Eldercare robot win $100,000 top prize at Qualcomm Vietnam innovation contest

Naiscorp Robotics took the top prize of $100,000. 

The project impressed judges with an Edge-AI-powered companion robot designed to support the health and everyday lives of older adults.

The second prize of $75,000 went to Tensor for an AI solution that determines the sex of poultry embryos, supporting sustainable livestock farming. 

Veep won the third prize worth $50,000.

Two Innovation Awards, worth $15,000 each, went to AIZ JSC for an AI-powered business process automation platform and Openmind Robotics for a smart robot-based logistics automation solution.

In addition to the cash prizes, the winning teams will officially join Qualcomm Technologies' global network, giving them opportunities to promote their products, reach potential customers, and participate in international trade shows.

Commenting on the awards, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Hoang Minh praised QVIC 2026 for continuing to expand its scale and supporting innovation.

This year's edition attracts not only startups but also research groups, university projects, and spin-off companies, which are startups spun out of universities, research institutes or larger companies.

"This is how science, technology, and innovation can truly create value: by bringing ideas and research results to the market and turning them into products, businesses, and new value for Vietnam's economy," Hoang said.

ST Liew, Qualcomm's vice-president and president for Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand (SEA & ANZ), praised the quality of this year's finalists.

"The outstanding quality of this year's finalists demonstrates the strength of Vietnam's talent pool, entrepreneurial spirit, and rapidly developing deep-tech ecosystem," Liew said.

"We look forward to continuing to support these bold ideas as they develop into technologies capable of competing globally." 

Sudeepto Roy, Qualcomm's senior vice-president of engineering, added that the 15 finalists this year reflected the diversity and depth of Vietnam's startup ecosystem, spanning robotics, neural wearables, smart cold chains, telemedicine, and climate technology.