When Hoang ChuDuc brought Zinmed Diabetes – a Vietnamese startup that aids diabetics in managing their treatment – to the JFDI Discover Program in March, it was the hands-on support of mentors that helped to teach the team a better way to connect with customers, by Cui-lyn Huang
Tell us about your startup and team
Zinmed Diabetes is a treatment management solution for diabetics. We provide glucometers, test strips, and automatic healthcare tracking tools and reminders sent straight to your smartphone and other wearable devices.
The team’s three founders (Hoang ChuDuc, Le Vu Toan & Nguyen Si Dung) are all graduates from Hanoi University of Science and Technology with experience in teaching, research, healthcare and incubators. We work alongside three programmers from Genetic Singapore.
Why did you start this business?
Zinmed Diabetes was developed to cater to the 350 million diabetics worldwide. Diabetics all over the world often encounter these diabetes related issues:
- High cost of monitoring glucose, insulin and other test equipment.
- Lack of up to date information on the development and treament of diabetes.
- Forgetting to take medication on time
- Misplacing or forgetting blood glucose meters
- Difficulty finding and registering with efficient hospitals and doctors
Zinmed Diabetes have studied hundreds of diabetic patients, and dozens of doctors in Vietnam, the US, the UK and Singapore to understand the real needs as required by diabetics.
How did you find out about Discover?
We learned of JFDI through reading tech related news after completing a program with Topica Founder Institute in Hanoi, Vietnam. During our next trip to Singapore, we stopped by the JFDI office and came across the JFDI Discover program. We decided to sign up to see what it could offer for me and my company.
What were some of the challenges you faced before joining Discover?
Our primary obstacle is the language barrier, as English is not our first language.
We also encountered difficulty with our business model and our lack of experience with entrepreneurship. With JFDI’s support and assistance we were able to improve our business model, network with global entrepreneurs, meet investors, as well as establish connections with relevant medical facilities, physicians and diabetic patients.
Was Discover helpful for your startup? How and why?
JFDI Discover was helpful as we were able to consult the mentors with help regarding analytical skills, building our business model, finding customers and general check-ups on our team.
What is the one thing you learnt or did at Discover that you think other founders should know too?
Practice, practice and practice.
The Lean Canvas tool was particularly helpful in guiding us to the right path. Other than that, we encourage entrepreneurs to refer to expert opinions and perform market analysis.
Who would you recommend to Discover?
We will recommend JFDI Discover to the startup community in Vietnam, in order to improve their knowledge on startups.
Thinking of starting your own business? JFDI Discover will help you find out if you really want to be an entrepreneur. It will reveal if your team is aligned to deliver results. And it will show you how to solve a real problem for customers who are willing to pay thus moving closer to a “problem-solution fit”.
Cui-Lyn Huang is on the Editorial team for JFDI Asia. Currently pursuing a combined major in Computer Science & Journalism at Northeastern University in Boston, and after growing up on the little red dot. She loves to write, she loves to eat, and loves to write about eating.