Startups seeking Taiwan collab. and meeting with domestic big-name companies

Twenty vigorously-selected startups from eight different countries are being showcased at COMPUTEX TAIPEI at Nangang Exhibition Center Booth N0106, aiming to reach out to a plethora of potential international partners and buyers, as well as seek out business opportunities with Taiwanese enterprises.
The 20 startups chosen from 29 countries join174 startups under Epoch Foundation’s Garage+ incubator “Startup Global Program,” which is in its sixth consecutive year. They are in Taiwan for 10 days, partaking in COMPUTEX TAIPEI and meeting with Taiwanese enterprises’ high-ranking decision makers and touring companies.
Twenty enterprises and VCs are set to meet with the startups, making up over 140 scheduled meetings with big-name companies like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Delta Electronics, Quanta Computer, Wistron Corporation, Advantech, MediaTek Inc, Phison Electronics Corp, AU Optronics Corporation, Foxconn Technology Group, Garmin, Acer, uDone Co., Metro Products Inc. and Mackay Memorial Hospital.
Many of the startups attending this year come from different regions as diverse as Israel, the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, China, Russia and Taiwan. They provide services and products ranging from AI and Big Data, to IoT, smart wearables, AR/VR, robotics, green technology and digital healthcare.
Under the theme of “Innovation for Tomorrow,” the Garage+ Startup Global Program’s pavilion welcomes potential investors, decision-making managers and VCs to come and discuss collaboration and partnership.
This year’s startup lineup is drawn with the strict criteria that they need to be highly marketable in the industry and capable of solving problems with technology. Chosen because of their trend-setting and innovative business model, these startups are considered capable of integrating with Taiwan’s industry and likely to break into the global market at the same time.
A Platform That Works
Since 2015, the Startup Global Program chooses winners every half year and has seen 48 countries and a total of 590 teams vying for a coveted spot. To date, 76 teams have been chosen. Impressively, one-third of them have successfully secured production or investment partnerships, while some have returned to open up offices in Taiwan.
For example, Dutch company Sorama, which offers unique high-resolution sound cameras and noise and vibration control services, has collaborated with over 10 Taiwanese enterprises and has acquired market presence in both Taiwan and Japan. Sorama is a great example of how Taiwan can serve as Asia’s hub for global startups to make the leap into the Asian market.
Meet the Startups
With the advent of more smart and sophisticated technology, startups are finding new ways to apply technology to address existing problems and troubles you probably never realized you had.
Israel’s AbiliSense applies sophisticated technology to analyze sounds from different environments, thus providing real-time intelligence for life-threatening or unexpected situations through the use of IoT devices, making it an essential device for people’s safety.
With more and more pet owners in Taiwan and across the world seeking increased life quality with their furry companions, French startup’s CamToy takes a different route with a robotic companion. The company is creating its first product called “Laika” that allows dog owners to keep track of their pets anywhere, while also serving as an interactive robot that stimulates and rewards your dog.
Canada’s Invision AI aims to transform the known IoT into the Internet of Intelligent Things. As an AI software platform, it executes cutting-edge video analytics by analyzing a visual scene and enables detection, categorization and tracking of objects, be it people or vehicles in the image. The software is efficient enough to run on low-powered embedded processes and smaller objects, such as fixed security cameras, moving vehicles, or drone and body mounted cameras.
Taiwan’s own CoolSo has developed technology for wearable gesture recognition solution, capable of detecting minute finger movement that boasts better weather-resistance capabilities than competitors. It uses modularized design to provide easy customization solution to its customer for integration. Its current field of applications includes AR/VR, medical, robots and IoT.
Netvirta, Inc, from the U.S., offers tailored-made shopping experience for brands and retailers. The smartphone-based platform provides a precise, medical-grade, and 3D body scanning solution. It allows companies to suggest the best fitting products or offer mass customization. Data are transferred to their cloud platform that is fully integrated with the business’ operation system, becoming a seamless and cost-efficient platform to offer shoppers a next-generation buying experience.