November 7, 2019: BlackStorm Consulting acts as a bridge for APTG 5G Accelerator with the Thailand’s startup ecosystem through organising a recruitment event at True Digital Park whereby both parties marked their collaboration with a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on that day.
In the event, we are very honoured to have Mr. Tawatchai Lerksumrand, Deputy Director of True Corporation and Mr. Kevin Wu, Mentor of APTG 5G Accelerator to share about the development of 5G technology in Thailand and Taiwan, as well as within their organisations.
APTG 5G Accelerator team also managed to interview a few startups at the event venue for the upcoming batch into their programme.
Taiwan has long been known for its quality tech hardware, made famous the world over via easily-recognisable names such as Asus, MSI, and Foxconn. However, the little country of 23 million people lags behind other Asian startup hubs like Beijing and Singapore despite being ranked 4th in the globe in innovation capability by the World Economic Forum and having a much stronger intellectual property rights than China.
Thus, Taipei needs to make up for lost ground against regional heavyweights in terms of spurring a more vibrant local tech startup scene and drawing foreign startups to further innovate the nascent ecosystem.
With the support of the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration under Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs, Asia-Pacific Telecom Group or APTG (which is owned by tech giant Foxconn) and startup ecosystem connector AsiaIOA have opened its maiden APTG 5G Accelerator Programme up to Southeast Asian startups.
The accelerator programme aims to accelerate Taiwan’s startup tech scene with a focus on 5G-related disciplines, including: ICT, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud, and Big Data.
APTG 5G Accelerator Programme 2019
The programme focuses on strengthening startup acceleration and partnership with enterprises, assisting startups for international partnership and market expansion, accelerating startup development of their business models, product and solution roadmaps, sales and marketing developments, legal and compliance, finance and taxation, and 5G technology as well as field testing, where necessary.
| Schedule for APTG 5G Accelerator Programme 2019 | |
| 18th September 2019 – 18th December 2019 | Recruiting and application process by Taiwanese and international startups is underway |
| December 2019 – January 2020 | Screening, interviews and selection of startups |
| February 2020 | Start of the APTG 5G Accelerator Programme |
| July 2020 | Demo Week/Day of the 5G Accelerator Programme |
Selected startups (10-12 startups) will need to incorporate entities in Taiwan within two months of the 5G accelerator programme starting. Startups are also required to have corporate registered ID, meet the criteria as a Taiwan-based SME, and not be incubated or accelerated in more than two programmes in Taiwan.
Each startup will be assigned a Taiwanese industry mentor. During the six-month programme (until Demon Week/Day), mentors and APTG programme managers will organise bi-weekly “business diagnosis” meetings (whether face-to-face, online, or via phone) with startups.
These business diagnosis meetings aim to help startups:
- Discover: business models and assess opportunities for targeted markets, with validations.
- Build: planning a growth strategy and building solutions for issues and challenges with action plans.
- Scale-up: exploring sales opportunities and partnerships for acceleration with expansion.
General Perks of Joining the Programme
The six-month programme will include lectures by mentors, one-on-one interactive discussions between mentors and startups for business diagnoses, as well as preparation for official investment opportunities and meetings with potential investors. Startups will also participate with international and Taiwan roadshows, and startup events.
Selected startups will benefit from APTG’s strong technical infrastructure, including:
- APTG sim cards for product testing
- Product testing opportunities in 5G test labs
- Free space to work in Taiwan
- Opportunity for business-matching and collaboration with APTG and its partners
Of the 10 to 12 selected startups, the APTG 5g Accelerator Programme is targeting to see at least three startups win investment opportunities from APTG and its partners at the Demo Week/Day.
With the backing of shareholder Foxconn, APTG began its very own digital transformation process and began to tap technology to provide intelligent living services.
APTG as Catalyst for Tech Advancement
In congruence with its efforts geared towards making meaningful impact in the tech ecosystem not only of Taiwan but of the larger Asia-Pacific, APTG organised an event with Thailand-based Southeast Asian tech hub, True Digital Park.
The APTG Accelerator Programme will be carefully identifying and curating a diverse set of startups to join them in Taiwan, specifically targeting startups in 5G related communications and applications area including smart nation/city, AI, medical and healthcare, retail marketplaces, entertainment, and even sports.
The programme is targeting 10 to 12 emerging startups with innovative ideas in these areas to become part of the programme. Among those who are selected, a minimum of three startups will have the chance to win investment offers from investors and partners.
With 5G business application, technology, and resources, the accelerator programme seeks to guide innovative startups, connect them to potential international and cross-industry partnerships, and lea the 5G market development by exploring more business opportunities.
Moreover, on 7 November, 2019, the APTG Accelerator Programme signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with True Digital Park to expand its international network in an effort to accelerate the development of its participants. This serves as the truest of testaments when it comes to highlighting APTG’s commitment to strengthening the tech ecosystem within the country, and well beyond it.
Figure: Mr. James Tung, Director of APTG 5G Accelerator and Mr. Thanasorn Jaidee, President of True Digital Park
Proven to Help Innovate with a Solid Track-Record
In 2016, APTG installed and began offering the use of LoRa, or low-power wide area networks, to increase connectivity for the Internet of Things. In line with its focus on innovating Taiwan’s tech landscape, APTG has made its LoRa network available to developers free of charge to explore how better to employ the technology.
The telco also works with local governments across Taiwan to provide 4G Internet access on public buses and at public bus stops so as to help develop local economies. To cap it off, APTG was one of the first firms in Taiwan to import Pepper, the humanoid robot, to assist with product sales.
Taiwan has its strong intellectual property rights protection and cheaper cost base on its side, in addition to offering foreign startups a smaller (23 million population, with strong tech infrastructure) market with which to test their products before taking on the much larger and diverse Chinese consumer market.
President Tsai Ing-wen’s administration has recently got the ball rolling with several initiatives:
- Launched a startup park in Linkou District, New Taipei, which is linked to Taiwan Tech Arena in Taipei, Asia Silicon Valley in Taoyuan County, and Hsinchu Science Park.
- Changing the Company Act for the first time in 17 years to let startups raise funds more easily.
- Approved a regulatory sandbox law so fintech startups can avoid regulations that cover established firms providing financial services.
- Introduced the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals, which offers tax benefits, healthcare and retirement perks to skilled foreign workers.
By making Taiwan a preferred hub for international startups to playtest and grow, it is the hope of APTG and its partners that Taipei’s nascent startup ecosystem can be invigorated with new ideas and thus speed up the innovation process to put the city on par with other Asean startup hubs.
Interested startups can relay queries or submit applications to the APTG 5G Accelerator Programme here or email aptg5gaccel@gmail.com.
About APTG 5G Accelerator
APTG 5G Accelerator (https://aptg5gaccel.com/en/) is a project supported by SME Association (SMEA) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Taiwan and parent organisation, Asia-Pacific Telecom (APTG), a major Telecom operator based in Taiwan, providing broadband, wireless, and fixed-line telecommunication services.
About True Digital Park
True Digital Park (https://www.truedigitalpark.com/) is Thailand’s first and Southeast Asia’s largest startup and tech entrepreneur’s campus, spanning over 200,000 sq.m. The park is a critical driver to the development of the startup and innovation ecosystem in Thailand. All under one roof, startups, entrepreneurs, tech companies, investors, accelerators, incubators, academies and government agencies co-exist in our interconnected ecosystem.
About BlackStorm Consulting
BlackStorm Consulting (http://blackstormco.asia/) is a Singapore-based boutique growth consultancy firm that specialises in corporate strategy, profit management and investment management. We scale businesses in Southeast Asia. Our clients and connections are internationally present and range from small and medium sized businesses, MNCs, to government agencies.
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