EM&AI is one of Vietnam’s most prominent technology startups in the field of artificial intelligence, specializing in natural language processing (NLP) and developing conversational AI solutions for businesses. Established in 2017, the company has steadily evolved from an initial concept of an intelligent virtual assistant into a comprehensive AI ecosystem that supports automated customer service and call center quality management.
The first product that brought significant recognition to EM&AI was the Virtual Agent — a context-aware virtual assistant capable of continuous learning through the Hybridchat platform. Unlike traditional chatbots with rigid scripts, the Virtual Agent leverages NLP technology to deeply understand user intent and respond flexibly, reducing the risk of customers becoming “trapped” in repetitive, robotic loops. This key differentiation gives EM&AI a competitive edge over many other automated chatbot solutions currently on the market.
Beyond improving the end-user experience, the startup also introduced Virtual QC — an AI assistant that supports call center quality assurance. This system can automatically process and analyze millions of recorded minutes, reducing up to 80% of the manual workload related to quality control. Instead of randomly reviewing a few calls each week, businesses using Virtual QC can monitor nearly all customer interactions in real-time, thereby enhancing training effectiveness and boosting the performance of customer service teams.
From a technological standpoint, EM&AI’s products are built on an integrated platform combining NLP, machine learning, and multi-channel deployment capabilities across voice, text, and social messaging applications. However, the company’s success lies not only in its technology but also in its market-oriented product development mindset. By targeting the B2B segment and designing solutions aligned with the real operational needs of contact centers and customer service organizations, EM&AI has built a strong foundation for growth.
As of April 2023, EM&AI’s Voicebot AI platform had processed over 4.7 million minutes of calls, while the Virtual QC system had automatically evaluated more than 18.3 million minutes of recorded audio. These figures highlight the feasibility and high commercial potential of the company’s solutions, especially as it has established a network of over 100 medium and large domestic enterprise clients. These clients not only use the products but also provide real-world input data, enabling the team to continuously refine AI models and improve contextual responsiveness.
EM&AI’s growth journey has been widely recognized by Vietnam’s startup ecosystem through multiple awards: Third Prize at the Vietnamese Talent Awards 2017, Runner-up at TECHFEST Vietnam 2020, the Sao Khue Award 2021, and most recently, a $1 million investment for a 5% equity stake on Shark Tank Vietnam Season 5. Following this success, the startup secured an additional $3.5 million from angel investors and another $4 million at the Danang Venture and Angel Summit 2024 (DAVAS 2024), bringing the total raised capital to a substantial level to support global expansion—particularly for its Voicebot AI product line.
From an ecosystem perspective, EM&AI is a clear example of a tech startup with strong internal R&D capabilities, combined with effective go-to-market strategies. One of the key lessons from its story is the prioritization of developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) based on real business customer needs rather than chasing pure technological trends. Additionally, the ability to generate proprietary datasets for training and fine-tuning AI models serves as a valuable, hard-to-replicate competitive advantage.
For other founders in the AI space, EM&AI’s journey offers two critical insights: first, continuously improve products using real-world data and customer feedback; second, build a robust enterprise management foundation to be ready for large funding rounds when the opportunity arises. In today’s competitive landscape, technology is essential—but it is market insight and operational discipline that ultimately determine the survival and success of an AI startup.
