During her final year of a Bachelor of Communication (Professional Communication) degree, Dao created ‘Phleek’, an app that helps women dress for their body type, style and personal preferences and purchase products that suit them best.
“We match them with one of our stylists based on their profile, and then their personal stylist will send them five outfit recommendations weekly,” she said.
“Customers can browse and purchase their favourite pieces with no styling fee, and all their outfits will be stored on the app as a virtual wardrobe.”
After testing demand and seeing a gap in the market, Dao quit her job at a well-known advertising agency to concentrate on developing her unique new business.
“The first year of developing Phleek was really rocky,” she said.
“I spent two months looking for angel investors but got none. I worked full-time without pay and spent all my savings setting up the business and hiring staff for a year.”
After appearing on the TV show Shark Tank Vietnam, she received VND3 billion (AU$175,000) in investment from two of the 'sharks', even though her app was still being built at the time.
Vice Chairman of CENGROUP and one of the sharks who invested VND2.27 billion in Phleek, Pham Thanh Hung, spoke of his confidence in the app in an interview with Tuoi Tre newspaper.
“The rapid change of technology has changed customer behaviour dramatically, and fashion is no different,” he said.
“Phleek solves some issues related to user experience by collecting and analysing customers' information, and then sending them to stylists for consultations and the best mix-and-match for each individual.”
Dao remains positive about Phleek’s potential growth, with 40 brands and 2000 newsletter subscribers already on board.
“Hopefully with the investment from the two ‘sharks’ and integration of new technology such as AI, Phleek can take off this year.
“I believe Phleek is the future of shopping…it’s a smart way to shop.”
Story: Ha Hoang
