietnam's green growth solution

Sharing at the event, Ms. Robyn McGuckin, CEO of P4G, said that since its establishment in 2018, P4G has supported startups in the early stages, especially in developing countries.

In addition to technical and capital support, P4G also connects businesses with public-private partnership mechanisms to help them overcome barriers in capital, policy, and human resources.

P4G focuses on solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change in the energy, water, and agriculture sectors. In recent years, the P4G framework has mobilized $42 million in capital to focus on PPPs, boosting investment capital for member countries.

Regarding Vietnam, Ms. Robyn McGuckin said that since 2018, P4G has supported about 20 startups operating in Vietnam in the fields of energy and water, focusing on innovative technology solutions, especially climate-smart solutions; at the same time, contributing to addressing challenges related to clean electricity, smart electricity, solar power, rooftop solar power, etc.

Ms. Robyn McGuckin gave an example of EBoost - a startup providing smart charging solutions for all electric vehicle brands, which is also supported and funded by P4G.

Ms. Robyn McGuckin affirmed that Vietnam has many advantages in technology development and climate action. P4G fully supports Vietnam's green growth solutions in areas such as economy, society, health and environment.

Connecting Vietnamese-Danish SMEs and startups

Sharing experience in supporting creative startups and innovation, Mr. Finn Mortensen, Executive Director of State of Green Organization (Denmark) said that focusing on the field of creative startups and innovation, the Danish Government through the Parliament has reshaped business development programs, focusing on "headquarters" and facilities in the fields of energy, science and technology.

The Danish government also focuses on financial support for small and medium-sized startups; providing and developing support and consulting programs for startups for these businesses.

In particular, Denmark has projects focused on groups of companies, spanning the entire country. Currently, Denmark has 6 business development centers in major cities, focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises and startups. Businesses can receive free advice for their startup stages.

He added that in the 70s and 80s of the 20th century, Denmark was completely dependent on fossil energy sources, but now, Mr. Finn Mortensen shared, thanks to focusing on new business forms, by 2030, with a vision of 2045, Denmark will certainly become a Net Zero country.

The lesson learned by the Danish expert is to focus on small and medium-sized enterprises so that these enterprises can participate in global partners, thereby strengthening the ecosystem and achieving a pioneering position in the field of green growth.

“I see a lot of examples of startups and entrepreneurial spirit in Vietnam. We have a lot of lessons to share with Vietnam, public-private partnership programs and we want to provide Vietnam with these Danish experiences,” said Finn Mortensen.

Mr. Finn Mortensen believes that Vietnam's spirit of creative entrepreneurship and innovation is very strong and can inspire the Danish people.

The message he wanted to send to the P4G 2025 Conference was that Vietnam and Denmark need to strengthen cooperation, especially in the green sector. Denmark hopes to connect small and medium enterprises and startups of the two countries in the coming time.

Growth goes hand in hand with responsibility

According to Mr. Pham Hong Quat, Director of the Department of Startups and Technology Enterprises (Ministry of Science and Technology), in the field of green transformation, startups in Vietnam are making important strides in developing green technology solutions to contribute to environmental protection and promote sustainable development.

In the context of innovation being promoted to solve environmental issues and sustainable development, many areas have potential for green growth in the Vietnamese creative startup ecosystem such as Green Information Technology with the development of software and efficient energy management systems, helping businesses optimize resource use; developing ecological products with the design and production of environmentally friendly products, from biodegradable packaging to energy-saving home appliances; sustainable services with the provision of consulting services and solutions on sustainable development for businesses and the community; clean technology with the research and application of technologies to reduce pollution and effectively treat waste; renewable energy with the development and implementation of solar, wind and biomass energy projects, providing clean energy sources.

Sharing some barriers in the start-up process for green transformation businesses, Mr. Pham Hong Quat said that it is difficult to mobilize finance for green transformation, because green business models often require large initial investment capital and a long payback period.

Besides, although the Vietnamese Government has many policies to support businesses in green transformation, specific regulations for startups are still not really clear and strong.

Vietnam also needs human resources with in-depth knowledge of circular economy, carbon management or biomaterial production technology.

Regarding market awareness, Mr. Pham Hong Quat said that although consumers are more interested in environmentally friendly products, there are still barriers in terms of price and consumption habits.

Providing some solutions to address the above barriers, Mr. Pham Hong Quat mentioned conducting surveys, evaluating and building a map of the green innovation startup ecosystem in Vietnam; developing a framework of indicators to assess the social-environmental-economic impact specifically for startups in the green technology field; supporting universities and research institutes to cooperate with businesses to develop new green technologies.

At the same time, Mr. Pham Hong Quat said that it is necessary to promote communication campaigns on green consumption to change consumers' shopping habits and encourage the use of environmentally friendly products.

Mr. Pham Hong Quat commented that the world is witnessing a profound change in the way of socio-economic development, when growth targets are no longer just numbers, but must go hand in hand with responsibility for the environment and the future of future generations.

In that context, innovative startups in the field of green transformation are one of the key driving forces to realize Vietnam's Net Zero commitment by 2050.

As the unit directly advising and implementing activities to support innovative startups, the Department of Startups and Technology Enterprises commits to continue to act as a bridge between state management agencies, businesses, investors, support organizations and international partners.

Along with that, efforts should be made to promote the formation of flexible and practical policies in line with the trend of green and sustainable development, especially during this period./.

(Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/hoi-nghi-p4g-2025-dong-hanh-cung-doanh-nghiep-khoi-nghiep-cua-viet-nam-post1033088.vnp