The startups we invest in generally all have an internet-based form of distribution. They often fall under common themes like FinTech, SMB Productivity, Healthcare, Media & Entertainment, AgTech, EdTech & Family, E-commerce, AdTech, and more. Ultimately though, we are “vertical agnostic, returns religious” — that is, we’re open to opportunities in almost any tech business if we believe it can make a good return for our fund.

• Team: We usually look for a small cross-functional team with the combination of technical skills, design talent, marketing know-how, or at least a combination of two out of the three. We look for smart, passionate people who work well together, and are driven to solve problems for a target customer group. Founders who have worked together for at least a few months are a bonus.

• Product: We have a strong preference for companies whose products are launched and have demonstrated some usage validation (beyond just friends and family). The product should address a big and painful problem for a specific target customer and rely primarily on scalable methods of distribution, particularly using online platforms (search, social, mobile, local). The product should be clearly better and/or clearly cheaper than the alternatives. Being “first” with a “creative idea” is not enough. A startup should develop true, deep competitive differentiators.

• Market: We prefer markets that are large and growing fast.

• Traction: Having traction is a demonstration of proof of concept. If the data suggests things are moving in the right direction, it will help your chances of being accepted to 500. Some metrics that we usually look at include, but are not limited to, volume of users, revenue, growth, and unit economics.

• Deal terms: We look for terms that are appropriate for the company’s traction and stage as well as scale of the market opportunity.

Here are basic steps everyone goes through. Sometimes we spend months developing a relationship, other times just a couple of weeks. Here’s what you can expect:

• Initial review: A member of our investment team will look at any materials you sent and determine whether the business fits our basic investment criteria. We will also look at your legal structure to understand whether it is optimized for your long-term vision.

• Initial follow-up: If the initial review passes, we’ll follow up with you via email, meeting, and/or phone call to learn more about your team and product.

• Meeting with our partner: If you’ve made it here, you’ll sit down with one or both of our partners. We’ll talk about your business and what it means to be part of the 500VN family.

• Final decision: Our partnership will discuss your company in great detail and make a decision as a team.

We typically invest US$100,000, though in special circumstances, we can go outside of that range. We take a standard percentage for these types of investments and do not ask for board seats.

We typically invest via convertible notes. You can read more about 500 Startups’ KISS investment template here.

Yes. We can provide strategic value in addition to capital, including connections to other potential capital growth opportunities.

• Direct support: Our team may be able to offer support in a variety of functions including operations, marketing, hiring, and capital attraction.

• Mentorship: As founders enter the 500 family, you will have the opportunity for access to the 500 partners in Vietnam and worldwide, seasoned entrepreneurs, experienced investors, or individuals with considerable expertise in their field to give feedback and offer you guidance.

• 500 network: The 500 Startups network consists of a growing list of several hundred founders and mentors strong. They come from diverse backgrounds, expertise, and locations. You’ll have opportunities to be connected to a growing list of growth hackers, engineers, designers, marketers, and founders from not just Silicon Valley or other parts of the U.S., but also Brazil, China, India, Japan, Russia, and other international markets. It is a tight-knit community that actively communicates with each other and provides support. We really are a big global entrepreneurial family.

• Fun: The 500 Startups culture encourages collaboration, innovation, creativity, taking risks, having fun, and being authentic. You’ll be working hard but it will be crazy, fun and like nothing else.

You can fill out our funding application form and send us your pitch deck to vietnam@500startups.com. We will take a look at all the information you provide and continue the conversation from there.

You can check out the individual jobs pages of our portfolio companies to find a list of jobs. For e-mailed job opportunities at 500 Startups portfolio companies and others in Vietnam, subscribe to our monthly newsletter at bit.ly/500news.

We would love to hear from you. Please send us an email with more details to vietnam@500startups.com. Please note that we receive a lot of queries, so we may not be able to answer in a timely manner.

Thank you for your interest. We send out a general newsletter every month with industry and 500VN news. You can subscribe here.