Startup founder shares experiences with Vietnamese Talent Awards
Tran Viet Hung set up Got It Inc, a start-up company which is now operating in three countries including the US, India and Vietnam.
The PhotoStudy mobile app by Got It Inc. was voted winner by a jury board including many experts around the world in the Mobile Technologies, Applications and Software Design Category.
Hung also developed GotIt!, an app that connects learners with a study expert who offers them step-by-step help through their homework.
After graduating from Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hung attended the Computer Science Faculty of the US's Iowa University. He started Got It Inc in the Silicon Valley in 2011.
In 2013, Hung led a team to develop SnapNSee, a super-quick search software for smartphones and won the third prize at the Vietnamese Talents Award 2013.
In his recent business trip to Vietnam, Hung had a small discussion with Dantri/Dtinews about the Vietnamese Talent Awards.
You won the third prize at the Vietnamese Talents Award 2013 with SnapNSee. Can you tell us about your experience in the competition?
The software was developed from one of my exercises at Iowa University. At that time I had to use dictionaries a lot for my English. With SnapNSee, you don't have to type the words but you can use the camera on a smartphone to look for the words and their meanings. This saves a lot of time.
I decided to share the useful software with other people so I sent it to the Vietnamese Talent Awards.
At that time I've just moved to Silicon Valley and was very busy building the first mobile apps for Got It. I had two team members, one was a student and the other was a new graduate.
I could not came for the presentation of our product and it was a pity when my two team members were unable to properly explain some features to the jury. If I was there, I think we would have won a better prize.
And after being launched on App Store, SnapNSee was soon among Top 10 apps for iPhone in Vietnam and received positive feedback from users.
However, due to our busy schedule with Got It, we didn't have time to upgrade SnapNSee for the new iOS version and it was stopped after a time. Later, Google launched a similar product which supported the use of a camera for smartphone dictionaries.
What did the prize mean to you?
I think that the Vietnamese Talent Awards are very meaningful for startup companies. It has created a playground for us to introduce our new ideas and products to the public. The valuable comments from the jury also help us to improve our products to better serve the market.
Do you pay attention to the awards in recent years and what do you think about the recent winning products, especially those in IT field?
Yes I'm watching the awards every year and see it is becoming bigger and bigger. Some young people have come to ask me for opinions before sending their products to the competition. Most of the winning products have been widely used which I think is the success of the competition.
This is the 15th Vietnamese Talent Awards. What do you expect about the competition in the coming years?
I hope that the Vietnamese Talent Awards can co-operate with investment funds as well as experts to support and help better bring the products to life. I've seen many good ideas and products being abandoned due to financial shortages. It would be more important for a startup if they were supported by investment funds.
I think that each the competition is only a starting point and there should be activities followed to support and promote the products to the market.
Do you have any advice for candidates at this year's competition?
Founder of Got It Inc, Tran Viet Hung
Got It Inc. last year won a prize at the A’ Design Award and Competition, one of the world’s most prestigious design accolades.
The PhotoStudy mobile app by Got It Inc. was voted winner by a jury board including many experts around the world in the Mobile Technologies, Applications and Software Design Category.
Hung also developed GotIt!, an app that connects learners with a study expert who offers them step-by-step help through their homework.
After graduating from Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hung attended the Computer Science Faculty of the US's Iowa University. He started Got It Inc in the Silicon Valley in 2011.
In 2013, Hung led a team to develop SnapNSee, a super-quick search software for smartphones and won the third prize at the Vietnamese Talents Award 2013.
In his recent business trip to Vietnam, Hung had a small discussion with Dantri/Dtinews about the Vietnamese Talent Awards.
You won the third prize at the Vietnamese Talents Award 2013 with SnapNSee. Can you tell us about your experience in the competition?
The software was developed from one of my exercises at Iowa University. At that time I had to use dictionaries a lot for my English. With SnapNSee, you don't have to type the words but you can use the camera on a smartphone to look for the words and their meanings. This saves a lot of time.
I decided to share the useful software with other people so I sent it to the Vietnamese Talent Awards.
At that time I've just moved to Silicon Valley and was very busy building the first mobile apps for Got It. I had two team members, one was a student and the other was a new graduate.
I could not came for the presentation of our product and it was a pity when my two team members were unable to properly explain some features to the jury. If I was there, I think we would have won a better prize.
And after being launched on App Store, SnapNSee was soon among Top 10 apps for iPhone in Vietnam and received positive feedback from users.
However, due to our busy schedule with Got It, we didn't have time to upgrade SnapNSee for the new iOS version and it was stopped after a time. Later, Google launched a similar product which supported the use of a camera for smartphone dictionaries.
What did the prize mean to you?
I think that the Vietnamese Talent Awards are very meaningful for startup companies. It has created a playground for us to introduce our new ideas and products to the public. The valuable comments from the jury also help us to improve our products to better serve the market.
Do you pay attention to the awards in recent years and what do you think about the recent winning products, especially those in IT field?
Yes I'm watching the awards every year and see it is becoming bigger and bigger. Some young people have come to ask me for opinions before sending their products to the competition. Most of the winning products have been widely used which I think is the success of the competition.
This is the 15th Vietnamese Talent Awards. What do you expect about the competition in the coming years?
I hope that the Vietnamese Talent Awards can co-operate with investment funds as well as experts to support and help better bring the products to life. I've seen many good ideas and products being abandoned due to financial shortages. It would be more important for a startup if they were supported by investment funds.
I think that each the competition is only a starting point and there should be activities followed to support and promote the products to the market.
Do you have any advice for candidates at this year's competition?
In 2013 when sending our product to the competition, we didn't think much about prizes but just wanted to introduce and share our product to the public and have the chance to meet with experts in the field. So I think that if you have any new ideas and products, just bring it to the competition to share with people. It doesn't matter if you don't win because you can get valuable comments from the jury and experts which is more precious with startup companies.
The Vietnamese Talent Awards 2019 will be held on November 15th, 2019. Entries can be sent before October 15th to VnMedia Online Newspaper - 14th floor - VNPT Building - 57 Huynh Thuc Khang Street - Hanoi. Hotline: 09434457789
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