ASVDA Startup Ecosystem Forum at InnoVEX 2019 to Create a New stage for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and International Connections

TAIPEI,
TAIWAN -�Media OutReach -
4 June 2019 – The 2019 InnoVEX took place at Taipei, Taiwan from 29^th
to 31^st May 2019 organized by the Taipei Computer Association (TCA)
and TAITRA. The event not only offered professionals from 25 countries /
location an extravaganza of 467 international tech startups but also packed
with pitch contests, matchmaking, demos and forums.

ASVDA
Startup Ecosystem Forum Speakers

The Asia
Silicon Valley Development Agency (ASVDA) Startup Ecosystem was one of the many
exciting sessions during InnoVEX which was dedicated to those who are
interested in expanding their startups in locations such as Japan, Singapore,
France and US. The session invited high profile speakers such as Masashi Sato —
Senior Manager of Nomura Research Institute, Jeff Karp — Professor of Harvard
University, Laurent Le Guyader — Community Lead & Member of the board at
French Tech Taiwan, Dave Ng — Head of South East Asia of Eight Roads Ventures
for a keynote before joining at a panel session which was moderated by David
Weng — General Manager of Taiwania Capital Management Corporation.

A Thorough Market Research is Imperative
for the Japanese Market

Masashi
Sato mentioned in his keynote that the market in Japan is particularly
sensitive and thus requires the startups to thoroughly identify market trends.
Japan is currently facing a declining birthrate which resulted in a sharp
decrease on workforces in almost all sectors. This imminent development causes
concerns for government and enterprises but also provides opportunities in
healthcare, automation and related applications for tech-startups. Mr. Sato
further mentioned that there is a shortage of private venture capitalists but
an abundance of CVC (corporate venture capitals), he reminded the attending startups
to actively engage with CVCs as they are formed by industry leaders; many of
them seek innovative technologies and ideas.

Southeast Asia Opportunities Require Localization

Dave
Ng, being the Head of Southeast Asia at Eight Roads Ventures who is also one of
the earlier investors of Alibaba provides insights of the huge potential and
opportunities for all tech-startups in the Southeast Asia region. His main point
is that Southeast Asia offers a population of 650 million people with a growing
income rate.

Though
the mass of opportunities is great, it also comes with a risk. The technology
leap for Southeast Asia is tremendous. Most of the population is fortunate
enough to have their first ever internet experience through a smartphone, whereas
for some other areas of the world it is a progressive step that took over a
decade. However, due to the unbalance of infrastructures, banking services as
normal as ATM would not be feasible or realistic for the Southeast Asia region.

Mr. Ng
further stated that as there are about 10 countries in the Southeast Asia region,
tech startups would have to adapt to at least 10 cultures and 10 governments as
each of them have a different characteristic. Therefore, localization is vitally
important.

France: A Fusion of Culture and High Tech

Dr.
Laurent Le Guyadar of La French Tech Taiwan pointed out the many opportunities
that exist when Taiwan and France collaborate with each other. From his
perspective, “La French Tech” is one of the main support mechanisms
and tools used by France to promote the development of emerging technologies.
This achievement is the result of a long work in Taiwan done by French private
enterprises, French institutions, and the efforts of many individuals.

The
goal of “La French Tech Taiwan” is to significantly increase the
number of startup acceleration programs and incubation programs fostering new
initiatives towards the development of France and Taiwan in terms of innovation
and new technologies, to promote the attractiveness of France to Taiwanese
startups.