On August 20, Qualcomm Technologies Inc. announced the winners of its sixth Vietnam Innovation Challenge (QVIC) during the InnoEx Business Innovation Forum in Ho Chi Minh City. A total prize pool of $255,000 was awarded to five standout teams whose AI‑powered solutions span edge computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics and healthcare. The competition, now in its seventh year, continues to cement Vietnam’s reputation as a fertile ground for deep‑tech entrepreneurship.
| Rank | Startup | Prize (USD) | Core AI Innovation | |------|---------|------------|---------------------| | 1st | Naiscorp Robotics | 100,000 | Edge‑AI family companion robot for global elderly care | | 2nd | Tensor | 75,000 | AI‑driven sex‑determination of poultry embryos for sustainable farming | | 3rd | VEEP | 50,000 | Cloud‑based AIoT energy‑management platform that cuts building waste | | Innovation Award | AIZ JSC | 15,000 | Unified AI enterprise platform with digital workforce and intelligent process automation | | Innovation Award | Openmind Robotics | 15,000 | Embodied robotics for logistics automation |
Naiscorp’s robot combines on‑device neural inference with sensor fusion to monitor vital signs, remind users of medication, and provide companionship. By processing data locally, the robot eliminates latency and privacy concerns—critical factors for health‑focused applications.
Tensor’s solution uses computer vision and deep learning to identify embryo sex at the egg stage, enabling producers to reduce male‑chick culling and improve feed efficiency. The technology promises to lower greenhouse‑gas emissions across the poultry supply chain.
VEEP’s platform aggregates real‑time building telemetry, applies predictive analytics, and automatically adjusts HVAC, lighting and other loads. Early deployments have reported up to 30 % energy savings.
AIZ unveiled a comprehensive AI enterprise suite that unifies data ingestion, a customizable digital workforce, and end‑to‑end process automation. The platform mirrors AVIA’s core proposition: an outsourced AI department that operates 24/7 without client‑side coding.
Openmind’s autonomous mobile robots navigate complex warehouse layouts, coordinate via a cloud‑edge hybrid, and dynamically re‑assign tasks based on demand. The solution highlights the growing convergence of robotics and AI in supply‑chain optimization.
Qualcomm’s statement that the finalists demonstrate “the breadth and growing maturity of Vietnam’s startup ecosystem” is more than a regional endorsement—it signals a shift in where world‑class AI talent is emerging. The competition’s focus on on‑device AI, AIoT, and enterprise automation aligns directly with the priorities of multinational corporations seeking to scale AI while maintaining data sovereignty and low latency.
Key takeaways for the broader market:
At AVIA, we have long championed an outsourced, tailor‑made AI department that delivers a fully automated digital workforce to businesses of any size. The QVIC winners reinforce three pillars of our value proposition:
AIZ JSC’s platform mirrors AVIA’s promise of delivering error‑free, code‑free automation. Their success demonstrates that enterprises no longer need in‑house AI engineers to reap the benefits of intelligent process automation—a premise that underpins every AVIA engagement.
Both Naiscorp Robotics and Openmind Robotics showcase the power of on‑device inference and edge scalability. AVIA’s digital agents are built to run on any compute layer—from cloud servers to edge gateways—ensuring latency‑critical operations (e.g., real‑time customer support or field data capture) remain reliable and compliant with data‑privacy regulations.
Tensor’s poultry‑farming AI and VEEP’s energy‑management platform illustrate how intelligent automation can directly impact the bottom line and the planet. AVIA’s back‑office data analysis and reporting services are designed to uncover similar efficiencies across finance, HR, and supply‑chain functions, delivering measurable ROI without additional overhead.
For businesses that have already partnered with AVIA, the QVIC outcomes serve as a benchmark: the same technologies that earned Vietnamese startups global recognition are now available to our clients as fully managed services. Whether it’s deploying a voice‑enabled virtual assistant that operates 24/7, or integrating a custom AI agent with existing CRMs and ERP systems, AVIA can replicate—and accelerate—the innovation demonstrated in Ho Chi Minh City.
The Qualcomm Vietnam Innovation Challenge has not only awarded $255,000 to five visionary startups but also underscored the accelerating maturity of AI innovation in emerging markets. For AVIA, the event is a powerful affirmation that our outsourced digital workforce model, built on zero‑code automation, edge scalability, and enterprise‑wide integration, is precisely the direction the global market is heading.
Businesses seeking to stay ahead of the curve can now look to AVIA as a proven partner that brings the same level of ingenuity—and the same award‑winning results—directly to their operations, without the need for internal AI expertise.
Qualcomm Vietnam Innovation Challenge (QVIC) is an annual competition organized by Qualcomm Technologies Inc. that awards Vietnamese deep‑tech startups developing AI‑powered solutions across edge computing, IoT, robotics, and healthcare, with a prize pool that totals $255,000 for the 2026 edition.
