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This week, two conversations stayed with me—quietly, but deeply. The first was a discussion with a Japanese founder working in the media industry in Vietnam. He spoke with genuine passion about an ambition that felt both bold and strangely rare: to create globally recognized intellectual property (IP) rooted in Vietnam—so that one day, when the world thinks of that IP, it will remember Vietnam, just as Doraemon immediately brings Japan to mind. Only a few days later, at one startup event, the founders of Pizza 4P’s were sharing their expansion journey, and one moment struck me in particular. Co-founder Yosuke Masuko said that when Pizza 4P’s expands into markets such as India, Japan, Indonesia, or the US, they consistently introduce the brand as coming from Vietnam. The room erupted in applause. I sat there connecting the two stories in my mind. Both were Japanese founders. Both were building in Vietnam. Both were intentionally creating brands from Vietnam for the world. I felt deep respect—and gratitude—for that kind of conviction. But I also felt something else: a quiet sense of longing. Because I wish I could hear the same ambition more often from Vietnamese founders themselves. As a venture investor who has worked closely with startups in Vietnam for many years, one question continues to stay with me: What needs to change for that to happen?
Think Big. Win Locally + Go Global with a Winning Playbook
"Think big" is easy to say—harder to do. It requires global vision, preparation from day one, and discipline to build capabilities that compound over years.
To win globally, first build a repeatable way to win locally. A validated local playbook—built under real constraints—creates confidence and a foundation that can travel.
Many founders rush to "go regional" before dominating their first market. The strongest global expansions are extensions of systems that already work.
BuyMed, a Genesia Ventures portfolio company, exemplifies this approach. In Vietnam, BuyMed built a defensible pharmaceutical distribution playbook, then used it for regional expansion.
The company aggregated tens of thousands of pharmacies, clinics, and hospitals on one platform—creating negotiating leverage with suppliers. But BuyMed's true differentiation was operational excellence through embedded technology. BuyMed built internal systems: warehouse management (WMS), QR-based tracking, real-time dashboards, and Just-in-Time supply chain. The result: inventory turnover under one week versus industry average of three months. This reduced capital lock-up, minimized expiration risk, and created structural advantage.
This playbook proved transferable. Since 2022, BuyMed expanded into Thailand and Cambodia—adapting to local contexts while preserving core DNA: aggregation, traceability, internal systems, Just-in-Time execution. Today, BuyMed operates one of Southeast Asia's largest pharmaceutical distribution networks by transaction volume.
Winning by Leveraging Vietnam’s Unique Advantages
Global ambition does not mean copying global models.
It means understanding where Vietnam has structural advantages—and turning those advantages into global competitiveness.
Sometimes that advantage is cost. Sometimes it is talent. Sometimes it is manufacturing, supply chain density, speed of iteration, or a unique dataset. The point is not to be “international.” The point is to be unfairly strong in something that matters.
Manabie, another Genesia Ventures portfolio company, illustrates this well. Starting in Vietnam, Manabie leveraged the country’s strong and cost-competitive engineering talent to build LMS and ERP platforms. Those products were then commercialized successfully in Japan, serving learning centers with high-quality and localized solutions.
This is arbitrage done right:
Build where you are strongest. Sell where your value is highest.
For Vietnamese founders, this is an important reminder: the world does not reward imitation. It rewards advantage. And Vietnam—when approached with clarity—has many advantages worth exporting.
Ecosystem Builders: Why Individual Ambition Is Not Enough
The more I reflect on global ambition, the more I believe the barrier is not a lack of talent.
The barrier is often a lack of ecosystem—an environment that consistently produces founders, leaders, and operators capable of going global with confidence.
Returning to my first conversation with the Japanese media founder, I asked him what he believed was most critical to creating globally recognized IP from Vietnam.
His answer was simple—and profound: To create great IP, you need great Producers.
To have great Producers, you must train, nurture, and support them within a healthy ecosystem—one that encourages creativity, enables collaboration, and connects ideas with resources to turn them into reality.
That stayed with me. Because it applies far beyond media. If we want to see more startups born in Vietnam and grown globally, we cannot rely on individual founders alone. We must also build the platforms, communities, and ecosystems that help them win—not just through capital, but through trust, shared learning, and long-term alignment.
Introducing Orbit Alpha: A Community for Founders with Global Ambition
This is why—together with several like-minded founders—we are initiating Orbit Alpha Founder Community.
Orbit Alpha is a curated, resource-sharing founders community with deep peer support, designed to become a foundational layer of Vietnam’s industrial ecosystem.
We are calling for founders who:
Aim to build companies with the potential to become market winners and industry shapers
Carry bold global ambition with long-term vision
Are open, humble, and willing to share experiences and resources with peer founders
Because the founders who will build Vietnam’s next global brands will not win by hustle alone. They will win by having access to the right relationships, the right learnings, and the right support system—early enough, and consistently enough.
Members commit to:
Sharing business opportunities (customer introductions, partnerships, revenue collaboration)
Sharing insights and lessons (go-to-market, scaling, hiring, organization design)
Sharing access to resources (talent, expertise, infrastructure, technology)
In return, members gain:
Trusted peers who have "been there, done that"—building enduring companies together over the long term
Early access to high-quality opportunities, talent, and partnerships
A shared ecosystem that compounds value over time
I sincerely hope to find resonance—and partnership—among founders in Vietnam who share this ambition and sense of responsibility. Because I believe Vietnam is ready for a new era: companies that not only win locally, but earn their place on the global stage—with pride, with confidence, and with a playbook strong enough to travel. If this resonates with you, I’d love to connect. Orbit Alpha is just beginning, and we are building it with intention.