Starting from 2017 here in Taiwan, SparkLabs raised funds from big corporates like CTBC, 104 Job Bank, and also got some investors from Silicon Valley, including the co-founder of Twitch, Kevin Lin, and both co-founders of Guitar Heroes IoT app. “It’s a hybrid fund, with investors in Taiwan and outside of Taiwan.” With this support finally secured, they launched their investment fund in 2018.
July 2022 | August 2022 | September 2022
Asia’s tech newsletter, weekly on Substack
in September 2022
- A brief intro to the 7 startups that presented at the recent SparkLabs Taiwan Demo Day, working on tech solutions in logistics, business decision-making, online retail and more
- Taiwan’s AESOP Technology raises $2.95M pre-A to address medical and billing errors, using AI to aid in diagnosis
- Taiwan’s Gogoro EV battery-swap ecosystem provider gains sandbox pilot scheme from Singapore transport authority, green-lighting use of electric scooters and installation of battery-swap infrastructure
- Taiwan: A brief overview of the government’s National Development Fund and its 5-year Startup Business Angel Investment Program
- Taiwan: Apple to be first company to use updated Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s latest chip technology, adopting TSMC chips for some iPhone and Mac computers in 2023
Taipei Blockchain Week / December 12-17 2022
- Taipei Blockchain Week is set for December 12-17, looking at all things Web3, NFT, DeFi, DAO, governance and more
- Taiwan: A quick overview of Qualcomm’s moves in the country, including the launch of Qualcomm South Taiwan Innovation Center in the Kaohsiung Taiwan 5G AIoT Innovation Park
- Taiwan: The 10 tech startups selected for the Qualcomm Innovate in Taiwan Challenge 2022, working in AI-driven medical tech, cryptography, blockchain credentials in education and beyond
- India: Tata Group is reportedly in discussions with US-based Wistron to establish a manufacturing JV for assembling iPhones in India, continuing trend of moving production away from China
- India: Taiwan’s Foxconn and Vedanta mining giant announce $19.5BN plan to build chipmaking factory, potentially creating 100K jobs in Gujarat
in August 2022
Startup Island Taiwan Magazine (pdf)
- Taiwan digital minister Audrey Tang: Cyberattacks on Taiwan government units on the day of Pelosi’s arrival surpassed 15,000 gigabits, 23 times higher than the previous daily record
- Taiwan: 2035 E-Mobility Taiwan sets trade show date for April next year, showcasing the electric vehicle and self-driving car ecosystem
- Apple has reportedly asked Taiwan suppliers to label products as produced in China in effort to avoid disruption resulting from US House Pelosi’s visit to Taipei
- Taiwan: Audrey Tang to lead new Ministry of Digital Affairs, aiming to boost digital infrastructure and data-driven collaboration, push private sector data-sharing for public benefit and more
- Taiwan: National security officials urge Foxconn to drop $800M stake in China’s Tsinghua Unigroup chipmaker, over combined absence of approvals and national security concerns
- Taiwan: Digital Affairs ministry adds Web3 tech to guard websites against China cyberattacks, incorporating InterPlanetary File System
- “Should the Taiwanese chip industry be destroyed due to war or embargo…global production would fall to early 2000s levels for perhaps 15 years…”
- Taiwan: New Ministry of Digital Affairs to formally begin operation on August 27th – The Diplomat provides an overview of the ministry’s intentions and challenges
- Taiwan preps to deploy domestically-developed drone defense system, and other related systems, in bid to counter and deter hostile drone incursions from China
- Taiwan’s CTBC Bank partners Malaysia’s Soft Space for tap-on-phone payments system for taxi fares in Taiwan using near-field communication tech
Taiwan: China’s changing disinformation and propaganda
in July 2022
- Taiwan: GlobalWafers unveils plans to build a $5BN semiconductor silicon-wafer facility in the US, set to be the largest such facility on American soil
- Taiwan’s OwlTing blockchain services provider gains Dow Jones Risk & Compliance database license for OwlPay platform, strengthening the service’s KYC and risk management
- Taiwan: Asia-Pacific Telecom and Ericsson deploy 5G non-standalone multi-operator core network, allowing separate core networks with shared access elements including spectrum
- Taiwan: Infinio Capital early-stage VC launches $20M Ignition Fund 1 to invest in space-tech startups, aiming to build an ecosystem in the country over the next two years
- Taiwan’s MediaTek partnered by Intel to manufacture chips using Intel Foundry Services, allowing MediaTek build more resilient supply chain with capacity in the US and Europe
- Taiwan’s Foxconn and Thailand’s state-run energy group PTT to build Plus EV new electric vehicle production base, with production and delivery expected in 2024
- Indonesia’s Indika energy major reportedly mulling $2B electric vehicles venture in partnership with Taiwan’s Foxconn, building on battery manufacturing project
The Indo-Pacific Strategy of the United States
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