APU Computer Science student Joshua Lai Jing Wen and his Multi-1 team members — Joy Chong, Minh Viet, and Phuong Trinh from Hung Vuong University of Ho Chi Minh City (DHV) — won a Consolation Prize for Presentation Excellence at the UNIIC Business Challenge 2026 in Vietnam for developing NôngVault, an IoT and AI-driven platform addressing cold-storage shortages for farmers.

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For Joshua Lai Jing Wen, a Year 2 Computer Science student at the Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU), boarding a flight to Vietnam marked a monumental personal milestone. 

Turning the journey into an electrifying adventure that bridged digital divides and real-world collaboration across time zones and occasional connection glitches, Joshua and his team members — Multi-1, consisting of Joy Chong, Minh Viet, and Phuong Trinh from Hung Vuong University of Ho Chi Minh City (DHV), Vietnam — spent two intense months building a project from behind a screen.

Finally meeting face-to-face in Ho Chi Minh City, they channelled that virtual momentum into an international podium finish, securing a Consolation Prize for Presentation Excellence at the prestigious international academic competition, UNIIC Business Challenge 2026.

Held from 19 to 20 August 2026, the international academic showdown unfolded at DHV, which proudly served as the host institution. 

Co-organised by the University Incubator Consortium (UNIIC), the event fostered dynamic cross-cultural exchange and entrepreneurial grit. 

The high-stakes challenge gathered nearly 100 faculty members and students across 19 elite teams, representing 12 prominent higher education institutions from six countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Africa, and Vietnam.

Opening the event, Dr Nguyen Thi My Dung, Vice Rector of DHV, delivered a compelling address highlighting the vital role of student collaboration, creative problem-solving, and adaptability in a rapidly changing world. 

In this year’s competition, teams were randomly sorted into three core groups to target pressing global challenges: Improving Communities (solving social issues), Harnessing New Technologies (boosting efficiency), and Resource Scarcity (optimising sustainable development). 

Competitors had to pitch their rigorous business plans and defend them fluently in English before a panel of international judges. 

The fierce evaluation criteria looked far beyond mere novelty, testing each team’s ability to identify genuine real-world problems, commercial viability, business acumen, and defensive composure under pressure.

Joshua’s team Multi-1, featuring Malaysian and Vietnamese peers tackled the Resource Scarcity category. 

Mentored expertly by DHV’s Deputy Head of DHV Global, Mr Florent Guilloux and APU’s Director of Research Management, Professor Dr Angelina Yee; the team engineered NôngVault.

NôngVault was designed as an innovative post-harvest management service engineered to tackle severe resource scarcity and crippling food waste for smallholder farmers in Vietnam. 

The project targeted a harsh agricultural reality where smallholder farmers frequently lack access to reliable cold-storage facilities for their perishable crops.

Without these vital resources, farmers were often forced to sell their harvests hastily at rock-bottom prices or watch their entire yield rot away to spoilage.

To bridge this gap, NôngVault integrated a powerful suite of modern technology. It featured Internet of Things (IoT) monitoring sensors to track live crop conditions during storage, AI-powered spoilage predictions to calculate the optimal retrieval window for farmers, and an intuitive mobile platform for seamless on-demand storage and logistics bookings.

Reflections on a transformative journey

Despite having only, a handful of days to coordinate in person after months of online-only teamwork, the team relentlessly refined its pitch through endless rehearsals and sharp feedback from their mentors.

According to Joshua, they spent their precious pre-competition day in catching up, exploring the city, and polishing their delivery. 

“Despite challenges such as the time difference and occasional connection issues, we continued working together and developed NôngVault,” he shared.

On the pitching day, witnessing the immense enthusiasm and poise of competing teams across ASEAN countries was both daunting and deeply motivating. 

Although adrenaline spiked when their turn arrived, Joshua explained that they quickly regained their composure by leaning into the rhythm of their practice sessions.

“In the end, our team received a consolation prize for our excellent presentation. Considering how competitive the challenge was, and that this was our first time pitching a business idea on an international stage with teammates from 2 countries, it was a great achievement to share.”

Overflowing with gratitude, Joshua thanked his teammates for their relentless hard work and commitment, while also giving credit to their mentor, Mr Florent Guilloux, and the DHV organising committee. 

He directed special appreciation toward Professor Dr Angelina Yee, who unlocked the door to an experience he described as truly transformative.

“This journey was much more than a business competition,” Joshua concluded, added that “It gave me the opportunity to experience a new culture, lead and collaborate with an international team, build new connections, and step outside my comfort zone.” 

“This is definitely a milestone I will remember for a long time, and I look forward to taking on more opportunities like this in the future.”