Taiwan Ecosystem Landscape

Taxes and incentives

• Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) - A flagship startup program launched by the Ministry of Science and Technology in June 2018. To date, it has supported over 650 startups, both locally and internationally and helped raise over US$330 million in funding.

• Taiwan Employment Gold Card - Makes it easier for foreign nationals to work in Taiwan without depending on their employer for a permit.

• Taiwan National Development Council (NDC) - A 5 point action plan for a robust ecosystem launched in 2018 that includes tax incentives for angel investors.

• Young Entrepreneurs of the Loan - The loan’s main purpose is to encourage young entrepreneurs to start their own businesses while easing their financial stress.

• Taiwan Entrepreneur Visa - The visa gives entrepreneurs one year to set up a business after arriving in Taiwan.

Investor Landscape

• 2021 was a record breaking year in startup investment in Taiwan with $544 million secured by local entrepreneurs, a whopping increase of 50% versus 2020.

• The biggest highlight of 2021 was the round raised by the Taoyüanese startup ProLogium worth $326 million.

• Government active investing along with local and overseas venture capital firms, make the main investors of the Taiwanese Startup ecosystem.

• The National Development Fund (NDF) launched the Business Angel Investment Program with a budget of NT$2 billion for supporting angel investment in Taiwan.

• The top VCs in Taiwan are CDIB Capital , Top Taiwan Venture Capital and WI Harper Group.

Notable events and communities

• Meet Taipei - is an annual event engaging startups, venture capitalists, enterprises, incubators, accelerators, and service providers, media, government initiatives, and other key players in Taiwan’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

• Qualcomm Innovate in Taiwan Challenge - Qualcomm initiative is a collaboration with Taiwan’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) to support the growth of Taiwanese startups in areas such as 5G, cellular connected IoT, machine learning, smart cities, and multimedia with mobile platforms and technologies.

• La French Tech Taiwan - is a non-profit association that aims at linking France and Taiwan startup ecosystems.

• Taiwan Startup Stadium - (TSS) is a startup membership community and was set up as a vital bridge between Taiwan startups and the international market.

• X-PITCH - Asia’s largest startup contest, bringing together outstanding startups from Asia and worldwide.