HUTECH'S Portrait: the story of My Dung's succulent garden and the journey after winning HUTECH Startup Wings 2020

[HUTECH's Portrait - Episode 27]

In the Grand Finale Gala of HUTECH Startup Wings 2020, Nguyen Thi My Dung - a student from class 18DLKA1 of HUTECH Faculty of Law overcame other finalists to be crowned the champion. Dung's succulent garden, branded New Queen, was also one of the two startup projects that won the Best Funding Raising Project Award.
 

Let's continue with another edition of HUTECH's Face to learn more about the unique clay succulent garden and the story behind the startup journey of My Dung!
 
Winning the top prize in the HUTECH Startup Wings 2020 was something I had never thought of. Initially, when entering the competition, my main goal was to gain more experience and advice from experts. Hence, I was overjoyed when I found out that I became the winner of the competition.
 

New Queen project - My Dung's clay succulent garden not only wins the First Prize but also is awarded the Best Funding Raising Project at HUTECH Startup Wings 2020

My current online business stems from my love of succulent plants. The majority of my customers are office workers and students. Although succulent plants are generally low-maintenance, they can still easily die without sufficient care.
 

The practically “immortal” succulents provide the initial idea for the unique product
 

With a little bit of experience gained from observing and experimenting with planting different varieties of succulents, I’ve decided to make decorative succulent plants out of clay. These artificial products still embody the hardy and beautiful succulents that everyone loves, yet they also contribute to preserving the environment.
 
It took me more than a month for the process of finding suitable materials, consulting experts, and running trial tests. In the end, the first batch of the final products was finished in about a week.
 

During the product exhibition of the Startup Show, the unmatched handmade creations receive a ton of praise from potential investors and the judges

Before deciding to enter this year’s competition, I also explored and tested out different project ideas, but in the end, I chose to bring the New Queen project for the economic potential and positive social impacts from the clay-based succulent plants. 
 

"New Queen is not just a contest idea, but also a product that has a positive community value", My Dung said

To me, each succulent is not simply an ornamental plant, but also a companion that can bring joy to its caretaker. Having a lifespan of 7 to 10 years, the artificial clay succulents provide an economical alternative in beautifying the indoor environment.
 
Making handmade products is not an easy task. Each unique creation takes a lot of time and effort as well as a high level of meticulousness and sophistication to polish and sharpen every corner of the product. During this month, I’ve only accepted 15 orders to ensure the best progress and quality of the products delivered to my customers.
 

The handmade succulents are made entirely from the "love and ingenuity stemmed from the passion of the craftsman"

I am highly confident in New Queen because it is a 100% handmade product with the unique value imbued in each product. These qualities are unmatched with any other available products on the market.
 

The interest from investors, the support of customers, and succulent lovers are the driving force towards greater success for My Dung and New Queen succulents

Through HUTECH Startup Wings 2020, I have been able to gain a tremendous amount of knowledge about startup and business models, while having the opportunity to make new friends and share ideas with fellow competitors.

By Office of External and Public Relations