AppWorks Accelerator
Turbocharging Top Founders since 2010
Why join?
Every six months, we invite only the most driven, strategic-minded, and fastest-moving founders to join AppWorks Accelerator.
Upon joining, you’re immediately part of a community of 50 batchmates, 100 mentors, and 2,000+ alumni – all founders and here to help you grow, whether you’re building your first prototype or already own a market while scaling into a new market.
Our accelerator offers personalized mentorship, hands-on fundraising guidance, and curated business development opportunities with leading corporates across the region. You’ll also tap into a powerful network of founders, investors, and strategic partners — all committed to helping you grow, both as a founder and as a business.
On our Demo Days hosted in Taipei, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta, you’ll have the chance to pitch your startup to hundreds of curated investors and potential business partners, offering extended opportunities to build meaningful partnerships.
Best of all, the entire program is completely free – we don’t take equity, tokens, or charge any fees.
Achieve Better Product-Market Fit, Win Key Business Partners, and Become a Better Founder
Building in deep tech and regulated sectors takes more than technical skill — it requires insight, precision, and trusted allies. Whether you’re advancing manufacturing automation with AI, developing frontier defense technologies, redefining financial infrastructure, or building the next generation of on-chain banking systems, you can’t do it alone.
Joining AppWorks Accelerator means surrounding yourself with founders solving equally complex problems, sharing hard-won lessons, and gaining direct access to corporate partners and investors who can help you scale faster and smarter.
AW#33 Requests for Startups (RFSs)
While AppWorks welcomes founders working on any ideas to join, for AW#33, we’re specifically calling for founders building startups in following verticals:
AW#33 RFS#1: Manufacturing AI
AI is transforming how factories design, produce, and optimize. With Taiwan’s unmatched hardware and supply chain ecosystem, AppWorks provides direct access to manufacturing partners, OEMs, and corporate collaborators, while also enabling founders to co-develop and test smart manufacturing solutions alongside our community of AI innovators.
AW#33 RFS#2: Defense Tech
As global security and autonomy become increasingly critical, dual-use technologies such as robotics, sensing, cybersecurity, AI models, and advanced materials are redefining national and industrial resilience.
AppWorks’ regional network of deep-tech founders, hardware experts, institutional partners, and top R&D talent offers a strategic environment for developing and testing next-generation defense solutions.
AW#33 RFS#3: On-Chain Banking
The future of finance is programmable, transparent, and borderless.. AppWorks supports builders modernizing financial infrastructure with Web3 technologies, providing access to fintech investors, regional banking partners, and mentors experienced in compliance and scaling in regulated markets.
Whether you’re building the next-gen AI factory, advancing dual-use technology, or reimagining the future of finance, AppWorks is not just an accelerator, it’s your strategic partner for entering Taiwan and scaling across Asia.
AW#33 RFS#4: PQC
The encryption currently protecting the global digital economy is mathematically vulnerable to quantum computers, and the threat isn’t only future-dated. “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later” attacks are widely believed to already be underway, and Google has set 2029 as its PQC migration deadline. We are calling for founders to solve this pending global problem together with us.
AppWorks will connect PQC founders directly to this ecosystem, alongside an LP network in finance, telecom, manufacturing, and defense that represents the industries where PQC adoption is most urgent.
Explore the FAQs for more details (English / 中文版)
As a first-time founder back in 2011, joining AppWorks has been a precious journey filled with invaluable experiences. At its core, the ethos of "by founders, for founders" is not just a slogan but a guiding principle that permeates every aspect of the program and the AppWorks founder network. The emphasis on peer learning with many talented and dedicated fellow founders and mentorship with a plethora of successful serial entrepreneurs within the AppWorks ecosystem has been instrumental in shaping my entrepreneurial mindset and approach. 'If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.' Here, AppWorks and all fellow founders go together with you!
Davidd Liu,
Co-founder & CEO of CHOCO TV, (AW#2) and CEO of WeMo Scooter (AW#12)
What Happens During the Accelerator?
Build your founder platform
- Forge life-long relationships with 50 like-minded founders in your batch.
- An alumni network of more than 2,000 founders in various verticals, at various stages, and coming from different walks of life – all of whom are willing to lend a hand or an ear because you’re a part of AppWorks.
- Receive personalized guidance from mentors with decades of startup and scaling experience who are committed to long-term mentor-mentee relationships, helping you navigate your entrepreneurial journey.
- Connect with world-class investors who align with your vision, while refining your ability to identify supportive and strategic shareholders.
- Facilitate introductions and foster collaborations with leading enterprises in Taiwan and the region, helping you expand your business and unlock new opportunities.
- Tap into AppWorks’ global web3 community and Asia-spanning founder network, including tailored founder meetups, VC connections, and region-wide Demo Day showcases in these dynamic ecosystems.
- Access tailored supply chain resources and strategically establish your R&D hub in Taiwan, leveraging the region’s world-class manufacturing ecosystem to accelerate your AI and IoT innovations.
- Subject-matter experts from the AppWorks team that specialize in functional domains spanning PR, legal, finance, accounting, recruiting, product, branding and UI/UX.
Throughout my eight-year entrepreneurial journey, AppWorks has provided support at various stages: in the early days, I received legal and accounting advice, office space, and mentorship; in the mid-stage, I benefited from their fundraising advisory services; and more recently, as Cake expanded into Southeast Asia, I saw AppWorks' presence in different countries and received their assistance. I would say AppWorks has genuinely been there, growing with founders.
Trantor Liu, Founder & CEO of Cake (AW#14)
AppWorks Community
AppWorks' involvement was pivotal to our startup in the early days. The team gave sharp, hands-on guidance from day one and made us realize the importance of conciseness. Their feedback was tough and direct, exactly what we needed. Their unwavering support never ended after graduation. They still make intros, take our calls, and cheer our wins. Highly recommend. .
TN Lee, Co-founder of Pendle Finance (AW#20)
Founders in Our Alumni Network
A Community to Help Solve Problems, Cross-Promote, and Connect with Investors & Business Partners
When you join AppWorks, you’re immediately connected to an extraordinary network of over 2,000 founders spanning 9 markets across Taiwan and Pan-Asia, along with a growing group of web3 pioneers from around the globe. Within the AppWorks ecosystem, you’ll have the opportunity to engage with talented founders, including:
Selected AppWorks Alumni
Together, you’ll find the community extremely powerful when:
- You run into problems and need advice from founders with similar experiences.
- You’re looking to team up with emerging innovators, regional builders, or sharp technical minds —whether they’re pushing the limits of AI, building in web3, or tapping into Taiwan’s world-class supply chain.
- You need a warm intro to a corporate buyer, manufacturing partner, or potential investor who understands your domain.
- You’re exploring joint pilots, technology integrations, or co-development opportunities with other founders.
- You want real feedback or references on an investor, vendor, or strategic partner.
In terms of scale, AppWorks is the largest community of its kind in Asia. But more importantly, our culture of “paying-it-forward” and helping each other out is the real reason why it’s so valuable.
AppWorks is a startup for startups. Young, energetic, flexible, efficient and “customer” centric, prioritizing startups’ needs before anything else. One thing unlike a startup, however, is the resourcefulness of AppWorks, offering a strong alumni network, full team of masters in various aspects, space and hardware, referral network, support on paperwork, and even free lunch. The service level is so high, sometimes it feels surreal.
Kin Ko, Founder of AW#18 LikeCoin
Guidance from Proven Founders
Connect with the Right Coach, Acquire the Right Mindset, Become the Best Founder You Can Be
Our mentor network includes over 100 successful startup founders who are ready to guide and support you in building lifelong coaching relationships. Among them are industry leaders like Steven Ho of 91APP, who led an impressive IPO and previously exited startups to Yahoo! and eBay; Ming Chen of KKday, who achieved two IPOs and an M&A exit; and Jerry and Andy Kuo of Kuo Brothers, who sold their company to Groupon before building two more companies from scratch to IPO.
You’ll also have access to experts such as Blake Larson, previously the Global Managing Director of Lalamove, Joseph Phua of 17LIVE, Siu Rui Quek of Carousell, and Leontinus Alpha Edison of Tokopedia. Additionally, we have a growing roster of web3 mentors, including Chris Yu from SignalPlus and Yat Siu of Animoca Brands.
AppWorks has been a game-changer for my journey of startup. The mentorship, resources, and network provided have accelerated our growth beyond expectations. The mafia and staff at AppWorks truly understands the challenges of scaling a startup and provide invaluable business insights and experience to avoid making the same mistakes. Thanks to their guidance, we’ve been able to refine our strategies, access new markets, and build stronger partnerships. AppWorks is not just an accelerator; it’s a dedicated partner in our success.
Ting Hsieh, CEO & Co-founder of DOTDOT (AW#10)
How Will It Help My Fundraising?
Terms, Structures, and Syndicates Tailored to Your Needs
The venture capital ecosystem is complex. Different firms specialize in different stages, structures vary, and finding the right investor fit takes more pitches than most founders expect. That’s where AppWorks comes in – not only as an accelerator but also as a VC.
Being in the program gives you far more access to our investment team than founders outside it: we see your progress firsthand, we understand your market, and we’re always open to a conversation about capital.
When the timing is right and funding can give your startup a meaningful edge, we can lead your round, build a syndicate, and connect you with the right investors. We support a range of structures — equity, SAFE, token, or SAFT. But just as often, the most valuable thing we can do is help you figure out whether now is actually the right time to raise, and what to focus on instead.
Founders in our accelerator are encouraged to talk to us about capital needs at any point — during or after the program. We can also connect you with alumni who’ve navigated their own fundraising journeys and are willing to share what worked.
Joining AppWorks' Accelerator was transformative for Omnichat. Their mentorship and robust alumni network fueled our business expansion in Taiwan and SEA. Their expert advice refined our marketing while their lead investment in our seed round funding demonstrated their belief in our potential. AppWorks isn't just an investor, they're genuine partners, committed to nurturing emerging founders through valuable resources and steadfast support.
Alan Chan, Co-founder & CEO of Omnichat (AW#16)
Activities
In collaboration with
More Perks
Token & credits offered by our partners, including GCP, AWS, Microsoft, Anthropic, OpenAI, Notion, ElevenLabs, and Zendesk. Web3-related perks include auditing firms like Quantstamp and Halborn, market makers such as GSR, and PR support.
Ready to Apply?
AppWorks #33 is now open for submissions.
AW#33 Accelerator Timeline
