Welcome to Asian Hustle Network's "How I Raised My First Million" Podcast where we interview founders and fund managers on how they were able to raise their first $1M in funding. We will deep dive and uncover the mindset, tips, advice, and strategies needed to successfully raise from venture capitalists and angel investors. If there are any questions within this topic that you would like us to cover, please comment in the review section and our team will incorporate these questions into our future episodes.
05. How I Raised My First Million | Marina Tran-Vu | EQUO
Born in Canada to immigrant parents, Marina had a tough life growing up as a child of war refugees but she never stopped dreaming for a better life. In 2010, Marina obtained a marketing degree at The University of British Columbia. After college, she spent over 13 years working for global FMCG companies including Unilever, Bacardi, LG Electronics and Spin Master.
When Marina spent time with her family in Vietnam, she noticed a lot of garbage affecting Vietnam’s environment. This ignited her desire to create a more sustainable life for her family and for future generations. Marina lived in Canada, Hong Kong, and Korea for a while but she decided to make the move to Vietnam.
In 2019, Marina officially launched EQUO, a Vietnam-based pioneering sustainable brand offering 100% plastic-free straws, utensils, dishware, and drinkware made from innovative materials like sugarcane, coconut, coffee, and rice. Her motivation is to bring to the world a “Made in Vietnam" brand that creates a positive impact on the environment and humane consumption habits for future generations.
Marina's dedication to environmental sustainability has garnered global recognition, with appearances in Forbes, BloombergTV's "Beyond Innovation," Shark Tank Vietnam, and PlayersTV's "Front Office," and EQUO recently raised $1.3M in seed funding.
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