Draft:Binh Tran
Vietnamese-American entrepreneur and venture capitalist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Binh Tran is a Vietnamese-American entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He is a co-founder and General Partner of AVV (Ascend Vietnam Ventures), a seed-stage venture capital firm based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He previously co-founded Klout, the social media analytics platform,[1][2] and 500 Startups Vietnam.[3]
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Binh Tran | |
|---|---|
| Education | University of California, Irvine (BS, Computer Science) |
| Occupations | Entrepreneur, venture capitalist |
| Known for | Co-founder of Klout, co-founder of AVV (Ascend Vietnam Ventures) |
| Title | General Partner, AVV |
Early life and education
Tran attended the University of California, Irvine, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science (1991-1995).
Career
Early career
Tran began his professional career in 1995 as a game programmer. After publishing two game titles, he left the video game industry to work as a software consultant and technology evangelist, touring cities to introduce Microsoft's .NET platform to developers.[4]
Evalulogix
In 2003, Tran co-founded Evalulogix, LLC, a software company that provided online special education management services for schools in the United States.[4]
Klout (2008-2014)
In 2008, Tran co-founded Klout with Joe Fernandez, serving as the company's chief technology officer. Klout was a social media analytics platform that assigned users an influence score based on their online activity across social networks. The platform raised over US$40 million from investors including Kleiner Perkins, Mayfield Fund, and Microsoft.[5]
On March 27, 2014, Klout was acquired by Lithium Technologies in a deal valued at approximately US$200 million in cash and private stock.[1][2]
500 Startups Vietnam (2016-2021)
Following the Klout acquisition, Tran became an angel investor. In 2016, he co-founded 500 Startups Vietnam alongside Eddie Thai, establishing what was described as the first technology-focused seed-stage VC firm in the country.[3] Former U.S. President Barack Obama referenced the launch of the fund during a trip to Vietnam.[3]
The fund invested in dozens of companies, including ELSA (AI-powered English learning, later backed by Google's AI-focused fund), Trusting Social (fintech, later backed by Sequoia Capital), and Axie Infinity (blockchain gaming, later backed by Andreessen Horowitz and Accel).[3][6]
In 2021, Tran and Thai announced they would launch an independent fund outside of 500 Startups to pursue larger investments.[3][7]
AVV - Ascend Vietnam Ventures (2021-present)
In 2021, Tran and Thai launched Ascend Vietnam Ventures (AVV), an independent seed-stage venture capital firm headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City.[7][8] DealStreetAsia reported that AVV closed its first fund at US$64 million.[9]
In a January 2022 interview on Bloomberg Television, Tran discussed Vietnam's digital economy, noting that venture funding for startups in Vietnam had grown from US$48 million in 2017 to US$2.1 billion in 2021.[10][11] Bloomberg News subsequently quoted Tran in a February 2023 feature on Silicon Valley talent relocating to Vietnam's startup ecosystem.[12]
In a September 2022 interview with TechNode Global, Tran described Vietnam as entering a "Golden Age" for early investment opportunities, citing government support, market accessibility, and strong tech talent.[13]
Other activities
Tran has served on the board of OneVietnam, a Ford Foundation–supported nonprofit organization based in San Francisco focused on connecting the Vietnamese diaspora.[14]
Personal life
Tran relocated from the San Francisco Bay Area to Ho Chi Minh City with his family in 2020. He resides in Ho Chi Minh City with his wife and two children.[12]