Vingroup has pledged up to $372 million to support VinUniversity’s second-phase development strategy, while foodtech startup Rec Rec has raised a seed funding round.
Vingroup pledges $372m for VinUni’s Phase-2 development
Vietnamese behemoth Vingroup has pledged up to $372 million to support VinUniversity’s Phase 2 development, with the ambitious vision of becoming one of the world’s top 100 universities, according to an announcement.
Of this, approximately $60 million will be allocated to expanding the campus, including new auditoriums, dormitories, sports facilities, and cutting-edge laboratories.
A highlight of this expansion is the establishment of the VinUni Industry, Innovation and Research Complex on campus— an integrated research centre that will house advanced technology laboratories, incubation for university industry partnership, and a 1,000-seat international conference centre. The facility is expected to regularly host over 600 scientists.
At this complex, R&D professionals from industry, including subsidiaries of Vingroup—such as VinFast, Vinmec, VinBigData, VinRobotics, and VinMotion—will collaborate with VinUni faculty members and students in co-innovation studios.
In April, Qualcomm announced the acquisition of MovianAI, the generative AI division of VinAI, part of Vietnam’s Vingroup ecosystem.
Rec Rec raises seed round led by Blueprint Ventures
Rec Rec, a Vietnam-based foodtech startup reimagining convenience foods with cricket protein, has raised an undisclosed amount in seed funding led by Blueprint Ventures, according to an announcement.
Cub Capital and other high-net-worth individuals from the US, UK, and the Netherlands also participated in the round.
With capital raised, Rec Rec is now entering its scale-up phase, including full-scale domestic rollout of the cricket ramen line, with Vietnam as Rec Rec’s largest serving market, expansion of commercial footprint into Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand through strategic distribution.
“We are proud to support the next phase of growth for Rec Rec, a company that exemplifies the kind of visionary, impact-driven innovation we seek to back,” said Adrian Ho, Partner at Blueprint Ventures.
Founded in 2023, Rec Rec made headlines with its debut products: seasoned whole dried crickets, followed by the launch of Rec Rec Cricket Tapioca Crackers a snack format that bridges traditional flavors with next-generation nutrition.
“The seed round gave us the foundation to build deeply, not just quickly,” said Bicky Nguyen, Co-Founder and CEO. “Now, we’re entering a high-consumption market with a product that redefines convenience food—from the ground up.”
