NeoGene Tech, a Guangzhou-based Taiwanese thermal management solution provider, has in Q3 2022 supported Xiaomi to successfully launch its flagship 5G smartphone, Xiaomi 12S Ultra, with excellent thermal dissipation performance. NeoGene Tech's proprietary ultra-thin, two-phase-flow-circulation MagicWick-Inside vapor chamber technology was adopted by Xiaomi 12S Ultra.Just half year later, NeoGene Tech is now unlocking another breakthrough in direct-to-silicon cooling technology to solve the growing ultra-high-power-density semiconductor heat dissipation issues for data centers and cloud computing. The key to such technology is to use both internal and external cooling circulation systems to work together in a single IC package. The silicon chip and PGA substrate are integrated into a high efficiency liquid cooled package module to form a complete IC device.NeoGene Tech tries to redefine high-power IC components, making the IC not only a semiconductor, but also a cooling packed thermal management device. Its core technology adopts a proprietary three-dimensional vapor chamber device with excellent wick structuring and very high efficiency two phase flow circulation. The company named it "NeoGene Cooling Engine." Since pure water has a very high latent heat acting as a working fluid in a vapor chamber, the high-density heat generated by a semiconductor can be dissipated very quickly through the evaporation process at the touched evaporator area, once the design of the wick structure and residual water inside the 3D vapor chamber are optimized."In our IC package approach, the high-power density silicon chip directly contacts the evaporator area of the 3D vapor chamber located outside the heat exchanging chamber. The column shape condenser and the coupled dissipation fins are accommodated inside the heat exchanging chamber that can be filled with a circulating coolant liquid. The heat generated by silicon chip will be efficiently carried away by the circulating liquid accordingly. We call this technology '3D VC Embedded Liquid Cooling,' according to Jeffrey Chen, CEO of NeoGene Tech.By leveraging NeoGene Cooling Engine technology, NeoGene Tech is not only proposing a new approach to IC packaging, but also offering a variety of product solutions for different application scenarios at data centers. "Based on NeoGene Cooling Engine, we plan to provide three types of liquid cooling solutions. First is the NeoGene Liquid Cooler which will be used for packaged IC heat dissipation at 1 U configuration. The second is the Direct-to-Silicon Cooling Package Module, which can be adopted by IC Brands at the packaging level. We will also offer NeoGene Immersion Dissipator, which can be used for immersion cooling auxiliary schemes" said Jeffrey Chen.According to Jeffrey Chen, NeoGene Tech's patented 3D VC embedded liquid cooling technology can not only be widely used for cooling servers in data centers and cloud computing, but also used in cooling IGBT and ADAS modules in electric vehicles. For different application scenarios, the flexible modular design of the cooling engine can meet any power consumption requirements of Multi-Chips-Module (MCM). Combining efficient two-phase flow circulation with liquid flow circulation, ultra-high power density heat can be effectively carried away. The installation is also very simple and cost-effective in different application scenarios.Theoretically, the energy required to evaporate 1g of pure water under the saturated vapor pressure of 40° C is 2405.94 joules, which is equivalent to the heat generated by a 2.4KW semiconductor chip within a second. By properly using the NeoGene Cooling Engine and the liquid cooling circulation technology, once the two-phase flow circulation speed in the NeoGene Cooling Engine is fast enough and the water in the wick structure is replenished in time, even if the TDP of the semiconductor is greater than 1000W, the heat dissipation problem can be effectively solved.The market size of liquid cooling in data centers globally data is estimated to be 1.82 billion US dollars in 2021, and will reach 7.12 billion US dollars by 2028. During the forecast period, it is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 21.5%, according to market research reports.NeoGene unlocks direct-to-silicon liquid cooling technology by novel IC package approach

Fibocom Wireless Inc., a global leading provider of IoT (Internet of Things) wireless solutions and wireless communication modules, in cooperation with MediaTek Inc., the leading global fabless chipmaker, to launch the "Fast-to-deploy" one-stop solution for FWA based on the 5G Sub-6GHz module FG370 at MWC Barcelona 2023.The innovative "Fast-to-deploy" 5G FWA solution includes the reference designs of two forms of FWA devices, CPE and MiFi, integrating with Fibocom 5G Sub-6GHz module FG370, significantly simplifying the hardware design of FWA devices and reducing the time to market. Leveraging multiple key features of the latest advanced Wi-Fi 7 technology, the CPE supports tri-band Wi-Fi 7 solution delivers a high throughput and seamless in-home connectivity, while the MiFi supports dual-band Wi-Fi 7 solution brings a reliable and stable network connectivity for mobile hotspot users.It is worth mentioning that the FG370 was firstly-introduced to the market in October 2022, certified by GCF and CE in early January 2023, now it is ready for mass production. By utilizing the powerful quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 CPU on MediaTek's T830, FG370 supports 4CC CA (Carrier Aggregation) and up to 300MHz of spectrum, as well as 2CC CA and up to 200MHz of spectrum, significantly improves the utilization of spectrum resources and ensures an extended 5G coverage. In addition to new features such as 8RX (Receive Antennas) and Power Class 1.5 (PC1.5) High Power User Equipment (HPUE), FG370 module is capable of delivering maximum 7.01Gbps on the downlink and 2.5Gbps on the uplink."I am very pleased that Fibocom's FG370 5G module has achieved market-entry certifications such as GCF and CE in a short time," said Evan Su, General Manager of Wireless Communications��, MediaTek. "During the MWC Barcelona 2023, we jointly released the "Fast-to-Deploy" 5G FWA solution based on Fibocom FG370, it will help CPE and Mobile hotpot customers to implement the migration from previous generation to the newest platform in a very short term, bringing ultra-fast gigabit experience. In the future, we will expand our cooperation in product development, industry solutions and more, empowering the future with our 5G innovations.""The advent of 5G has bolstered the use of FWA solutions, huge opportunities come with challenges, the utilization of 5G spectrum, the complexity in device design, and the reliability of network connection are the obstacles of FWA roll-out," said Simon Tao, General Manager of MBB Product Management Dept., Fibocom. "By working closely with MediaTek, we have achieved several product milestones ahead of the market. We believed that by launching the reference design for both CPE and MiFi, FWA customers worldwide can upgrade to the latest 5G solution smoothly and easily, significantly reduce the time to market and maximize the ROI."Fibocom will dive deep into the cooperation with MediaTek to launch the mmWave version of FG370 and to introduce the storage separation capability to the module in future generations.Fibocom collaborates with MediaTek to pioneer FWA market with fast-to-deploy 5G solution based on FG370 module at MWC 2023Credit: Company

Fibocom Wireless Inc., a global leading provider of IoT (Internet of Things) wireless solutions and wireless communication modules, to announce the launch of the leading-edge 5G Sub-6GHz and mmWave module Fx190(W)/Fx180(W) series at MWC Barcelona 2023. Adopting multiple innovations from the world's first 5G Advanced-ready modem-RF system, Snapdragon X75 and X72, the modules are set to bring outstanding cellular performance to mass data transmission applications such as mobile broadband, FWA, enterprise 5G, and IIoT.Equipped with Qualcomm 5G AI Processor Gen 2, Snapdragon X75 is the world's first modem-RF system with a dedicated AI tensor accelerator. With 2.5X improved AI performance over Gen 1, allowing modules to significantly improve the 5G cellular capabilities with ultra-fast speed performance, extended network coverage, and spectrum utilization. Powered by Snapdragon X75 and X72, and a quad-core A55 CPU, Fibocom Fx190/Fx180 series provide superior 5G experience especially for FWA applications, offering optimized power consumption and multiple Wi-Fi 7 selections, furtherly reducing the time to market.Compliant with 3GPP Release 17 standard, Fibocom FG190(W)/FM190(W) module series are adopting LGA and M.2 form factors into module design, efficiently driving the flexibility and scalability in a various of IoT terminal devices. By leveraging the spectrum resources for a broader reach of faster speeds, the module series support Sub-6 GHz and mmWave dual-connectivity, as well as NR 10CA with up to 1000MHz bandwidth in the mmWave frequency band, significantly boosting the maximum downlink speed of up to 10Gbps.In addition to the Fx190 series, Fibocom launches the FG180(W)/FM180(W) series based on the Snapdragon X72, which supports up to 400MHz bandwidth of NR 4CA under mmwave bands, and 200MHz bandwidth of NR 3CA under Sub-6GHz, the maximum downlink rate under the aggregation of the two can reach 4.4Gbps. The Fx180 series is optimized for the FWA market and supports multi-gigabit uplink and downlink rates.It is worth noting that FM190/FM180 series are M.2 standard and pin compatible with Fibocom FM170/FM160/FM150 5G module series. However, FG190(W)/FG180(W) series are design to provide Open CPU solution with rich interfaces such as PCIe, Ethernet, USXGMII, UART, I2S, USB 3.1 and UIM. Featuring on the fast-growing 5G FWA market, FG190(W)/FG180(W) series offers a comprehensive module solution in combination with the latest Wi-Fi 7 technology, including Tri-band Wi-Fi 7 for CPE (BE19000) and Dual-band Wi-Fi 7 for MiFi (BE5800). Benefiting from the Wi-Fi 7 capabilities such as 160MHz/320MHz bandwidth, 6GHz frequency band, 4096QAM, as well as Multi-Link Operation (MLO), ensuring the Wi-Fi network coverage and better speed experience in home, enterprise and manufacturing plants. It is worth noting that the FG190/FG180 series also supports wired network deployment, allowing maximum 10Gb Ethernet, satisfying different application requirements. Fibocom Fx190/Fx180 series also supports a variety of global operating systems, including OpenWRT and RDK-B, to further help customers reduce time to the market."We are excited to have Fibocom develop module products incorporating the leading-edge capabilities of our Snapdragon X75 and X72," said Gautam Sheoran, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "The unparalleled performance and power efficiency of Snapdragon X75 and X72 in both Sub-6 and mmWave technologies ushers in the next phase of 5G evolution in all major verticals such as FWA, Industrial IoT, and beyond.""We are proud of cooperating with Qualcomm Technologies, the most valuable partner of Fibocom to launch the leading-edge 5G Sub-6GHz and mmWave module series Fx190(W)/Fx180(W) based on Snapdragon X75 and X72 at MWC Barcelona 2023," said Dan Schieler, SVP of IoT Overseas Sales Department, Fibocom. "It's great to see that in terms of offering 5G connectivity service, we are now diving deep into more and more vertical markets to provide the improved quality of 5G service. FWA is a fast-growing and promising market, we have the confidence to deliver a high-efficient, best-in-the-market total solution for our customers."FWA is a fast-growing and promising market, Fibocom has the confidence to deliver a high-efficient, best-in-the-market total solution for our customers

In terms of overseas market expansions, Mr. Atlas Tung, founder and CEO of Wishing-Soft, pointed out that for a startup who wishes to reach customers in a foreign market, on top of single-point advances such as participating in exhibitions and networking, the most important thing is to understand its own value chain and acquire key partners. It is more effective to develop a bigger market by standing on the shoulders of giants. Wishing-Soft is a company dedicated to providing environments, safety, and health (ESH) software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions to enterprises,Facing the global market, Mr. Tung indicated that the competition is intense in the European and American markets for ESH management platforms. Therefore, Wishing-Soft has set very clear goals for its current stage: it wishes to become the most famous ESH management platform in Asia in order to facilitate legal compliance in the Asian supply chain.Currently, with existing customers expanding overseas, Wishing-Soft has also gradually expanded into the Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai markets. By collaborating with reputable international consultancies. Wishing-Soft manages to provide key solutions to enterprises in performing compliance checks and also expand its reach to even more potential international customers.In recent years, as tackling environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and net-zero emission issues have transformed from a "nice-to-have" to a "must-have," 2022 to 2030 will be a critical period to Wishing-Soft. Mr. Tung believes that to enter the B2B market, startups will need to understand that the greatest value of their products is in understanding their customers and resolving their pain points.Thus, in the process of searching for corporate clients, Wishing-Soft does not simply divide the market as either "Taiwan" or "overseas". Instead, it pays more attention to companies that already have a certain level of concern for issues such as sustainability, ESH and ESG. Mr. Tung stated that Wishing-Soft has always been committed to how an enterprise creates value and yields profit since day one. Facing the current and future international capital market, Mr. Tung believes that it all comes down to whether a startup can provide values to its clients. A startup should figure out its "customer value chain" before acquiring seed funding. After all, focusing on creating operating revenues is only the most fundamental thing in business management.Going forward, since European countries and America have all imposed strict regulations related to corporate social responsibility throughout the supply chain, enterprises that fail to comply to ESH and carbon emission regulations may face a penalty up to 2% of their global revenues. This sizable penalty has prompted most, if not all enterprises to look for the relevant solutions.To satisfy consumer demands and comply with import/export regulations, downstream vendors have begun to request their upstream supply chains to comply with the relevant regulations. Mr. Tung pointed out that Wishing-Soft will be able to enjoy more advantage once the development is prevalent throughout the entire supply chain. Based on its software platform, Wishing-Soft will be able to help the entire supply chain speak the same language and integrate all information. Therefore, Wishing-Soft will not be serving isolated customers in the future, but rather, the entire supply chain and all customers throughout a specific industry.In regard to the advantage of Taiwanese startups in handling sustainability issues facing supply chains, Mr. Tung is of the opinion that Taiwan has many factories and the density of supply chains is very high. Many foreign business management centers and supply chains of internationally renowned Taiwanese manufacturers are situated here. The industrial clustering effect will significantly reduce the time required to visit customers. It also facilitates enterprises to work together, thereby accelerating the solution to challenges and problems facing an industry, and creating ESG-related value for that industry chain. Moreover, Taiwanese supply chains are widely acclaimed throughout the world. If a company can perform well and succeed in Taiwan, it can also draw on these experiences as it expands worldwide.Readers can download " 2022 Taiwan Startup Ecosystem Survey" jointly conducted by PwC Taiwan, TIER and DIGITIMES: https://www.pwc.tw/en/publications/taiwan-startup-ecosystem-survey.html

Mr. Tony Yu, partner of Mesh Ventures, indicated that the success enjoyed by the Silicon Valley model today, is a result of mind collision and brainstorming from two groups of people: firstly, countless entrepreneurs coming from different countries who are committed to changing the world through new technologies; and secondly, venture capitalists with unlimited resources who enjoy enriching their assets. After decades of cultivation under free-market capitalism, the integration of these two types of people has given rise to today's Silicon Valley.Mr. Yu believes that Taiwan does not have to follow suit and completely copy the Silicon Valley experience. Nevertheless, it can draw on its innovative mindset and successful experience to formulate a business model that fits the local environment based on Taiwan's own industry strengths and conditions. Compared with the B2C industry, which has to be established on a market with a large population base, Taiwan has a better chance in developing a unique entrepreneurial ecosystem in the B2B market.Mr. Yu pointed out that the reason why entrepreneurship is so challenging and stressful is on top of focusing on innovative technology, products and services, and its business model, a startup team also has to learn to grasp the seven vectors of business management, i.e., production, sales, human resources, information management, development, financial management, and regulations, under time constraint.In particular, production refers to the entire production process of the startup products and services, from upstream raw materials, to adding value to the products and services, and all the way to delivery to customers. Sales refers to two distinctively different tasks, namely, marketing and sales. The former involves identifying the market and setting its positioning, while the latter involves engaging in strategic applications and closes the deal using sales techniques. Human resources do not simply mean the team's recruitment, training, or retention, but also include selecting investors and human resource management. Information management refers to software and hardware tools that are indispensable in information and communication, and cyber security nowadays. They are a necessity for developing products, building services, and business management. Development refers to research and development (R&D). It is the core competency of a tech startup. Financial management refers to the management and planning procedures of finances, accounting and fundraising. Regulations are pertaining to legal affairs, including legal compliance, intellectual property protection and deal negotiations.The only key to an enterprise's continued success in the market is to possess all seven business management skills. More importantly, the core members must understand what they lack before they can focus on how to gradually make up for their inadequacy in skills and resources, such as industry networks, accelerators, or venture capitalists, through various means in a goal-oriented and deliberate manner. The faster a company could strengthen the "seven-legged table," the sooner it can achieve sustainable success. This is a mental preparation that all entrepreneurs should have.When it comes to the development trend of Taiwanese startups over the next five to ten years, Mr. Yu believes that the world is changing very rapidly, and emerging opportunities often come and go. In the present stage, Mesh focuses on investing in the so-called "new mobile technology" platform and its derivative services including electric vehicles, the Internet of Vehicles (IoV), and autonomous vehicles. Other fields such as high-performance computing (HPC) and the Internet of Things (IoT) applications are also favorites. In particular, Mesh believes that enabling technologies, which are necessary for the aforementioned technologies and promote shared use, will continue to undergo positive growth over the next five years.Mr. Yu also pointed out that if Taiwanese startups wish to create more robust international competitiveness and influence, there is much room for growth in terms of innovations in their business models and their understanding of the international market. A collective effort for improvement is therefore required. Underpinned by such foundation, if the Taiwanese startup teams are able to showcase their qualities and skills in terms of technological management, and utilize their competencies in design optimization and problem solving to help industry grow and advance, the potential business opportunities would be endless.As a whole, Mr. Yu believes that Taiwan needs more success stories from the new generation of entrepreneurs, so that future startups can look up to them as role models.From a long-term perspective of building a comprehensive venture capital (VC) environment, and energizing the upstream and downstream of the VC ecosystem, Mr. Yu wishes to encourage corporate venture capital (CVC) to be more proactive in investing in and acquiring startup teams, as this would invigorate and bring brand-new visions to the market. With the support of ample resources and partners, the Taiwanese entrepreneurial ecosystem could undergo a more healthy and robust growth, and give rise to more exciting possibilities.Readers can download " 2022 Taiwan Startup Ecosystem Survey" jointly conducted by PwC Taiwan, TIER and DIGITIMES: https://www.pwc.tw/en/publications/taiwan-startup-ecosystem-survey.html

Known for being a leader in Taiwan's information service industry, Systex Corporation has been reinforcing its efforts to incubate Taiwanese startups since 2018. It has also actively expanded its software ecosystem. Each year, its AI+ Generator Program (AGP) would select eight startups in cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), information security, retail technology and marketing technology (MarTech). Systex would help them expand their business scale at home and abroad by matchmaking them with Systex's thirty thousand enterprise clients, as well as other ecosystem partners to form partnerships.In general, when large enterprises search for new technologies, new products or new directions, they would opt for either internal or external innovation. In terms of these two strategies, Mr. Richard Tang, Vice President of Systex, indicated that at Systex, both strategies are utilized synchronously and in complement of each other.Compared with using in-house research and development (R&D) to maintain control of the latest technologies, time to market (TTM) is a much more important factor to Systex. By working with startups using external innovative models, an enterprise can save up to two to three years of R&D time, thereby accelerating its TTM while also preventing competitors from taking over the market share during the development process.When choosing a startup to partner with, Mr. Tang pointed out that the first and foremost factors that enterprises value are its methods for solving problems and pain points, and whether the startup has accurately targeted the pain points. Secondly, enterprises will also explore whether the technological skills and business models of the startup can be scaled in the international market. The potential for scalability refers to whether its products can be standardized and go global, rather than being something that are merely project-based. In particular, Systex pays much attention to whether a product or service has marketing feasibility in Taiwan and the Greater China region. Thirdly, the sustainability of the products and team is also very important, as this provides the most basic guarantee to customers.Mr. Tang added that branding is an issue for Taiwanese startups. If a startup positions itself as a "Silicon Valley-based company," its credibility in the software industry is often elevated. This is the harsh reality. An additional challenge facing the Taiwanese teams in their global expansion effort, is whether these teams have enough technological competencies to create "localized" product designs for different markets during the software development stage.In order to assist Taiwanese startups to enter the international market, Systex has also provided points of contact and potential channels in the market. Mr. Tang pointed out that, to an entrepreneur, the most difficult part of international expansion is reaching out to local enterprises, and incidentally the value of Systex lies in its vast client base throughout the world. To any startup, the opportunity to receive guidance on increasing the business potential and international perspective of its products or services, and being introduced to local customers for proof of concept (PoC), would be a great starting point for international expansions.Mr. Tang wished to appeal to the government that, from a long-term perspective, on top of leading startups to attend exhibitions overseas, the government should also encourage schools to nurture more international talents, including encouraging more overseas Chinese students and international students to study and work in Taiwan. Startups should also be given more incentives to recruit them after they graduate, so that when they return to their respective home countries, they could potentially become local partners to Taiwanese enterprises. They will be able to maximize the strengths of Taiwanese enterprises and accelerate the international developments of Taiwanese startups.Mr. Tang commented that the government needs to take bolder moves in encouraging startup developments. Just like how Mr. Yun-Suan Sun and Mr. Kwoh-Ting Li developed the science parks in the past, entrepreneurs also need larger venues to create interactions and exchange ideas. International enterprises should be invited to station in these venues and talents should be recruited. Once the number of enterprises has reached a certain level, there will be plenty of people. The convergence of start-up mentors, successful entrepreneurs, coaching teams, aspiring entrepreneurs, and international brands will then underpin the development of entrepreneurship in Taiwan.Over the past decades, the Taiwanese government has dedicated all its efforts to facilitate the development of the manufacturing sector, including the provisions of water, electricity and optimizations. Nevertheless, the Taiwan economy has relied on these science parks for 40 years. What is next for Taiwan? Mr. Tang believes that one of the most important goals over the next 40 years will be to nurture entrepreneurship in the Taiwanese software industry by encouraging Taiwanese youths to expand globally, as well as welcoming international talents to come to the Taiwanese market.Readers can download " 2022 Taiwan Startup Ecosystem Survey" jointly conducted by PwC Taiwan, TIER and DIGITIMES: https://www.pwc.tw/en/publications/taiwan-startup-ecosystem-survey.html

In terms of roles that an accelerator plays in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, Ms. May Yang, COO of Garage+, believes that in the case of Silicon Valley, the emergence of the entrepreneurial ecosystem is closely related to talents, capital, and government policies. Meanwhile, for developing countries, accelerators would play more significant roles in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.Do corporates see startups as investment targets, or do they view their involvements as merely "partnerships"?Ms. Yang pointed out that this is often determined by the organization of a corporate. For instance, some companies comprise a corporate venture capital (CVC) department that is dedicated to understanding investment targets related to the developments of their parent companies, while other companies which are more focused on business partnerships in the current stage, often collaborate with startups to co-develop products, and engage in technological cooperations and information exchange. In these cases, subsequent investment opportunities will only emerge when the startups' technological development becomes closely integrated with the companies.Nevertheless, corporates have become more proactive in evaluating startups nowadays, whether they are contemplating investment ideas or simply technological partnerships. Ms. Yang pointed out that, in terms of Garage+'s corporate partnerships, they are mostly focused on three aspects in the startup scene: first of all, they are mostly focused on software startups in the vertically integrated industry; in particular, artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics and applications. Secondly, they are interested in software and hardware integration. Corporations can use innovative technologies and solutions to solve existing problems and optimize existing processes to create value. And finally, they are also interested in areas related to digital medical care and healthcare.Each year, Garage+ selects 30 startups from Taiwan and overseas respectively. Different departments from major corporates, such as CVC, research institutions, new business divisions, and Office of Chief Technology Officer (OCTO), will meet with these startups based on their diverse needs. Ms. Yang pointed out that most corporates are mainly looking for business partnerships, and some of their particular interests include: cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computer, batteries and etc. A company is most likely searching for the next cutting-edge technology that will help its core business to undergo a robust growth over the next five to ten years when it looks to collaborate with a startup. Therefore, many Taiwanese companies are very interested in the performance of innovative projects from startups from both home and abroad.When discussing the expansion of Taiwanese startups overseas, Ms. Yang indicated that if a startup team is from a smaller country such as Taiwan, Singapore or Israel rather than a country with a gigantic market such as the United States, China, Southeast Asia, or Europe, it definitely has to collaborate with an international company or organization if it hopes to scale its business in the global market. This would help the startup to expand its business while standing on the shoulders of a giant.The first key to a startup's international development is "knowing where your customers are." The second is to "know where the market with the most potential and best conditions to grow is," followed by "finding a good pathfinder and partner." Ms. Yang indicated that pathfinders for international development of a startup have access to local startups, accelerators, venture capitalists, or corporates. Startups can only truly understand local markets via these networks.Garage+ is committed to leading foreign startups to entering the Taiwanese market. On one hand, this means bringing foreign resources to Taiwan and connecting technological experience of foreign startups to existing industrial strengths of Taiwan. On the other hand, it also helps to create more opportunities to connect with the international community through localization of foreign startups.Compared with the startup teams overseas, although Taiwanese startups are equipped with technological advantages, there is room for improvement when it comes to operations, marketing and executions. These areas make them less capable at addressing issues related to international expansion. Therefore, inviting international startups to interact with the local industries in Taiwan can facilitate collaborations. The Taiwanese teams can learn more about the international market, whether through joint R&D or business partnerships, or by providing solutions to foreign customers via collaborating with foreign startups.Ms. Yang believes that Taiwanese startups need to be equipped with resources from the international venture capital community if they want to expand globally. In this regard, Garage+ can also introduce new paragons for the Taiwanese entrepreneurs to learn from and work with by recruiting international startups. In particular, the Taiwanese teams can learn more about how international teams engage in marketing, fundraising, and forming exit strategies, including accepting potential corporate M&A deals. These are all the things that the Taiwanese teams can pick up.Readers can download " 2022 Taiwan Startup Ecosystem Survey" jointly conducted by PwC Taiwan, TIER and DIGITIMES: https://www.pwc.tw/en/publications/taiwan-startup-ecosystem-survey.html

In terms of Taiwan's entrepreneurial environment, Mr. Jerry Chen, an investor in Mucker Capital for the Asia Pacific region, is of the opinion that Taiwan has very little visibility in the international market in terms of software entrepreneurship, including in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions. To date, Taiwan has not produced any iconic company in this industry. Nevertheless, based on its past experiences in ICT, semiconductors, and manufacturing, as well as its pool of outstanding software developers, Taiwan is in fact equipped with the potential to develop B2B SaaS products. In this sense, by assuming the roles of a venture capitalist and an accelerator, Mucker Capital not only provides seed capital, but also helps startups overcome growth bottlenecks and accelerate their growth toward the next phase.In 2022, MuckerLab was established in the Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) and began to recruit startup companies from Taiwan and the Asia region.Mr. Chen also pointed out that in the initial stage, startups should focus on building their products before the pre-seed round. Following the seed stage, they should enter into the product/market fit stage. For the early stage, Mucker suggests startups to focus on building customers, and finding demand and market.Currently, Mucker does not limit its funding to any particular industry in terms of investing in early-stage startups. However, given Taiwan's economic and industrial environment, startups in BSB SaaS services will possess more growth advantages in vertical industries such as logistics, manufacturing, and information and communication. Nevertheless, startup teams should accurately understand the pain points of their respective industries. Particularly for the vertical B2B SaaS market, a startup team will only have access if it can find the right pain point and achieve a scalable business in the market.Speaking of funding activity in Taiwan's entrepreneurial ecosystem, Mr. Chen also commented that it is an undisputed fact that Taiwan does not have ample resources designated as seed capital for startups. The market is also subject to various constraints. Although a small market has its merits, it also limits the estimated value and development of a startup. For a venture capital, a startup can only have access to more diverse exit strategies if it is capable of solving bigger problems.Therefore, as a VC firm who invests in seed capital for startups, Mucker is dedicated to securing international resources and funds from North America, Asia, and Europe to assist startups to expand overseas and develop the global market.Mr. Chen also mentioned that as a venture capital firm from the United States, Mucker will certainly take "market size" into account when considering its investment portfolio. Similarly, this is also one of the first and foremost factors to most foreign venture capitalists before making an investment.Although for certain industries, economies of scale may be achieved in the Taiwanese market alone, more often than not, the Taiwanese market environment tends to constrain the business mindset for managing the international market. Thus, Mr. Chen believes that if a Taiwanese startup wishes to obtain seed funding, it has to turn to the market overseas. To achieve this goal, visiting those markets in person is a necessary process. After all, even in a country as small as Taiwan, customers located in Taipei and Kaohsiung would still potentially differ in terms of business style, corporate culture, and market demand, not to mention the overseas markets. This is also the reason why Mucker continues to emphasize the importance of connecting with foreign resources.Speaking of expanding in the international market, Mr. Chen indicated that a team needs to find out which market offers more room for growth in terms of the pain points that it could resolve. Moreover, the said market has to be big enough in terms of market size. Once the target market becomes clear, a team needs to have the determination and a crew who can take root in the market over the long haul. This is the only way for the team to assimilate into the local environment, understand the market needs and the rules of the game, and grasp local rules for development, before it can build up local networks, thereby making effective business development progress.Meanwhile, Mr. Chen believes that the impact that the global economic developments have on early-stage startups would be limited. This is because early-stage startups need to mostly focus on developing products and customers. Basically, venture capitalists and others will continue to invest as long as their products are robust. For instance, Mucker continues to pay attention to developments of startup teams and makes investments in them proactively.However, for teams with fundraising needs, they may feel the pressure at this point. On the one hand, market investors are taking longer to evaluate the startups. On the other hand, they are also rethinking, evaluating, and even lowering the value of the startups. All these factors will affect their fundraising performance. In other words, market investors will focus more on the business operations of the startups. Therefore, for startups with product capability and a sound operation, as long as they can withstand the current economic fluctuations, there will be more opportunity and room for growth.Many startups in Taiwan must pay attention to their own technologies and product developments. Under the current trend, they should strengthen their business operation skills and establish their sales and marketing mechanisms, so that they can in fact embrace greater development opportunities in the future.Readers can download " 2022 Taiwan Startup Ecosystem Survey" jointly conducted by PwC Taiwan, TIER and DIGITIMES: https://www.pwc.tw/en/publications/taiwan-startup-ecosystem-survey.html

Taiwanese startups can no longer involve in "me-too" or "me-better" businesses, but must plan ahead and develop "me-only" technologies. The reasons are because the scales of Taiwanese venture capital (VC) and local market are limited, and does not have an advantage in demographic dividend. Mr. Michael Kao, President of Taiwan ITRI New Venture Association (TINVA) said that environmental, social, and governance (ESG), pharmaceuticals, smart manufacturing, and the semiconductor industries are some of the cutting-edge technologies that Taiwan should plan ahead and invest in. Given Taiwan's complete information and communications technology (ICT) industry chain, there is a good chance that Taiwan can gear to become a key hub for innovations and startups for the Asia Pacific region.Mr. Kao pointed out that the government can consider a more proactive policy in providing concessions to startups producing cutting-edge technology. This is to encourage enterprises in adopting an operational model for external use of innovation. The government can assist enterprises to transform and achieve diversified developments while accelerating the development of innovative competencies in Taiwan. Mr. Kao has also pointed out that Taiwanese enterprises should be more proactive in investing in external use of innovation. He recommends enterprises to allocate 5% to 10% of their annual earnings for collaborations with mainstream venture capitalists both at home and abroad to make investments in external startup.Mr. Kao commented that finding ways to establish Taiwan as a base that is "friendly to international startups that wish to expand into the Asia Pacific region" is a pressing matter that the government should give serious considerations to.Currently, the semiconductor industry remains Taiwan's strength in industry. It continues to present a fairly substantial development potential for the future, whether in the upstream materials and production of precise machinery, or IC design and compound semiconductors.Additionally, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing is also an area that Taiwanese enterprises are keen to engage in. Concerns for ESG has driven up the developments and needs for carbon neutrality, circular economy, new energy, electric vehicles (EV), batteries, energy storage, and a ban on plastics, all of which are areas that Taiwanese startups should pay attention to and invest in.Based on the existing footing in the ICT industry, technological developments, and talents, coupled with numerous advantages including an assortment of excellent medical and healthcare professionals in Taiwan, medical equipment has become another key area of innovation for Taiwanese startups.Besides semiconductors, ESG solutions and medical equipment, digitization and artificial intelligence (AI) in the manufacturing industry are also forthcoming trends that Taiwanese teams should focus on. As the severity of labor shortage problems will continue to rise in the future due to low birth rate, labor costs will inevitably continue to rise. The demand for automated production around the world will become even stronger. Compounded by net-zero emission issues, smart manufacturing will become a key trend in industrial developments going forward.Mr. Kao believes, the Taiwanese government and enterprises must plan ahead and seize the historic opportunities of the China-US trade war and the boom in innovative technologies over the next 20 years with a strategic mindset and pioneering thinking. The government should proactively collaborate with leading VCs from home and abroad in either investing in or acquiring innovative technology firms to plan for key technologies over the next decade.Mr. Kao pointed out that recessions are high time for making investments for the future. He highlighted that during a downturn in the capital market, valuations of startups tend to be more reasonable. Thus, now is the ideal time for investing in them. By proactively collaborating with leading startups from Taiwan and overseas, Taiwanese enterprises will lead startups to entering the Asia Pacific market in the future. At the same time, Mr. Kao also welcomes leading foreign startups to set up operations in Taiwan by using manufacturing resources in Taiwan and the market resources of the Asia Pacific region. This will make Taiwan an important base for entering the Asia Pacific market. Going forward, it is highly likely for Taiwan to become one of the key hubs for innovation in the Asia Pacific region due to its competitive edge in being an open and free technological center.Readers can download " 2022 Taiwan Startup Ecosystem Survey" jointly conducted by PwC Taiwan, TIER and DIGITIMES: https://www.pwc.tw/en/publications/taiwan-startup-ecosystem-survey.htmlChairman of TINVA, Michael KaoPhoto: TINVA

Mr. Wufu Chen, Chairman of Acorn Campus Taiwan pointed out that, facing a new wave of lifestyle paradigm shift, he and his company will assist Taiwan in forming an international team with globalized visions and help Taiwanese startups connect with international talents, markets, and capital. On top of technological skills, members of the international team should also possess international vision and perspective. They must be able to define their market and customers, and engage in dialogs with the international market, thereby establishing a footing for the new economy and industry developments in Taiwan.For the past few years, enterprises not only face challenges in operating growth and diversified management, they also need to deal with operating pressure arising from digital transformation as the global economy embarks on a new phase of paradigm shift. In the past, Taiwanese enterprises often sought to deal with such problems through internal innovation and solve business problems accordingly. Nevertheless, more and more enterprises have begun to look for external innovative collaborations and establish new business models. This is why corporate venture capital (CVC) has become one of the solutions for enterprises.Mr. Chen pointed out that there is a chance for CVC to make up for the inadequacy of VC in Taiwan. In particular, in terms of all next-generation products and services, the value of physical products and hardware is gradually decreasing, while the value of services generated from software and applications, including artificial intelligence (AI) and software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions, is rapidly increasing. This implies that enterprises need to accelerate their investments in digital transformation. For Taiwanese enterprises whose business mindset is largely focusing on OEM and ODM, partnering with startups to acquire service contents, flexible responses, and an understanding of the digital generation can help accelerate the progress of digital management for these enterprises.Mr. Chen emphasized that Taiwan has competent local entrepreneurs (who focus on providing "little joys"), as well as national entrepreneurs (whose goal is to go public in Taiwan). Whereas, the target of the international team is clear—to help Taiwanese startups venture into the global market. Therefore, international resources should also be proactively deployed for the management of the entire ecosystem. Mr. Chen suggested that the "Silicon Valley model" could be utilized to source international funding on a project basis. In addition, the concept of "marketing" needs to be reinforced in Taiwan to make industry more sensitive to developments of the global market.Mr. Chen pointed out that internationally, several important paradigm shifts have since occurred in the information and communications technology (ICT) industry and industry in general after 2000. The first of which was a paradigm shift in networking technology driven by networking hardware companies including 3COM and Cisco in 2000. This particular paradigm shift also underpins the development of global networking.As the networking structure becomes increasingly complete, a paradigm shift in business models, driven by Google, Facebook, YouTube, and Amazon, took place subsequently. In this stage, it enabled everyone around the world to completely connect their work and life to the Internet and provided impetus for a new type of lifestyle. Therefore, the development underscores the fact that a product must be able to bring interactions and experiences to its users.The next big thing will be the paradigm shift in lifestyle, driven by the metaverse, etc. This phase has only just begun and opportunities are plenty. However, an entrepreneurial team needs to be able to understand the market demand in addition to possessing the required technological competencies. In particular, sensibility-driven value will immensely exceed rationality-driven value.Mr. Chen pointed out that while developing the new economy, "Technology is global, but service is local." Although Taiwanese startups are technologically competent, technologies are only tools after all. Producing the same product by using the same technology in a different market such as the U.S., will yield results that are different from the Taiwan market. Therefore, while developing an international market, a team needs to acquire insights into the local market's needs and provide products that cater to such needs.Since rapidly changing and unstable global developments have led the capital market to believe in an impending recession, Mr. Chen believes that there may be a tightening in the capital supply, making it even more imperative for startups to control and manage their cash flows. In particular, it would be best for startups that have just acquired funding to put their plans on hold. He also recommends startups to reposition their products since the current economy has made the end-user customers less willing to invest. Startups could use this time to adjust their product structure and focus on how their products could reduce customers' input costs and maximize their profits. For instance, subscription to SaaS services, which has gained popularity recently, is an opportunity that is hard to pass up.At this day and age, no one is positioning themselves as an AI company anymore! Mr. Chen is very candid on this topic. Nowadays, every single entrepreneur has AI. The key is not simply having it, but what you are doing with it. As he mentioned at the beginning of this article, the greatest core value to any entrepreneurial effort lies in "what you are doing," i.e., every entrepreneur should think about what they are doing, and what they wish to achieve. By contemplating these two questions, they may be able to find answers that are completely unexpected.Readers can download " 2022 Taiwan Startup Ecosystem Survey" jointly conducted by PwC Taiwan, TIER and DIGITIMES: https://www.pwc.tw/en/publications/taiwan-startup-ecosystem-survey.html