NANOSALT_VIDEO PITCHING_ROUND 4

 

A. Social business description

A1. Social mantra one-liner & A2. Social impact clarity and significance

Look at this pictures

Under the intense sunlight, farmers diligently and tirelessly produce salt. However, many salt fields across Vietnam have been abandoned due to low and unstable income. 

These images have driven us, the sons of the salt villages, with a desire to contribute value to our homeland, to take action. 

Upon further research, we realized that the main reason for this issue is that the farmers are using traditional, small-scale methods to produce salt, which do not fully harvest the salt’s nutritional value.

At the same time, we recognize the fact that approximately 48% of the Vietnamese population is experiencing issues related to high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases, and these conditions are trending toward younger age groups. One of the main reasons cited by the Vietnam Ministry of Health is the excessive consumption of salt, leading to an intake of sodium that exceeds the body’s needs.

Therefore, driven by love and a desire to protect our family and future Vietnamese generations, Nanosalt’s team has developed a high-tech salt production process, using brine ( a by-product of the salt-making process), to produce less-sodium salt. 

Nanosalt social mantra

“Providing nature – safety – healthy salt solutions, and creating sustainable livelihoods for salt farmers”

Our target UN goals are:

A3. Solution effectiveness and ESG integration

The root causes we realize:

Our positioning landscape:

        

ESG has been integrated in our solution

B. Social impact acceleration

B1. Mechanisms to accelerate impacts

Here is our roadmap

   

2022 – 2024 period: Pioneering in providing healthy salt, which is produced using advanced technology. 

• Our result:

• 

• Our individual customer and business customer: 

• 

2025 – 2027 period: We want to become a reputable business providing salt to individual customers and corporate clients. 

2028 – 2030 period: We want to Become a leading company in providing healthy salt in Vietnam and expanding the export market.

B2. Financial stability and profitability

B2.1. The economic model is solid 

NanoSalt mainly self-funded its facilities and machines, with an Equity Capital of 3 billion VND (120,000 USD) from the founders. Our main financial needs refer to RnD, including new product research, development with the current product, and enhancement with the current production, all of which help us to sustain our business and expansion.

• Cost Structure

The cost structure is broken down into several key components:

1. Factory and Machinery (4.32%)
2. Technology R&D and New Product Research (3.89%)
3. Input Materials (36.1%)
4. Operations & Human Resources Management (7.78%)
5. Marketing & Product Distribution (43.32%)

• Revenue Streams

The revenue streams highlight how the business generates income:

1. B2C Sales of Finished Products
2. B2B Sales of Raw Products
3. Technology Transfer and Machinery Sales

Besides, NanoSalt has joined several competitions about startups, as well as incubators and conferences to both raise awareness of the brands and raise funds through prize money. NanoSalt has listed in the table below the amount accumulated:

• Championship at Creative Youth Festival (5,000,000 VND)
• Championship at Woman Innovation in Startup 2022 (10,000,000 VND)
• Top Excellent SIBs in ISSE-Covid Project (100,000,000 VND)
• [List other achievements with amounts and benefits]

And so many more with total funds raised up to 373,000,000 VND (approximately $14,920).

Nanosalt provides salt products to serve individual and business customers. We started launching products on the market in March 2022, after 5 years of thorough research.

Within nearly 2 years of launch, Nanosalt has seen strong growth in the number of customers and revenue, showing that Nanosalt products have been well received by the community..

In the end, we have the ROI as below:

	2022	2023	2024 (expect)	2025 (expect)
ROI	6,17%	9,4%	13,17%	17%

ROI that shows positive signs of increasing over time may indicate increased profitability over the years.

B3. Team and leadership

• Team members’ capacities: 

After two years of developing our project, we’ve built a company structure with an organization chart that includes several key departments: the Director, the Supply Chain Department, the Product Department, the Sales and Marketing Department, and the Finance & HR Department.

We manage our company using a pyramid model. At the top, we have our founders, Mrs. Tham (in charge of Nanosalt’s business development) and Mr. Vinh (head of the Research and Development Department, and the creator of Nanosalt’s high-tech salt production process).

 

In our office, we have a dedicated team of 10 staff members managing these departments, while our factory employs 15 personnel who oversee the production line.

Our team in the SBC Competition includes various members:

 

The Nanosalt team brings a wide range of experience and expertise to the table, ensuring the smooth operation of Nanosalt. We also prioritize professional skills training and emphasize Nanosalt’s vision and mission, making sure all employees are aligned with our social impact business goals. We believe that every team member plays a crucial role in Nanosalt’s success and helps communicate our values to the broader community.

The NanoSalt team’s success is reflected in many ways, including a history of winning awards, achieving business milestones, and making a social impact across different projects. These accomplishments not only demonstrate our expertise and leadership but also lay a strong foundation for meeting the dual objectives of the NanoSalt project. Each team member contributes a proven track record that strengthens the project’s potential for sustainable success, whether through innovation, market achievements, or social initiatives.

Human Resource Strategy:

To achieve our development goals, our growth strategy is crucial:

• Skill Development: We focus on developing both professional and soft skills among our employees. Nanosalt actively participates in capacity-building programs for business leaders and managers, organized by UNDP (I See Covid) and Foreign Trade University (SIP 100 Programs). We also encourage other company members to join startup competitions to share Nanosalt’s mission with the community. For our factory team, we regularly organize training sessions on machine operation and labor safety.
• Employee Engagement: We strive to increase employee engagement with competitive local benefits, flexible working hours, and a profit-sharing policy (including monthly gift salt sets for staff). We also organize various team-building activities.
• Training Young Talent: We collaborate with universities to attract young talent (currently partnering with Phenikaa University and Foreign Trade University, with plans to explore opportunities with Vinh University in Nghe An).
• Career Development Opportunities: Offer clear pathways for career advancement within the company. This might include promotions, leadership training programs, or opportunities to lead new projects. By showing employees that their career growth is a priority, NanoSalt can retain top talent and keep the team aligned with the project’s long-term goals.
• Competitive Compensation: Ensure that compensation packages are competitive within the industry. This includes not just salary but also benefits like health insurance, flexible work arrangements, and performance bonuses that are linked to both financial outcomes and social impact achievements.

B4. Partnership and collaboration

 

Stakeholder	Nanosalt’s Partner	Activities/ Commitments	Strategy to create/strengthen partnership and collaboration
Customer	Individual Customer Business Customer	Using Nanosalt’s products Provide feedback to improve the product and develop the new product line Refer Nanosalt to other potential customers	Promotional events, customer care Conduct regular surveys to collect feedback Benefit sharing mechanism when customers introduce new customers to Nanosalt (promotional program with gifts for individual customers; and discount program for corporate customers)
Raw material supplier	Quynh Luu District’s Cooperative	Provide raw material for production Give insight to improve the production process	Community Development Program Equitable Benefit Sharing for Suppliers
Government	Nghe An Government Agency for Enterprise Development – Ministry of Planning and Development (AED – MPI) Ministry of Science and Technology Intellectual Property Office	Nghe An Government supports Nanosalt doing business: calls for participation; recognizes Nanosalt’s activities AED – MPI connects Nanosalt to participate in an institutional capacity-building program Ministry of Science and Technology issues certificates for science and technology enterprises supports loans with preferential interest rates Registering technology copyrights and trademark protection	Continue to cooperate with other parties to promote local development Connect with other ministries and sectors: Ministry of Health, Vietnam Cardiovascular Association to provide health protection products for the national health program
International Organizations	UNDP HEC Montreal	Support from the Social Business Creation – I see covid program, organized by UNDP, sponsored by the Canada fund:”Catalyst Women’s Entrepreneur” Participate in international competitions such as SBC Competition	Seek opportunities, participate in programs organized by NGOs for social impact businesses, inclusive businesses, women-owned businesses Participate in international conferences, and fairs to promote Nanosalt
University	Phenika FTU	Doing research about products Participate in FIIS – FTU’s program on capacity building; and sharing workshops for students, …	Continue to cooperate for professional advice Approach Vinh University, Nghe An to access young human resources
Media	Investment Magazine Express VTV Nghe An Television …………	News about Nanosalt	Maintain cooperation to communicate Nanosalt to more customers
Investor		Actively participate in fundraising networking days and fundraising programs (SIP 100 Demo Day, Shark Tank)

 

C. ESG reporting

C1. Measurement and Reporting

Nanosalt plans to implement an ESG report in 2025 using a toolkit developed by AED-MPI Vietnam, built upon globally recognized evaluation frameworks, built based on reference to internationally recognized ESG assessment frameworks: 

(i) The 2016 Sustainable Development Assessment Toolkit by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), 

(ii) MSCI ESG Ratings,

(iii) The 2012 Environmental and Social Performance Standards by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), 

(iv) The 2022 Sustainable Business Index by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development (VBCSD), 

(v) The ESG performance evaluation toolkit for listed companies (VNSI) by HOSE.

 

C2. Compliance with ESG standards and frameworks

Nanosalt is currently a small company in Vietnam, so it is suitable to use the Sustainable Business Practice Assessment Tool developed by the Department of Enterprise Development, Ministry of Planning and Investment of Vietnam (AED-MMPI), which 90% of companies in Vietnam follow.

In addition, the Vietnamese government has issued Decision No. 167/QD-TTg on the program to support private sector enterprises in sustainable business for the period 2022-2025. 167/QD-TTg on the program to support private sector enterprises in sustainable business for the period 2022-2025.

From there, Nanosalt has more opportunities to participate, and the government support program.

When mentioning the ESG reporting requirements in the places where Nanosalt works domestically and abroad, Nanasalt carefully studies the requirements in turn in the factors E, S, G

First of all, in Vietnam, we are currently following Keslio- Sustainability Advisory, and the first factor considered is environmental disclosures.about our social impact statement requirement report. Therefore, we have applied the multi-layer separation technology process to create two main impacts for society

• Contribute to the sustainability of natural resources
• Mitigate the negative environmental effects of salt production, such as water pollution and land degradation

The second element is social performance reports, where the requirements are for the company to report information about employee performance and metrics. As observed, ABACA company employees work productively thanks to good working conditions as well as the company’s concern for employee health through giving good health gifts to the company itself.

The last element is governance reports, with this element, governance reporting involves disclosing the internal practices and policies that govern a company’s operations.

• Diverse knowledge and experience
• Legal and Governance Expertise: Ensures compliance with regulations and effective governance frameworks
• Financial Management: Expertise in managing finances, investments, and ensuring financial transparency
• Industry Insight: A deep understanding of the salt production and health sectors informed decision-making and strategic planning drives.
• Technological Advancement: Leveraging technological innovations to enhance operational efficiency and product quality.
• Co-founder Contribution: Mr. Ho Xuan Vinh & Mrs. Tran Thi Hong Tham’s extensive experience and innovative contributions to product development underscore 
• Gender Diversity: NanoSalt’s governance structure promotes gender diversity, and ensures balanced representation in decision-making processes. This inclusion is pivotal as it empowers women in local salt craft villages, contributes significantly to economic development, and reduces inequalities within the community.
• Monitoring and evaluating corporate governance: Over the past year, NanoSalt’s BOD has implemented robust processes to monitor and evaluate corporate governance through Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Regular Assessments, and Comprehensive Reporting.

Moreover, in Vietnam, it is on January 5, 2022, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 02/QD-TTTg approving the National Strategy on Nutrition for the period 2021 – 2030 and the Vision to 2045 aiming to improve product nutrition. Specifically, the average salt consumption of the population (15–49 years old) will decrease to below 8 grams per day by 2025 and below 7 grams per day by 2030.

This shows that government policies are increasingly expanding for the salt industry. Seizing that opportunity, Nanosalt has equipped some of them as an affirmation of the company’s reputation as well as that of nutritional products

One of them is the 3-star OCCOP certificate certifying it as a typical rural industrial product. In addition, going further, Nanosalt is aiming for the Fair for Life certificate, allowing your products coming from Fair Trade to be commercialized worldwide.

Not only promoting ESG in line with domestic, Nanosalt also continues to cooperate with foreign partners, including Korea in the past year, in which there were exchanges on products that are in line with ESG requirements in your country. From there, Nanosalt sets a further target to the US and EU

D. Learning curve