The journey of “calling human capital” is the most difficult

We arrived on the 8th floor of an office located in the heart of Ba Dinh district, Hanoi with the image of a busy and stressful early morning. But welcoming us is an open, spacious, bright space with cool, modern blue tones. Without gray concrete walls, the green space here ensures privacy between departments while maintaining the connection, making the overall atmosphere more pleasant. In addition to modern equipment to serve the maximum requirements of the job, there is also a “chill” refreshing area called the pantry – which is always full of drinks and snacks, prepared for the break. Short is always full of energy, energizing new ideas to be born.

If not, few would imagine that this is the “headquarters” of a technology startup just over three years old that has just been poured $22.5 million from VNG Group in a pre-series B funding round. Thu With the investment of VNG, GGV Capital and Tiger Global, Sequoia India and RTP Global, Telio has successfully raised a total of 51 million USD so far. Since its founding in November 2018, Telio is one of 17 companies included in the Surge Startup Accelerator program – a program launched by Sequoia India earlier in 2019 for startups in India. and Southeast Asia.

Telio’s startup concept is a mission to use technology and big data to elevate manufacturers and retailers across multiple industries, through the use of technology and big data. Understanding the concerns of retailers, Telio offers a B2B commerce platform that connects grocery stores with suppliers and brands, giving them more choices, better prices and after-sales service. need to be more efficient through economies of scale to help these households operate and do business efficiently.

Selecting customers are small and medium-sized enterprises and business households – currently accounting for 75% of the market share of the economy, Telio’s growth potential is still very large. Specifically, in Vietnam, there are about 1.4 million grocery stores and 9,000 traditional markets, with revenue of about 10 billion USD per year (according to Nielsen). Based on technology (web, app and pioneering booth on Zalo), Telio easily communicates with retailers throughout. In addition, Telio also has the Teliobooks application to help the store manage debt and revenue, as well as to develop from B2B to B2B2C platform.

Telio’s dynamism, efficiency and enthusiasm are reflected in the staff itself. Arjun Karkera – FMCG industry manager, used to hold managerial positions at many multinational corporations such as Alibaba, Lazada and worked in India, Singapore, Indonesia… before joining Telio in June 2020. shared: “Arjun was extremely impressed with the person Telio. The founding team are young, talented and have business ideals to bring value to the community, build a business that can help solve the problems of retailers in Vietnam, help them business development and thereby also contribute to the overall development of the Vietnamese economy”.

It can be seen that the working environment in line with the startup spirit of Telio has inspired hundreds of employees and brought this B2B platform to great development. From the two original provinces (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City), up to now, the number of Telio retailers serving is more than 50,000 stores in 26 provinces. This number is expected to grow to 150,000 agents, bringing Telio to 45 provinces by the end of 2022. With its current scale, Telio is already in the leading position in the B2B market in Vietnam.

The multinational working environment, regardless of hierarchy, age or title, is also a place to forge a team of talented and enthusiastic leaders, with high professional capacity and many years of experience in companies, organization, the leading technology valley in the country and internationally. Telio also has no shortage of young people who are super active and are always given the opportunity to freely present their ideas and ideas to improve their work.

For startups, besides cash flow, human “capital” is also a key factor. Shark Dzung Nguyen – Director of CyberAgent Vietnam and Thailand Investment Fund once shared, investing in startups is investing in people, investing in big dreams, thereby creating valuable, valuable companies. global game changer.

The ambition of the head of Telio is to develop both vertically (expanding new categories, optimizing the one-stop-shop shopping model) and horizontally (expanding influence, towards cross-border transactions). border). CEO Bui Sy Phong shared, that is also the reason the company is constantly looking for new talents to increase the influence of Telio.

In the field of technology, which is a “launchpad” for the development of the digital economy, Telio is not only a startup that attracts the attention of investors but also “attracts” talents because of its expansive vision and potential. If the accumulation of human “capital” is strong enough, Telio’s journey to the great sea will surely record impressive achievements.

Sunshine