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On March 30, Qualcomm Technologies Inc. announced the 28 startups selected for the Qualcomm Vietnam Innovation Challenge (QVIC) 2026 accelerator program, a six-month incubation with a prize pool of USD 255,000.
The announcement also included awards for the QVIC 2025 winners. QVIC 2026 is positioned as a step toward strengthening Vietnam’s startup ecosystem, particularly in high-technology areas such as smart cities, IoT, robotics, and artificial intelligence.
In the context of digital transformation and Industry 4.0, QVIC’s expansion from 10 to 28 teams reflects Qualcomm’s increased partnership with Vietnamese startups.
During the three-month incubation phase, participating teams will receive technical and business mentorship, access to Qualcomm Vietnam’s R&D labs in Hanoi, and problem-solving support from local engineering groups.
The Qualcomm labs include capabilities to support ML/AI, a camera lab, audio lab, RF chamber, thermal testing, and modem debugging. After incubation, the 15 top teams will move to the acceleration phase, where they can compete for larger prizes.
At the finals in August 2026, the top five teams will share a total prize pool of USD 255,000. The first prize is USD 100,000, the second prize is USD 75,000, and the third prize is USD 50,000. Two consolation prizes of USD 15,000 each will also be awarded for creative research.
Representatives from the Office of Startup and Technology Enterprise (Ministry of Science and Technology) said the standout feature of QVIC 2026 is the diversity and quality of participating projects, ranging from university-originated initiatives to practical application startups. They noted that the projects aim to deploy in daily life, combining creativity with the ability to apply technology to real-world problems to support science-and-technology-driven economic development.
With support from the Ministry of Science and Technology, QVIC has created a platform for Vietnam’s small and medium-sized enterprises to develop advanced technology products and protect their inventions, including filing more than 150 patent applications.
Mr. Thieu Phuong Nam, General Director of Qualcomm Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, said Vietnam remains a strategic hub for breakthrough innovations and that startups, SMEs, and research groups are central to driving digital transformation and economic growth. He added that this year’s teams demonstrate strength across key technology areas including AI, robotics, data centers, IoT, and smart city solutions.
Since its launch in December 2019, QVIC has supported incubation of 50 innovative startups in Vietnam across advanced technology sectors. With support from the Ministry, QVIC aims to advance Vietnam’s technology ecosystem by identifying and supporting SMEs developing products using 5G, IoT, AI, smart cities, wearables, and multimedia technology from Qualcomm.
To date, these startups have filed more than 150 patent applications to protect their inventions.
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