EXECUTION & SCALE-UP – Social Business Creation

Melius Vietnam Project Description

1. Business Mantra

“Nurturing healthy Vietnamese future generations with comprehensive nutritious meals through an innovative application”

2. Social Factor

2.1 Social Challenges

The target social issue that Melius aims to address is the prevalence of inadequate nutrition and its impact on the well-being of individuals, particularly mothers and children. In many communities, there is a lack of awareness and access to proper nutrition, leading to long-term health consequences and hindered development. This issue is especially prominent in underserved areas where resources and information about food are limited. Melius recognizes that nutrition is crucial to overall health and aims to empower individuals and families with the knowledge and tools they need to make informed choices. By offering the app solution, workshops, and affordable meal options, Melius seeks to bridge the gap in nutritional education and provide practical solutions to improve the nutritional status of our target population. Through our initiatives, Melius strives to promote healthy lifestyles, reducing the prevalence of malnutrition, and overweight, contributing to the overall well-being and development of individuals and communities.

2.2 Target Social Issue

Currently, the number of malnourished and obese children in Vietnam has reached an alarming level. According to UNICEF (2019), one out of every three children is malnourished or obese. According to UNCEF (2019), more than 70% of children in Vietnam’s mountainous areas are underweight. Furthermore, the economic losses in low and middle-income countries due to diseases associated with overweight and obesity will exceed US$7 trillion between 2011 and 2025.

Following secondary research, the apparent causes may be broken down into the following 4 factors: family, community, government, and external factors.

Our qualitative research also has revealed the root causes, relevant to our primary research.

100% of respondents are aware of the importance of childhood nutrition-related disorders.
However, 72% of mothers need more nutrition knowledge to provide nutritious menus for their children.

Due to 4 main reasons

Not having enough time to prepare nutritious meals.
Cannot find reliable sources to reference.
Difficulty in finding organic food.
Feeding children is still according to folk beliefs or advice from others.

3. Social Solution

Melius Description

Melius offers a compelling social solution to address the critical issue of inadequate nutrition among mothers and children. Through our innovative mobile application and engaging workshops, we provide a comprehensive platform for parents and caregivers to access expert nutrition guidance, educational resources, and affordable meal options. By leveraging the power of technology and expert knowledge, Melius empowers families, particularly those in underserved communities, to make informed decisions about their nutrition and overall well-being. Our solution not only bridges the information gap but also fosters a supportive community where parents can connect, share experiences, and receive personalized recommendations. With Melius, we envision a future where every child receives the nourishment they need to thrive, and families are equipped with the tools and support to make lasting, positive changes in their lives.

Our Values

We aim to become the most trusted nutrition care app in Vietnam, where families can rely on our solutions and services.

Based on the above mentioned gaps, the Melius project is created using the Social Constructionist methodology. Melius’ goal is to alleviate problems, lower childhood malnutrition and obesity rates, and create a healthy next generation to fill those gaps.

- We offer an app with the integration of diverse features for mother in 22 – 28 year olds.
- Additionally, Melius initiative arranges workshops, training, and provides free online courses to help individuals understand the significance of nutrition.
- Melius provides three distinct aspects depicted on our idea board to differentiate itself from the competition.
- Create and recommend meals for parents depending on their children’s BMI or accessible foods.

4. Navigating Risks in Social Business

In the dynamic landscape of social entrepreneurship, a multitude of risks can pose challenges and impede progress, hindering the achievement of sustainable impact and financial viability. Currently, Melius is also facing certain risks in its business development journey.

Risk Identification

Market Competition

A multitude of variables contribute to market risk, including shifting customer preferences, market saturation, competition, and economic instability. Market risk stems from the market’s many enterprises offering the same mother and infant health services. The fact that there are numerous parties offering identical products and services to Melius will be an impediment to controlling the industry.

Talent & Human Resources

Talent and human capital risks are the challenges and uncertainties associated with managing your workforce, including recruiting, retaining, and developing employees. These risks can significantly affect a startup’s success, culture, and overall performance.

- Work Motivation

The prolonged project time leads to people’s morale to achieve a common goal becoming further away, affecting their work motivation as well as the quality of their work.

- Attracting and Recruiting Expert in Nutrition field.

This is a relatively specific field, so attracting and recruiting people with expertise and nutrition and especially nutrition for children has gradually become a relatively difficult problem for Melius.

Financial

Financial risks include challenges related to funding, available capital, revenue generation, and financial sustainability. It can lead to limited cash flow, limited resources for growth and operations, and difficulty attracting investment. It can also hinder social enterprises’ ability to fulfill their social mission as well as restricted beginning objectives.

Technology & Innovation

Facing many other competitors of different sizes in the market means that Melius is facing a risk in terms of Technology & Innovation. With the current technology era, it is inevitable that technology solutions are copied or surpassed. In addition, Melius also faces a few other factors in terms of technological risk such as:

- Engineering and Technology Performance Risks

Technology that doesn’t work as expected or crashes can lead to poor performance or business interruptions.

- Security and Privacy Risks

A security incident or breach of privacy can seriously damage a company’s reputation and lead to legal consequences.

- Technological Competition Risks

If Melius’ technology or product is not competitive enough, Melius could fail in the competitive market.

Nutritional

Nutrition-related risks are the challenges and risks associated with Melius’ quality and confidence level. As a nutrition-related startup, the accuracy of the information provided from Melius apps, workshops or platforms needs to be carefully censored and absolutely accurate, avoiding information dissemination. misleading and unfounded.

- Risk of Misinformation

Providing inaccurate or misleading information can be misleading and affect customer trust. To limit this risk, ensure that any information provided is thoroughly checked and verified prior to publication.

- Risk of Objectivity

Providing nutritional information in a biased or unbiased manner may render the product or service unreliable. To limit this risk, adhere to standards of independence and unbiased disclosure.

Risk Management

Market Risks

Melius positions itself as an online application platform that provides a comprehensive solution in nutrition and health care for both mother and baby. By providing solutions through an innovative online application platform, Melius positions itself as a leader in applying technology to the field of Mother and Baby with the integration of new and breakthrough features. Melius targets the customer segment that is parents aged 22 to 28 who are having difficulty in designing a nutritious meal for their children as well as wanting to add to their own experience. In addition, Melius has been building a community among parents, where they can exchange and share experiences, knowledge and skills in health care and nutrition for their children.

Currently, Melius is making profits from 4 main sources including Premium Package, In-app advertising, Affiliate Marketing, and Workshop fee. The diversification of profit sources helps Melius not to rely too much on one source of revenue, avoiding the revenue imbalance.

Talent & Human Resources Risks

To limit the risks related to talent and human resources, Melius has been making specific plans.

- Develop a careful recruitment strategy

Conduct the recruitment process carefully and in detail. This includes clearly defining job requirements, searching for candidates one-by-one, and taking tests or auditions to make sure it’s a good fit for Melius’ position and culture.

- Invest in Training and Development

Provide training opportunities related to job skills and career development. This enhances the performance of the members and keeps them feeling progress at work. Currently, Melius members are taking courses to supplement their expertise such as Nutrition Training, Project Management, and other professional training programs.

- Building a positive work culture

Creating a positive, supportive and reliable work environment will help motivate members to contribute. At Melius, every member can express their ideas, we respect and appreciate the contribution of all members.

- Create work-life balance

Promote work-life balance by offering flexible work hours, teleworking policies, and wellness and wellness programs.

Financial Risks

To optimize the financial risks of the project, we have plans to minimize this risk.

- Careful financial planning

Develop a detailed and prudent financial plan, including forecasting costs and revenues. Ensure that the projected budget has enough contingency to deal with unexpected variations.

- Diversify financial sources

Raise capital from many different sources, such as equity financing, bank loans, and investors, to minimize the risk of lack of finance from a single source. Besides, Melius profits come from 4 different sources including Premium Package, In-app Advertising, Affiliate Marketing, and Workshop Fee. This helps Melius avoid relying too much on one source of income.

Technology & Innovation Risks

In order to limit Technological risks, Melius will ensure thorough inspection and testing before implementing new technology. Build redundancy and fallback solutions to handle possible technical problems. In addition, Melius will also continuously update market information as well as develop applications in accordance with the needs of the market to bring the best experience to users.

Nutritional Risks

Since it’s a nutrition-related project, misinformation is out of the question for Melius. Here, we have taken steps to prevent this from happening.

- Information quality control

Ensures that nutritional information provided is accurate, scientifically based, and not misleading to customers. Check and verify information before providing it to customers. With all information disseminated from Melius has been verified by a team of experts with many years of experience in the project and the Pediatric Nutrition department.

- Links with nutrition partners

Currently, Melius has been building relationships with nutritionists, doctors, chefs, individuals with expertise in the field of nutrition. Melius partners will support us in consulting and providing knowledge for the project to ensure Melius activities are scientifically sound.

VIDEO PRESENTATION ROUND 2

VIDEO PRESENTATION ROUND 1

We also provide our working papers and pieces of evidence, including: