Following Sesto Robotics' debut at Semicon Taiwan in 2016 and return to the show in 2017, the Singapore-based automated guided vehicle (AGV) and intelligent mobile robot (IMR) developer was again at the premier event of Taiwan's semiconductor and microelectronics manufacturing industries in 2018, showcasing its new S200 with 7-axis Robot Arm IMR that is equipped with the company's newly developed features and innovations.

Through attending various commercial activities hosted by the World Information Technology and Services Alliances (WITSA), Taiwan information software and hardware firms can more easily tap global business opportunities, according to Yvonne Chiu, chairperson of both WITSA and the Information Service Industry Association of the ROC (CISA).

Vietnam has a population of near 100 million and there are over 70 million handset and Internet users, providing a good foundation for stable development of the country's information and communications technology (ICT) industry, according to Phan Tam, deputy minister of Vietnam's Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC).

The ASEAN market sees fast growth in e-commerce, with total transaction value increasing by about 20% annually, according to ASOCIO (Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization) chairman David Wong Nan Fay.

Facing the great waves of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Vietnam is keen on promoting e-government projects, and the government there has selected five main cities, including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang, as pilot sites for smart city development, covering clean energy, environmental protection and transportation, according to Truong Gia Binh, chairman of FPT Group, the largest information technology service company in the country.

Wonders Information, a major smart city service provider in Shanghai, China, is aggressively utilizing such newly emerging technologies as cloud computing, big data, IoT, and mobile Internet to work out comprehensive smart city solutions, according to company chairman and president Shi Yibing.

Successfully starting his own business twice, Gwong Lee, managing director, Translink Capital, sold his second firm for a high price 15 months after its establishment and he was named one of Silicon Valley's top-10 most important persons of the year. Afterwards, Foxconn chairman Terry Gou invited Lee to serve as chairman of CyberTAN, a Foxconn subsidiary, and guide Foxconn Technology Group's investment deals. Drawing on his entrepreneurship experiences, Lee offers some thoughts and advice for Taiwan startups.

Having started three businesses, two of which successfully went public, founder of Vivo Capital Frank Kung set foot in the biotech sector in the 1970s. Thanks to Kung's decades of experiences in investing in biotech firms in the US and Greater China, Vivo Capital has made itself the largest biotech venture capital fund in Chinese communities worldwide, managing over US$1.7 billion in capital including the Taiwan Silicon Valley Technology Fund. Furthermore, Kung often attends the Taiwanese government's Bio Taiwan Committee meetings and offers advice for the development of Taiwan's biotech industry.

Co-founder of Translink Capital Jackie Yang has accumulated 21 years of experience in venture capitalism since he first set foot in the field in 1996. Having witnessed the rise and fall of Taiwan industries and changes in technologies, Yang thinks although the PC and semiconductor industries that have fueled Taiwan's economic growth are experiencing market saturation and maturity, startups still have a good chance at success if they are able to capture opportunities. He gives some pointers and suggestions to Taiwan's entrepreneurs based on his experiences in funding successful startups.

New Taipei City, the largest municipality in northern Taiwan, has been selected by Intelligent Community Forum, an international organization, as one of the global top-7 smart cities for three consecutive years due to its achievement in promoting application of smart city solutions to its administration and services, deputy mayor Yeh Hueh-ching said during a recent interview by Digitimes.