Touchstone Partners

Touchstone Partners Early-stage VC with a bias for teams and ideas that significantly benefits Vietnam

Turning climate ideas into national pilots.It was an honor to have Eric Ngo, Strategic Projects Lead at Touchstone Partn...
27/08/2026

Turning climate ideas into national pilots.

It was an honor to have Eric Ngo, Strategic Projects Lead at Touchstone Partners, in the room presenting Net Zero Challenge to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) and United Nations Development Programme - UNDP this week, and even more meaningful to help open up the opportunity for 11 innovation teams under the Plastics Innovation Programme to continue their pilots in Vietnam.

This year, Net Zero Challenge has been included in the Government's official agenda through VIFC-HCMC, who we're genuinely grateful to have on board as a partner this edition. It says something about how far this program has come, from a grant competition we started for founders to a channel the Government now recognizes for piloting climate innovation in Vietnam.

Plastics is only one part of the picture. Net Zero Challenge provides non-dilutive pilot grants and follow-on investment across all climate tech verticals, including renewables and carbon removal, sustainable agriculture, and circular economy and waste management.

Applications for Net Zero Challenge 2026 close August 31. If you're building a climate solution and want a real pathway to pilot in Vietnam, apply now at https://netzerochallenge.vn/

🌱 Come meet us in Ho Chi Minh City for the Net Zero Challenge 2026 Info Session! ✨We’re hosting an in-person info sessio...
14/08/2026

🌱 Come meet us in Ho Chi Minh City for the Net Zero Challenge 2026 Info Session! ✨

We’re hosting an in-person info session, and we’d love to connect with you! Join the Touchstone team to chat about the program, get top tips for your application, and learn how we support early-stage climate innovators with capital, visibility, and hands-on guidance before applications close.

🎙 Meet our team: Khanh Tran and Tu Ngo will be there to share insights and answer all your questions!

🗓 Tuesday, August 18 | 3:00–5:00 PM

📍 Vietnam's International Financial Centre in Ho Chi Minh City, 5th Floor, SiHub Building (123 Trương Định, Xuân Hòa, HCMC)

🔗 Save your spot here: https://forms.gle/HRpax6xsQYneK95E8

Whether you’re working on your startup's application or interested in partnering with us, come by and say hi.

We’re really looking forward to meeting you!

Applying AI to bioscience takes more than a wrapper around an existing model. It takes deep domain expertise paired with...
12/08/2026

Applying AI to bioscience takes more than a wrapper around an existing model. It takes deep domain expertise paired with real computational capability, built patiently over time.

Touchstone Partners has invested in N2TP's seed round. The team is building AI infrastructure for scientific research, combining pharmaceutical and medical expertise with technical depth to support rigorous R&D. Early signals are promising: publications in reputable international journals and active patent filings.

At Touchstone, we've backed AI and deep tech teams in Vietnam since our founding in 2021, from Alpha Asimov to Eureka Robotics to Forte. What draws us to N2TP is the same thing: a founding team building real IP, grounded in genuine R&D capability. We believe AI infrastructure for scientific research will be a critical piece of Vietnam's technological development in the years ahead.

Read more: https://touchstone.vc/news/n-2-tp-successfully-raises-seed-funding-from-touchstone-partners-advancing-the-potential-of-ai-in-scientific-research-135607

02/07/2026

Net Zero Challenge 2026 is open — and we couldn't be more ready for what this edition will bring.

Applications are now live for Vietnam's flagship climate-tech startup competition, co-organized by Touchstone Partners and Temasek Foundation. Three tracks. Non-dilutive grant funding. Real pilot opportunities on the ground in Vietnam.

At Touchstone, we believe catalytic capital, deployed at the right moment, with the right support, is what turns a promising pilot into a scalable solution.

Apply by August 31, 2026 👉 https://netzerochallenge.vn/

Touchstone Partners is still looking for the next Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk of the future. Young founde...
12/06/2026

Touchstone Partners is still looking for the next Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk of the future. Young founders and entrepreneurs (yes, that includes you 2k8s), more than welcome to reach out to us.

So Vietnam’s national exam just asked 1.2 million students how to build “the next Steve Jobs.” Bold question for an 8 a.m. exam slot. We don’t have the full answer either, but here’s a theory: it starts with someone telling you your weird idea isn’t that weird.

Maybe you’re coding an app between study sessions. Maybe you’ve already got a business plan sketched out in the margins of your notebook. Maybe your parents aren’t totally convinced “startup” is a real career path yet. Either way, we think you’re onto something.

At Touchstone Partners, we’ve met over 1,000 founders who all heard the same thing: slow down, be realistic, get a real job. They didn’t listen. Steve Jobs called people like that “the crazy ones” — the misfits, the troublemakers, the ones who think they can change things. If that’s you, we’d love to talk. We’re here to build the next Steve Jobs of Vietnam — together with whoever, and wherever, they are.

If you’ve got ideas bigger than your bank account, send us a message. Worst case, free coffee and a chat. Best case, history starts somewhere. Or if you’re the next Oprah Winfrey, please come teach us too!

Photo credits: Celesnity - Founder 2k4 - at Touchstone office

The hardest part of climate innovation isn't the ideas. It's getting the right people to move together.At the Vietnam–Si...
08/06/2026

The hardest part of climate innovation isn't the ideas. It's getting the right people to move together.

At the Vietnam–Singapore Tech Connect Forum, Khanh Tran, our Managing Partner, joined a panel on the triple helix — how government, academia, and industry align to turn innovation into real impact.

At Touchstone, we're one of the few funds that witness the full investment cycle — from first idea to exit. That journey gives us a clear view of where the gaps are, where the friction is, and where the real opportunities sit.

Getting all three helixes to move together takes a platform that gives each stakeholder a genuine reason to show up. That's been the heart of Net Zero Challenge since we co-founded it in 2023.

Now, with the collaboration of Temasek Foundation and VIFC-HCMC, that platform grows — more reach, more capital pathways, more weight behind the solutions Vietnam is already building.

Stay tuned for more details on Net Zero Challenge 2026 — coming soon.

Một dấu mốc đáng tự hào cho hành trình chuyển đổi xanh của Việt Nam. 🇻🇳 Thứ Sáu vừa rồi tại Singapore, Touchstone Partne...
01/06/2026

Một dấu mốc đáng tự hào cho hành trình chuyển đổi xanh của Việt Nam. 🇻🇳

Thứ Sáu vừa rồi tại Singapore, Touchstone Partners, Temasek Foundation và Viet Nam International Financial Center in Ho Chi Minh City đã chính thức ký kết thỏa thuận hợp tác chiến lược — ba tổ chức cùng chung một niềm tin rằng quá trình chuyển đổi khí hậu của Việt Nam hoàn toàn có thể tạo ra tác động lâu dài.

Trọng tâm của sự hợp tác này là những điều chúng tôi tin là quan trọng nhất:

- Thúc đẩy đổi mới sáng tạo xanh — hỗ trợ các sáng kiến và dự án góp phần vào phát triển bền vững và năng lực ứng phó với biến đổi khí hậu của Việt Nam
- Huy động vốn — kết nối các nhà đầu tư, tổ chức tài chính và đối tác để đưa nguồn lực tài chính vào đúng chỗ cần thiết
- Xây dựng hệ sinh thái — đồng hành cùng các doanh nghiệp khí hậu trên hành trình từ ý tưởng đến thị trường và vươn ra toàn cầu
- Mở rộng kết nối khu vực — tăng cường hợp tác quốc tế về trao đổi tri thức, chuyển giao công nghệ và tiếp cận thị trường

Và điều đáng mong chờ nhất? Net Zero Challenge 2026 sẽ trở lại vào tháng 7 này — kỳ thứ tư của chương trình đổi mới sáng tạo khí hậu lớn nhất Việt Nam. 🌱

https://theleader.vn/huy-dong-nguon-luc-quoc-te-thuc-day-nen-kinh-te-xanh-d46190.html

Energy efficiency is no longer a niche thesis — it’s becoming a national imperative.Touchstone Partners  was proud to jo...
28/05/2026

Energy efficiency is no longer a niche thesis — it’s becoming a national imperative.

Touchstone Partners was proud to join the EU–Viet Nam Energy Efficiency Startup Day and AIS4EE Closing Even as a panelist — a high-level forum organized by Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) under the co-chairmanship of the European Union and Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT).

Our Principal Nam Le took part in a forward-looking discussion on where the sector is heading — and what it means for founders and investors alike. Vietnam has done well in managing recent energy supply pressures — a result of years of deliberate investment in energy and climate resilience. This foundation may well be the inflection point for a step-change acceleration in energy efficiency adoption. Capturing that opportunity requires corporations and startups to work in tandem to bring solutions to scale, with government playing an increasingly active role as launchpad — channeling targeted capital and designing smart incentives that create the conditions for the sector to thrive.

At Touchstone Partners, Vietnam’s long-term development — across energy, climate, and beyond — is at the core of why we do what we do. We are grateful for opportunities like this to learn, contribute, and connect with the practitioners, policymakers, and founders who are doing the hard work of building a more resilient and sustainable future. 🇻🇳

As Vietnam’s startup ecosystem evolves, founders are increasingly exploring financing options beyond traditional bank lo...
18/05/2026

As Vietnam’s startup ecosystem evolves, founders are increasingly exploring financing options beyond traditional bank loans and equity financing.

We sincerely appreciate everyone who took the time to join our Private Credit for Sustainable Growth coffee chat hosted by Touchstone Partners. It was great to connect with founders, operators, and ecosystem leaders for an engaging discussion on alternative financing and the real capital challenges growing companies in Vietnam are facing today.

Special thanks to Nhat Minh P. from Bazan Ventures. for sharing valuable insights and practical perspectives on the evolving private credit landscape in Vietnam.

At Touchstone, we believe the financing ecosystem needs to evolve alongside the needs of founders and operators. Not every company fits traditional bank lending, and not every growth journey should rely solely on raising equity capital. As companies scale, there is growing demand for more flexible financing solutions that better match operational realities and long-term growth plans.

We look forward to continuing the conversation and welcoming everyone again at our next coffee chat to connect, share insights, and explore new opportunities together.

We are pleased to invite founders to an upcoming Coffee Chat: Private Credit for Sustainable Growth.As the funding lands...
04/05/2026

We are pleased to invite founders to an upcoming Coffee Chat: Private Credit for Sustainable Growth.

As the funding landscape evolves, private credit is emerging as a viable complement to equity—offering growing companies access to capital while preserving ownership. This session aims to provide a practical overview of how private credit works, when it is appropriate, and how investors assess such opportunities.

Event details:
🗓 Friday, 15 May 2026
⏰ 2:00 – 4:00 PM
📍 Ho Chi Minh City (exact location will be shared upon registration)

The session will be most relevant for founders and operators who are currently raising capital or planning their next stage of growth. In addition to the discussion, there will be an opportunity to engage directly with our investment team.

As capacity is limited to ensure a focused and interactive exchange, we encourage early registration.

👉 Please register via Luma link: https://luma.com/fvprl4mb

We look forward to welcoming you!!

Address

17 Tu Xuong District 3
Ho Chi Minh City

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Touchstone Partners posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Touchstone Partners:

Shortcuts

Share