Jojo Flores, co-founder of the world’s top business incubator Plug and Play in Silicon Valley, participated in three seminars in HCMC in the past week to encourage the establishment of an innovative ecosystem, inspire the startup spirit among young talent, and sound out opportunities to connect Vietnamese startups with global corporations. He speaks with The Saigon Times on entrepreneurship and innovation after the seminars. The Saigon Times: My first question is about your expectation when participating in Plug and Play seminars here. Do you see Vietnam as a new frontier for startups and innovation with opportunities opening up given the current economic conditions and the institutional environment of the country? Jojo Flores: I have very high expectations of the Vietnam market due to several factors I’m observing. Your economy has been thriving at 6-7% per year, which leads to a rising middle class, increased purchasing power, and higher demand for innovative products. Vietnam is a large and young market, which I believe is tech-savvy. You also have a reasonably high internet and mobile penetration, if I’m not mistaken about 70%, which is acceptable in growing e-commerce and digital platforms. Lastly, I think that your Government recognizes that technology and entrepreneurship […]