Kelly Tran

Empowering the Next Generation of Global Vietnamese Startups As Managing Director of Accelerator Programs at Ethos Fund, I lead transformative initiatives like the New Venture Challenge (NVC - https://www.newventurechallenge.vn/) and +84 Bootcamp (https://www.84bootcamp.com/) —designed to empower Vietnamese entrepreneurs to build startups that are global from day one. Through these programs, I work to bridge Vietnam’s rich entrepreneurial talent with the global startup ecosystem. The New Venture Challenge offers 18 early-stage startups unmatched opportunities with up to $30K each in non-dilutive grants and access to world-class mentorship, helping founders scale beyond borders. The +84 Bootcamp, a 12-module DIY program, provides the knowledge, tools, and community support to launch and grow internationally on founders’ terms. My mission is to foster Vietnam’s leadership in global innovation by supporting mission-driven founders who tackle challenges with bold, transformative solutions. With a background in technology, community building, and venture development, I bring a unique blend of expertise to empower entrepreneurs to dream bigger, execute faster, and scale smarter. Let’s connect if you’re an ambitious founder, seasoned investor, or visionary partner passionate about scaling Vietnamese innovation globally!

AppGenie is revolutionizing tech hiring with an AI-driven platform that instantly connects companies with the top 1% of engineers from Vietnam, offering FAANG-level talents at highly competitive prices. • Our solution streamlines the hiring process, reduces costs, and ensures quality, empowering businesses to scale effortlessly and maintain technological superiority. • Currently, we have a market-tested product with a network of 1,000+ top-market vetted developers. • Our experts are skilled in a broad array of technologies, including web, mobile apps, AI/ML, AR/VR, fintech, blockchain, and more. With over 200 English-speaking developers ready to start immediately, we are prepared to tackle any project. • We also offer CTO-as-a-service. Our team has extensive experience working with demanding clients, including industry leaders like PWC, Coca-Cola, Shinhan Bank. • Hiring software developers from Vietnam is advantageous due to their cost-effectiveness, strong technical skills, growing tech ecosystem, and commendable work ethic, along with the benefits of competitive salaries and good English proficiency, making them a compelling choice over developers from LATAM or India. Our team is composed of professionals with strong Computer Science backgrounds, extensive domain expertise in Tech Outsourcing and People Operations at Fortune 500 companies, and over 20 years of combined experience in community-building. This unique blend of skills and experiences gives us unparalleled access to the top 1% of engineering talent in Vietnam. At AppGenie, we turn your tech hiring wishes into reality—your wish is our command. 👉 Learn more at theappgenie.co

The Customer Growth Platform is responsible for powering PayPal and its subsidiaries ability to: • Provision accounts and products across the millions of PayPal. Inc.'s end-customers. • Manage the lifecycle of the Customer's subscriptions to these products across the lifespan of the customers. • Manage the lifecycle of the products themselves.

Global Data Sciences (Horizon) Team through PayPal's Intern Project Exchange (IPE) PayPal’s Global Data Sciences team is responsible for developing and enhancing machine learning capabilities, which are key in PayPal’s top-of-the-line data-driven decisions. GDS is a group of data scientists and problem solvers with strong analytical, mathematical, and programming skills and like to approach various kinds of challenges in complex environments. The role offers a unique opportunity to innovate and improve PayPal’s Data Science capabilities and products (Data Platforms, Graph & Linking, Data Insights, Variable Generations).

Customer Growth Platform Team - Identity (Received SDE 2 return offer) • Partner alongside software engineers and various cross functional team members to build, manage, perform and support various aspects of real time projects. • Develop applications to support various functions across Identity. • Leverage existing skills while learning and implementing new technologies. • Identify additional areas of opportunity and means for knowledge sharing practices across teams. • Be responsible for the design, development and quality delivery of the platform web services and infrastructure. • Unlock potential for PayPal's adjacencies using the power of a single INC level identity. • Skill Requirements: Java, Spring Boot, Web Service Architecture and Development, RESTful design principles, Spring Inversion of Control (IoC), Bean injection, Bean lifecycle, Data Structures, Data Modeling, Performance implications, Algorithm development, Rest API testing and Automation.

Founded in 2017, VIoT (formerly Sejong) is a $5 mil series A startup that produces connected IoT devices, including outdoor and industrial lighting controllers, sensors, and innovative IoT solutions for smart city, smart factory, and precision agriculture development. • Drove roadmap, business plan, and GTM strategy for DiGiAds to help secure funding • Led 15-member cross-functional teams of Product, Engineering, Design, and Marketing team members to drive feature work • Conducted market research with 90+ corporate customers to gather insights into customer requirements and segmentation; devised A/B testing plans for new features to validate success metrics to aid in product design decisions. • Negotiated and closed deals with 25+ corporate clients, generating additional revenue of $800,000 within 3 quarters. • Used data-driven consumer science on Digital Signage product, to push targeted ads to distinct personas, leading to a 17% increase in conversion rates and a 27% reduction in customer acquisition costs. • Deployed machine learning models for predictive analytics, resulting in a 13% reduction in customer churn by proactively identifying at-risk customers and implementing targeted retention strategies. • Developed a user-friendly web dashboard using TypeScript and Django, simplifying client management of digital signage displays in real-time and reducing labor costs by 28% for marketing campaigns. • Implemented RESTful APIs to interact with the backend server, enabling users to upload and schedule multimedia content, manage display layouts, and monitor performance metrics. • Integrated with third-party APIs and content management systems to fetch data and automatically update signage content, resulting in a 53% reduction in manual data entry and saving over 3700+ hours annually.

• Founded an online boutique to distribute export quality clothes and accessories for Vietnamese locals. • Implemented business strategies in sales, marketing, logistics, partnerships, HR, and daily operations. • Established and managed a network of 10,000+ followers and 1,000+ frequent customers on multiple social media channels. • Closed sales of 5,000+ products; doubled profits within 2 years of operations.

BUSN Courses Taken: Hacking for Defense, New Product Development, New Venture Challenge.

Full scholarship

Full scholarship