Cooperation Agreement with Vulcan Augmetics

Kec Vietnam team had officially confirmed about the cooperation with Vulcan Augmetics team last week. Both parties wish to exchange information for the purpose of pursuing collaboration opportunities for improvement of Vietnam Healthcare and Robotic Education .

The scope of collaboration between the Parties is as below.

The Parties agree to collaborate in good faith on the following projects (collectively, “Project”) in Vietnam:

• Building the preventive and responsive system against epidemics and providing support for the entry into the education and healhcare industry in Vietnam;
• Proceeding with market research & co-operative acquisition of a Vietnam-based education / healthcare and/or agreed-upon assets;
• Undertaking discussions, planning and conducting agreed-upon activities, including without limitation joint researches, for the furtherance of the Project.

Vulcan Augmetics, a social impact startup established in 2017 in Ho Chi Minh City, specializes in designing and manufacturing robot arms that are reasonably priced and equipped with the right functions to serve specific needs of people with disabilities.

Vulcan Augmetics also engages in community service and amputee support activities. The fact that only 30% of people with disabilities in Vietnam are employed according to WHO statistics was the motivation behind Vulcan Augmetics’ inception. Their business model is designed to change how society views people with disabilities and how disabled people view themselves in order to bring thousands of disadvantaged people back to the workforce.

Rafael Masters, the Vulcan Augmetics CEO, grew up near the biggest college for people with disabilities in the United Kingdom, so he has always been aware of how much these people are capable of with the right technology. Rafael has spent over 10 years in Vietnam working in education, special needs, and management before enrolling in an MBA program and founding Vulcan.

Ms. Trinh Khanh Ha, a GM at Vulcan Augmetics, is a serial entrepreneur who came to Vulcan after closing her own e-commerce company. In July 2018, she met Masters and worked with him to build Vulcan Augmetics to improve employment prospects for people with disabilities. Since 2018, Vulcan Augmetics fitted 18 users with their products and worked with the UNDP on a pilot project that is a part of landmine clearance program. The company did not generate revenue but took in $25,000 worth of orders for sponsored prosthetics.

Prior to Covid-19, Vulcan Augmetics were finalizing a new product launch and moving forward with their paperwork and licensing. As they became increasingly concerned about the pandemic situation around late March and early April, the company planned ahead to shift to remote work over the following weeks.

Prior to Covid-19, Vulcan Augmetics were finalizing a new product launch and moving forward with their paperwork and licensing. As they became increasingly concerned about the pandemic situation around late March and early April, the company planned ahead to shift to remote work over the following weeks.

When the pandemic situation aggravated in Vietnam, noticing the huge increase in demand for PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), Masters downloaded a few dozen STL and 3D printing files via the Open Source Medical Supplies project. He then created a maker network called “Cloud Maker” where local workshops and engineers could produce equipment such as face shields and mask holders for hospitals and quarantine camps. While Vulcan Augmetics itself comprises of professional “makers”, the company was well aware that a large pool of talents just like them were out there – bright minds capable of invention with a passion for giving back to the community.

Vulcan Augmetics set up an online platform for doctors, engineers, and sponsors that quickly grew to acquire a membership of several hundred. The platform provided design files, an ordering system, and a bridge to hospitals. They coordinated delivery of 2,000 face shields and delivered 60 prototypes.

Their Head of Engineering, Robin Durivault, worked with Decathlon and FV hospital to make respirators while collaborating with two hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City in the production and testing of five types of anti-aerosol boxes. “For us it was PPE, for others it was rice ATMs, sterilizing equipment, home-made hand sanitizer, food for the homeless and unemployed. Everyone can help somehow, it’s not always a highly visible, public thing, but there’s always a way.” – Rafael Masters, CEO.

As a social enterprise, Vulcan Augmetics and other startups have access to more grants or funds than others do, especially in times of crisis. It is important to stay lean, be prepared to pivot or adapt swiftly, and always pursue the corporate social mission.