緯創加速器第五屆報名啟動!限額招募 7 家 AI、物聯網、雲端、資安、教育與醫療科技新創

在緯創資通董事長林憲銘 (中) 高度支持,以及 CVC 企業投資辦公室團隊共同努力下,每年兩屆的 Wistron Accelerator 已成功邁入第三年,正式啟動第五屆新創報名申請。

由緯創資通成立、AppWorks 協助營運的 Wistron Accelerator 緯創垂直加速器,自 2021 年 4 月正式啟動至今,將邁入第五屆,自即日起至 2023 年 7 月底以前,開放包含 (不限於) AI、物聯網、雲端、資安、教育與醫療科技領域的新創申請。Wistron Accelerator 每年限額招募兩屆,前四屆共有 24 家新創獲選加入,第五屆將限額招募 7 家,額滿即停止接受申請。獲選團隊將自 2023 年 9 月至 2023 年 12 月展開加速,自加速器畢業後,也將成為緯創新創生態系的一員,持續與緯創集團建立長期且深度的合作關係。

過去兩年多以來,在緯創由上至下、由內而外的推動與努力下,Wistron Accelerator #5 將聯合緯創及集團旗下多家企業與事業單位共同參與:

  1. Wistron 緯創資通 (包含 IIC 新創整合中心、CVC 企業投資辦公室)
  2. Wiwynn 緯穎科技
  3. WNC 啟碁科技
  4. Wistron ITS 緯創軟體
  5. WMT 緯創醫學

為了更廣泛且深入與新創探索各種可能的長期合作機會,Wistron Accelerator 將由各投入的企業與事業單位 C-level 高階主管親自參與,除了擔任 Mentors,提供獲選的新創與創業者在個人經驗、產業洞察、事業經營的交流外,也將提供新創進行 PoC (Proof of Concept) 實驗、加速商業模式成長的場域,新創可因此大幅減少摸索、試錯與實驗的機會成本。

根據過往四屆的實證經驗,緯創憑藉著在全球 ICT 產業的領導地位,以及上下游生態系的完整佈局,在 PoC 實驗場域、軟硬體整合開發、新創生態系協作三個面向上,為加入 Wistron Accelerator 的新創團隊,提供最實質的挹注與加速。

例如,Wistron Accelerator #1 的 Authme、專攻身分認證及詐欺防範的 AI 解決方案。緯創先提供內部 PoC 實驗場域,讓 Authme 無需大幅度建置基礎設備,就能在緯創導入新的身分認證解決方案,利用 AI 人臉辨識系統,確保是員工識別證上的本人進入廠房、辦公大樓等內部空間,防堵潛在的資安風險,以及資料外洩的可能性。內部實驗成功後,緯創與 Authme 更進一步拓展新市場,共同合作遠距醫療 KYC 身分認證的 PoC,為不便親赴醫院就診的民眾,提供更為便利的數位解決方案。

獲選錄取  Wistron Accelerator 的新創團隊,將可獲得的協助包含:

  1. 緯創集團各企業 / 事業單位 C-level 高階主管提供產業面的專業建議
  2. 與緯創獨家合作 PoC
  3. 由緯創提供新台幣 20 萬研發費用贊助 
  4. AWS Cloud Credits

緯創資通董事長林憲銘指出:「希望 5 到 10 年後,台灣有更多具有國際影響力的新創出現。」他認為,長期以來,台灣的人才取向偏向硬體產業,雖然創造很大的成果,但無法確認未來是否仍有效,應該思考加碼投資在 AI、雲端、資安、物聯網等軟體領域。他進一步指出:「萬事不能只靠自己,很多事情需要建立一套機制與夥伴合作,讓我們跳脫既有的模式與舒適圈,因此,新創加速器對緯創而言,不會只用緯創角度來看,因為不是緯創來幫助新創,而是倒過來,緯創從新創身上得到更多的幫助,這讓我們更有動力將新創加速器持續做下去。」

AppWorks 合夥人程九如指出:「創業過程通常是創業者先挖掘出尚未被解決的問題,並以此提出假設來打造產品、服務或商業模式,加入 Wistron Accelerator,緯創能與新創合作提供大規模、系統化的 PoC 實驗場域來驗證創業假設,減少創業者大量摸索與試錯的時間。能站在緯創這樣的巨人肩膀上,是創業旅程中難得的契機。優秀創業者應該要把握這樣的機會。」 

關於 Wistron Accelerator 緯創垂直加速器

緯創資通集團身為全球 ICT 產業領導廠商之一,正積極佈局未來、邁向永續。憑藉堅強的研發及技術創新能力,以及多元化產品發展,將硬體設備結合軟體服務、雲端數據系統,提供技術服務與解決方案,建立新技術產業鏈以及創新平台,大力將事業擴展至教育、企業服務、物聯網及醫療等新領域。

緯創邁向永續的關鍵作法之一,就是採取積極的前瞻性投資,引進策略技術夥伴,投資並攜手新創團隊。緯創近幾年已投入超過新台幣 100 億元,共有 60 家投資甚或長期經營的案例。

為了擴大與新創合作的廣度與深度,緯創分別在 2020 年,成立企業投資辦公室 (CVC);在 2021 年與大東南亞領先的新創加速器 AppWorks 合作啟動 Wistron Accelerator 緯創垂直加速器,透過策略投資與結盟,積極佈局未來的成長引擎,由 AppWorks 提供營運等核心業務,並以每年舉辦兩屆、限額招募 7 家新創來進行。前四屆加速器共有 24 家新創獲選加入。

緯創與 AppWorks 從 2014 年就開始展開策略結盟,不僅是 AppWorks Fund II、Fund III 的主要股東之一,之後也陸續投資了 MoBagel (AppWorks #16)、ANIWARE (AppWorks #17) 與 LucidPix (Appworks #18)  等自 AppWorks Accelerator 畢業的新創校友,雙方有長期的策略合作關係與綜效。

【歡迎所有 AI、物聯網、雲端、資安、教育與醫療科技的創業者,申請加入 Wistron Accelerator

Why We Invested: Harshet Lunani and Tommy Martin, the dual-core behind Qoala

Sophie Chiu, Principal (邱敬媛 / 協理)

Sophie is a Principal leading the Southeast Asia Arm, that is responsible for meeting, helping and investing in great founders in the region. She joined AppWorks as an Associate in 2020 and was subsequently promoted as a Principal in 2023. Prior to AppWorks, Sophie had 10 years of public equity experience. She was part of the portfolio management team at Neuberger Berman, focusing on emerging market opportunities. Prior to that she served as a research analyst at Credit Suisse, JPMorgan, and London-based Autonomous Research. Sophie holds a Master of Finance with distinction from Warwick Business School and BS Finance from National Taiwan University. Her passion and expertise, however, extend far beyond just researching companies and industries. She is also an author of two published poetry books and holds a keen interest in human psychology and human behavior.

Qoala is an InsurTech company that has experienced remarkable growth, now boasting a presence across three Southeast Asian markets: Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. Harshet Lunani and Tommy Martin, Qoala’s co-founders, possess strong insights and a deep understanding of the pain points found throughout the insurance industry value chain. Although this industry seems mature and proven in developed markets, its complexity and strict regulation have made it challenging for technology adoption. Meanwhile, the correlation between insurance penetration and economic growth is not guaranteed, which presents an inherent risk. However, it is precisely this challenging path that attracts committed and insightful founders like Harshet and Tommy. Their dedication to making a difference is a key reason why we are placing faith in them and Qoala to continue growing and transforming the insurance landscape in Southeast Asia.  

Dedicated builders driven by ambition and unwavering vision

For some people, life is full of hero’s journeys. They will always end up on a challenging path. At first, it may seem to be deemed by fate. Eventually, it becomes a deliberate choice as a less traveled or seemingly impossible path usually bestows the richest life experiences and most fruitful outcome or even profoundly impacts the world. This is what Harshet has been through and shaped his experience as a founder. 

Hailing from a small town in India without much privilege, Harshet learned the lesson of survival from a young age. He left home to study in a (non-privileged) boarding school from age 8 to 17, where he became ‘battle-tested’: rigorous daily routines, necessary social skills to survive among teenagers living 24/7 together, being a top player in cricket, and remarkable academic performance. His grit and determination eventually secured him a sponsored master’s degree in math at University of Oxford and job offer in London, working at Merrill Lynch and then Lehman Brothers. However, Harshet joined these two banks during the Global Financial Crisis in 2007-2008. So, he soon witnessed how a seemingly large and impregnable financial institution could collapse overnight, and how it had an impact on so many individuals losing their life savings. This seeded a deep-down entrepreneurial desire for Harshet to build something that could make the world a more secure place. After working in finance, Harshet joined BCG and later Endeavor, where he gained access to large corporations and startups to learn about business models and entrepreneurship. When he had the chance to help BIMA, an InsurTech startup from Ghana, launch in Indonesia, Harshet immediately jumped on the opportunity. 

As the General Manager of BIMA for four years, he set up the entire business from scratch, growing the business to US$1.5M scale with 80 employees in Indonesia. Unlike when he started his career in finance, this time, Harshet experienced the storm face-first. Smartphones were experiencing massive penetration in Indonesia and Gojek had just reached unicorn status. Harshet foresaw the inevitable dead-end of BIMA’s business model based on selling insurance products from phone balances. Unable to convince the Ghana headquarters, Harshet remained resolute to continue his journey on InsurTech but instead building something on his own. This is a field where he built tremendous expertise and track record, and recognized the potential to create significant value for stakeholders and individuals alike, resonating with the vision of the world he wanted to build. However he knew he had to take the lead role in creating such a business, and ultimately left to launch Qoala in 2018.

Before Qoala, there was actually a first attempt that fell short called Kelola. Undeterred, he met with Tommy Martin, the investor behind Kelola, who has a strong background in fintech. Tommy’s experience as an engineer at Nokia, business consultant at Accenture and EY, and product and marketing lead at Traveloka offered a holistic perspective that complemented Harshet’s skills. They quickly found that they had great compatibility and set sail to start Qoala together. Tommy’s expertise in product development and business strategy has been crucial in enabling Qoala to build products that cater to the intertwined interests of all users and stakeholders in the industry. Tommy, like Harshet, had witnessed the transformative power of a successful business firsthand through his parents, who turned their family’s fortunes around through entrepreneurship. So that Tommy could be the first generation in his family to live a comfortable life and even study abroad. However, watching his parents conquer their life ambitions helped Tommy form a deep-down desire to build something on his own too. Tapping into his entrepreneurial DNA, Tommy felt compelled to take an 80% pay cut and go against his parents’ wishes by returning to Indonesia. This unwavering determination serves as his guiding light, and he is committed to building a business that can change people’s lives and create his own path. 

Strategic approach to innovation and staying ahead of the curve

The partnership between Harshet and Tommy has proven to be a powerful combination. Harshet’s experience building BIMA allowed him to identify the tremendous potential of the next paradigm shift, while Tommy’s insights into major digital platforms enabled Qoala to establish its initial product-market fit through a collaboration with Traveloka. This success was no mere coincidence; the duo had devised a methodical roadmap for expanding Qoala’s presence within the existing value chain. They first targeted areas with high traffic and data concentration, which allowed Qoala to develop unique products. With these products in hand, they focused on building critical distribution channels, eventually becoming vital partners for insurers. This entire process has been tech-enabled, and as the momentum grew, Qoala expanded into Thailand, a larger market essential for a VC-backed company’s growth.

Today, the rest is history. Qoala achieved fourfold growth in gross written premium over the past two years, with a primary footprint spanning three markets. However, the ambitious founders show no signs of stopping. They are now exploring an additional step in the growth flywheel by testing direct-to-consumer (D2C) channels with the data and know-how accumulated over the past four years. Although still in early stages, Qoala possesses all the necessary elements to capture the market quickly as consumers become more mature and educated. It is hard not to be inspired by visionary founders who always stay ahead of the curve. 

SEA a nascent landscape for InsurTech to make their mark

While advanced APAC countries boast an average insurance penetration rate of 9%, Southeast Asia’s figures have remained relatively low at 1-3% for Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. In comparison, India demonstrates a higher penetration rate of 4-5%, despite having a lower Gross National Income (GNI) per capita. While the mandatory auto insurance requirement in India is one primary driver of adoption, there’s also an intrinsic hidden risk: The correlation between insurance penetration and economic growth is not guaranteed. Or we should say, the correlation depends on many external factors such as money supply and stock market capitalization as demonstrated by several academic studies (Chang et al., 2012, Pradhan et al., 2016, Dash et al., 2018).

The insurance sector is a tough space. A green field like Southeast Asia has huge uncertainties, while mature markets have left limited room for startups to disrupt. In high penetration countries such as the US, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Africa, market structures are relatively unshakeable due to stringent regulations and high barriers to entry. Drawing from our experience in Taiwan, we have observed that most digital players face challenges in scaling their businesses. For consumer-focused ideas, the market size often has an actually lower ceiling than expected, limiting growth potential. Meanwhile, enterprise-focused initiatives struggle to expand as enterprise customers possess substantial bargaining power and resources, which enable customers to implement digital solutions independently.

That silver-lining is the digital-native mindset of Southeast Asia. From Qoala, we’ve seen that insurance companies in the region are increasingly open to collaborating with digital solutions, while digital platforms (such as Shopee, Traveloka, Tiki, etc.) are motivated to monetize their traffic through financial products. Additionally, individual consumers in the region have also embraced digital technologies, making them more receptive to innovative insurance offerings. 

AppWorks is here to support great entrepreneurs in the region

Success in this market requires visionary founders with a deep care for users across the entire value chain. Harshet and Tommy, the founders of Qoala, have demonstrated this through their exponential growth. Their methodical approach, combined with their complementary founder qualities resulted in amazing growth traction and market expansion. Most importantly, they are both ambitious and driven by their ultimate north star. As a firm believer in supporting great entrepreneurs, AppWorks is proud to back Harshet, Tommy, and the Qoala team, and we look forward to contributing to their journey with our ecosystem of 400 active startups and over 1,400 likeminded founders.

If you are a founder working on a startup in SEA, or working with AI and web3, apply to AppWorks Accelerator to join the largest founder community in Greater Southeast Asia.

Wistron Accelerator FAQ (For Founders Applying to Wistron Accelerator #5)

Wistron has been working closely with AppWorks since 2014 and is one of the major limited partners of AppWorks Fund II and Fund III. It also invested in MoBagel (AW#16), ANIWARE (AW#17), LucidPix (AW#18), and other alumni who have graduated from AppWorks Accelerator. Wistron and AppWorks have been working closely together and have a long-term strategic partnership, and launched the Wistron Accelerator in September 2021. AppWorks, itself a leading accelerator in Greater Southeast Asia, provides core logistics and operations support.

We put together some frequently asked questions for startup teams who still had questions about the Wistron Accelerator program after reading the information on the landing page. If you have similar questions, we hope you can find the answers below.

[Wistron Accelerator #5 is taking applications now!]

1. What outcomes does Wistron expect to achieve through the Accelerator program? What kind of support can Wistron provide?

Some domain-specific perks include:

a. Access to C-level Mentors from Wistron subsidiaries/business units

The most significant value of this accelerator is that the C-levels of different business units at Wistron will serve as your Mentors. Startups in the Wistron Accelerator can directly discuss partnerships and business insights with C-level Mentors at Wistron, significantly increasing the chance of collaborative success.

The Mentors participating in the Wistron Accelerator are from the following business units:

  1. Wistron Group (including Innovation Integration Center, and the CVC team)
  2. Wiwynn
  3. WNC 
  4. Wistron ITS 
  5. WMT 

People who have experience working with enterprises know that the CEO or C-level manager is usually responsible for the strategy, and their team is accountable for execution. Therefore, if you can directly communicate with high-level managers, you may significantly increase the chances of developing a strategic partnership, new services, and new business.

In addition, even though startups already have domain knowledge in their focus area, when facing different industries and large enterprises, there is still much to learn, including both hard and soft skills.

In the Wistron Accelerator program, Mentors take on the role to solve the aforementioned issues. During the accelerator period, startups will have in-depth collaboration and interaction with the heads of the designated business unit. Startups can further understand companies’ needs, plans, and insights, and learn how to work with large corporations effectively.

b. Exclusive PoC collaboration with Wistron

Startups running B2B businesses know that it takes a long time to successfully onboard corporate partners because of the different organizational nature and the longer decision-making processes. It’s very common to take a quarter or even more than six months to kick off a collaboration.

Wistron Accelerator has thoughtfully planned the schedule, process, and goals to speed up the collaboration process. The startups participating in the Wistron Accelerator will directly collaborate with Wistron’s business units or subsidiaries to come up with a PoC. During the program, AppWorks will facilitate the discussion and implementation of the PoC. Startups can develop the minimum viable product (MVP) within the four-month timeline and further discuss more in-depth collaboration after the program.

2. What are the important factors you consider when evaluating applications?

The application review process combines AppWorks’s experience in mentoring startups and Wistron’s industry expertise. We are looking for founders who continuously work on themselves and have a clear North Star in their founder journey, which we believe will help founders overcome obstacles and build up the product’s core competitive advantages. 

The following questions can help you think about whether you are suitable to join Wistron Accelerator:

  • Why did you start your business?
  • What problem do you want to solve? Why?
  • What efforts have you made in solving these problems?
  • How is your product different from existing solutions?
  • What do you expect from the collaboration with Wistron? What value can you bring to Wistron?

3. Is there a charge for the Wistron Accelerator?  If we need capital now, will we receive investment after joining?

Wistron Accelerator is an entirely free service for founders. We will not ask for rent, service fees, or any types of concessions such as stock, options, revenue, or profit-sharing. At the same time, every enrolled startup will receive a NT$200K subsidy from Wistron, which is not in exchange for any shares.

Wistron has been a bullish strategic investor, in recent years investing more than NT$10 billion with a total of 60 companies in their portfolio. In 2020, Wistron established a corporate venture capital (CVC) team and is actively looking into strategic investments. Startups selected for the Wistron Accelerator will have the opportunity to discuss further collaboration or investment with Wistron CVC, business units, or its subsidiaries during and after the program.

4. Why does Wistron recruit startups only from AI, IoT, cloud, cyber security, education, and medical technology industries?

Wistron is one of the world’s leading manufacturers in the ICT industry. In recent years, Wistron has been investing in R&D, tech innovation, and diversified product development, and has also seized on the growing trend of cloud applications. They have successfully integrated a multitude of hardware devices, software services, and cloud applications, and offer technical service platforms and solutions. During this time they have also expanded their business to new fields like education, corporate services, IoT, and medical care.

Through the Wistron Accelerator, Wistron hopes to share its industry experience and rich resources with startups, and to explore innovative opportunities by working on a PoC together. Wistron is happy to be one of the case studies for startups to test their B2B solution. Wistron Group also expects to develop growth opportunities for the next decade through this collaboration.

5. What stage of startups is suitable for the Wistron Accelerator?

We do not have a strict standard on the stage of the startup. But we do recommend startups that have experience working with enterprises or have a few proven PoCs to apply. These startups should be able to better utilize the four-month timeline and can reasonably expect a certain level of results from the program.

If you are still in the MVP stage and have not yet defined your target customers, we would suggest you focus on developing your product first, try to get some initial users, collect feedback, and iterate accordingly. Once you validate the problem you want to solve and know the core advantage of your product, that will be a better time to apply for the Wistron Accelerator.

If you already have a product prototype but have not yet established a company, we recommend that you complete the company setup process first. From our experience, it can help you onboard business partners and initiate collaborations more efficiently. 

AppWorks can provide professional accounting and legal services to help founders set up a company, whether you are from Taiwan or overseas.

6. I am not a citizen of Taiwan. Can you help me get a visa?

Wistron and AppWorks can assist international founders enrolled in the Wistron Accelerator to apply for the Entrepreneur Visa, the employment Gold Card or the Business Visa based on certain conditions. Founders from overseas can concentrate on their work without worrying about visa issues.

We will closely track government border policies regarding COVID-19 and provide adequate support as the policy changes.

7. While participating in the Wistron Accelerator, do we have to stay at Wistron’s office all day from Monday to Friday?  Can we participate remotely?

We do not stipulate work locations. Every startup will discuss the meeting frequency, and format with the Mentor on a case-by-case basis. 

If you need coworking space during the accelerator program, you can reach out to Wistron and AppWorks. We can provide free coworking space based on your needs.

8. The application questions are written in English. Will writing in Chinese affect the score?

Wistron Accelerator’s application has 26 questions, covering team, product, business model, market analysis, etc. It requires a certain amount of time and effort to fill out. We hope that by this design, we can help every team clarify their current status and the assistance they are looking for.

Filling in the application is like having a health check-up. Founders must think profoundly about their products, market strategies, team and the overall industry environment. Therefore, regardless of if you decide to apply or not, we still recommend you to carefully think about these questions.

We encourage you to answer in English; however, using Chinese will not affect the results. The most important thing is to express your views clearly. Furthermore, we also encourage the founder (CEO) to make a one-minute self-introduction video for us to get to know you better.

9. What is the difference between the first round and final round application?

Wistron Accelerator’s admission is on a rolling basis. Based on previous experience, teams that applied earlier had a higher chance of being selected. They could also know the results earlier to have adequate time to plan for the PoC. Therefore, we encourage founders to apply early to avoid high competition during the final application deadline.

We hope the answers mentioned above can help you clarify any questions about the Wistron Accelerator. 

If there are further questions, please send a message to us or write to: [email protected]. We will reply to you as soon as possible.

[Calling founders working on AI, IoT, cloud, cybersecurity, EduTech, and MedTech. The deadline for the Early Bird Round is June 20, 2023]

Wistron Accelerator FAQ 緯創加速器常見問題回覆 (為 #5 申請團隊準備)

緯創資通與 AppWorks 從 2014 年開始合作,是 AppWorks Fund II、Fund III 的主要股東之一,之後也陸續投資了 MoBagel (AW#16)、 ANIWARE (AW#17),與 LucidPix (AW#18) 等自 AppWorks Accelerator 畢業的新創校友,雙方有長期的策略合作關係與默契,並於 2021 年 9 月首度啓動緯創垂直加速器,由大東南亞領先的新創加速器 AppWorks 提供營運等核心業務。

計畫申請緯創加速器的新創團隊,也許對本計畫將有更近一步的疑問,因此,我們整理了以下常見問題,希望可以協助創業者從中得到解答。

【Wistron Accelerator #5 現正開放申請中:申請專頁

1. 緯創期待藉由加速器與新創達成什麼樣的合作成果?緯創可以提供新創什麼幫助?

Wistron Accelerator 可以提供的相關幫助包括: 

a. 緯創集團各企業 / 事業單位 C-level 高階主管提供產業面的專業建議

這個加速器的最大特色,是由緯創集團各企業與事業單位 C-level 高階主管擔任 Mentors,加入的新創可直接與 Mentor 們討論合作內容與商業模式,從他們身上,獲得產業最前緣的 Insights,大幅減少新創摸索、試錯與實驗的機會成本。緯創集團參與 Wistron Accelerator 的企業與事業單位如下:

  1. Wistron 緯創資通 (包含 IIC 新創整合中心、CVC 企業投資辦公室)
  2. Wiwynn 緯穎科技
  3. WNC 啟碁科技
  4. Wistron ITS 緯創軟體
  5. WMT 緯創醫學

有與企業合作經驗的創業者都知道,通常 C-level 高階主管負責策略,而團隊負責執行,因此如果能直接與最高層級溝通,那麼在策略合作聚焦,以及共同發展出新服務、新事業的機會將因此大增。

除此之外,當新創與企業合作時,常遇到的挑戰是,即便新創在本身領域具備一定的專業能力,但面對每一個不同領域的產業、每一家組織規模更大的企業,都是仍有許多需要更深入掌握的軟硬知識與技術。

因此,Wistron Accelerator 在內容設計上,一開始就由 C-level 高階主管親自上陣,解決上述問題。新創在加速器期間,將與各事業單位負責人進行深度的合作與互動,不只能更深入理解企業真正的需求與計畫、產業 Insight,也能藉此學習如何與企業客戶有效溝通、幫助解決他們的問題。

b. 與緯創獨家合作 PoC

做 B2B 生意的新創都知道,因為企業組織與決策流程的關係,要成功推動企業合作,通常需要醞釀比較長的時間,動輒一季、甚至超過半年,都是常有的情形。

為了加速合作的速度,Wistron Accelerator 在時程、進度與合作目標,都經過了精心規劃。參與 Wistron Accelerator 的團隊,以與緯創集團各企業或共同協作 PoC 為目標,過程中 AppWorks 也將全程協助推動 PoC 的討論與實作,以 4 個月的時程安排,驗證最小可行性產品 (MVP),作為新創與緯創的協作學習經驗,以及後續合作的評估標準。

2. 緯創會從申請加入的新創之中,觀察哪些重點?

當收到創業者提出申請後,結合 AppWorks 輔導創業者的經驗,以及緯創的產業專業,我們特別重視引領創業者持續自我精進、排除阻礙的北極星,以及產品的核心技術。以下幾個問題,可幫助創業者思考是否適合加入 Wistron Accelerator:

  • 為什麼要創業?
  • 你希望透過創業解決什麼問題?為什麼?
  • 你已經做了哪些努力來證明你正在解決這些問題?
  • 你所打造的產品,與其它既有的解決方案有什麼不同之處?
  • 你期待藉由與緯創的合作得到什麼?你能為緯創帶來什麼價值?

3. Wistron Accelerator 要收費嗎?我們現在需要一筆資金,加入就可以被投資嗎?

Wistron Accelerator 是針對創業者完全免費的服務。我們不會向新創團隊收取租金、服務費,也不會要求技術股、選擇權、營收和獲利分成等任何形式的回饋。同時,每一支入選 Wistron Accelerator 的新創團隊,皆會獲得緯創贊助 20 萬新台幣的補助 (不佔股份)。

緯創近幾年的策略投資,已投入超過 100 億新台幣,累計 60 家投資甚或長期經營的對象,更於 2020 年底成立了企業創投 (CVC),將積極佈局新創策略投資。因此入選  Wistron Accelerator 的新創,不論在加速器期間,或是加速器應屆計畫結束後,都將有機會與緯創企業創投、所合作的企業與事業單位,進一步討論未來的正式合作或投資機會。

4. 為什麼緯創限定招募來自 AI、物聯網、雲端、資安、教育與醫療科技的創業者?

緯創資通集團身為全球 ICT 產業領導廠商之一,正積極佈局未來、邁向永續。憑藉堅強的研發及技術創新能力,以及多元化產品發展,將硬體設備結合軟體服務、雲端數據系統,提供技術服務與解決方案,建立新技術產業鏈以及創新平台,大力將事業擴展至教育、企業服務、物聯網及醫療等新領域。

藉由 Wistron Accelerator,緯創希望分享其產業經驗與豐富的業界資源,結合新創獨有的解決方案,藉由 PoC 合作,探索新的發展機會,幫助新創測試 B2B 解決方案、擁有緯創作為使用者案例。同時,也樂見緯創透過加速器期間的合作成果,發展成為緯創集團下個十年的創新動能。

5. 什麼階段的新創適合申請 Wistron Accelerator?

我們並沒有限定申請團隊的成熟階段,但我們會建議來申請的新創,最好已經有和企業的合作案例,或是至少有 1~2 個 PoC 的合作經驗,將能更善用加速器所規劃的 4 個月時程,並確保在這樣的時間內,能有一定程度的成果產出。

如果你目前仍處於打磨 MVP、尚未和目標客戶接觸的階段,我們會建議你優先專注於打造你的產品,並嘗試接觸幾個目標客戶,搜集意見回饋、調整產品,確認自己想解決的問題以及核心優勢之後,再申請 Wistron Accelerator。

如果你已經有產品雛型,但尚未設立公司,根據我們的經驗,我們會建議你先完成此程序,這將有助於尋找事業夥伴並洽談後續合作。AppWorks 備有專業的會計與法務顧問,可以為創業者團隊提供成立公司過程中,所需要的協助,也有豐富的經驗,能為海外團隊處理落地台灣的手續。

6. 我不是台灣公民,能否幫忙申請簽證?

入選 Wistron Accelerator 的國際創業者,可根據個人的需求與條件,由緯創與 AppWorks 提供協助申請 Entrepreneur Visa 創業家簽證Gold Card 就業金卡Business Visa 商業簽證,讓來自海外的創業者能在台灣專心工作,不需為了簽證問題出境往返。

我們將持續關注台灣政府的最新政策,以確保能提供所有創業者必要的協助。

7. 進駐 Wistron Accelerator 後,是否每週一到五整天都要待在緯創?我們可以遠距參加嗎?

新創並不需要整天待在緯創工作,每一家錄取的新創,將與其媒合的事業單位或企業,針對其合作需求,討論必要的會議頻率、工作地點,以及會面方式。

如果新創團隊在加速器期間需要辦公空間,也歡迎向緯創與 AppWorks 洽詢,我們有工作空間,可以免費提供給應屆團隊使用。

8. 申請書的題目都是英文,用中文寫會不會影響分數?

Wistron Accelerator 的線上申請書共有約 26 個題目,包含團隊、產品、商業模式,與市場分析等眾多面向,非常詳盡,需要花一定的時間與心思填寫。我們希望透過這些題目協助每一個來申請的團隊,釐清自己當下的發展狀態與所需協助。

填寫報名表是一種自我健檢,因為在填寫過程中,創業者必須深入思考自己的產品、市場策略、團隊分工,以及整體產業環境。因此,不管申請與否,我們都建議創業者針對這些問題仔細思考、研究。

我們鼓勵你嘗試以英文作答,但用中文填寫並不會影響評估結果,最重要的是必須清楚表達你想傳達的訊息。另外,我們也鼓勵創辦人 (CEO) 拍攝一段一分鐘的自我介紹影片,讓我們能夠更完整的認識你。

9. 第一階段申請和第二階段申請有何差別?

Wistron Accelerator 的面談與入選採先收先審制度 (Rolling-basis),根據過去的經驗,先繳交申請書的團隊,有較高的入選機率,且能提早知道自己已經入選,有更充裕的時間預先規劃相關事宜。因此,我們會鼓勵創業者在第一階段就填寫申請書,以免到了最後申請截止前夕,競爭變得更加激烈。

希望以上整理能幫助你釐清對 Wistron Accelerator 的諸多疑問。若還有其他需要進一步瞭解的地方,歡迎留言給我們,或是來信至:[email protected],我們將盡量為你解答。

【歡迎所有 AI、物聯網、雲端、資安、教育與醫療科技的創業者,加入 Wistron Accelerator 申請,早鳥輪申請截止日為 2023 年 6 月 20 日】

The AppWorks Accelerator FAQ (for founders applying to AW#27)

AppWorks Accelerator was founded in 2010 by Jamie Lin, a startup community created by founders, for founders. We are committed to fostering the next generation of entrepreneurs in Greater Southeast Asia and to accelerating the region’s transition into the digital era. 

Every six months, we welcome founders trailblazing on the frontiers of web3, AI, and Southeast Asia, equipping them with the necessary resources, mentorship, and guidance to get their ventures off the ground. 

We know there are many considerations for founders when applying to an accelerator. That’s why we’ve created an FAQ page to help you decide whether or not AppWorks is suitable for your startup. 

As of May 8, AppWorks Accelerator #27 is open for applications. You can find important information about the Accelerator experience on our main page.

The FAQs

1. What do I need to know before joining an accelerator in Taiwan? What is AppWorks doing to help founders make the most out of the accelerator?

Since 2020, AppWorks has designed a hybrid online-offline program with a variety of activities for both local founders in Taiwan and international founders abroad. With Taiwan fully open, we encourage global founders from abroad to join us physically. 

Currently, up to six hours of online and offline sessions per week are provided, ranging from office hours with AppWorks Partners to meetings with mentors and peer founders from all over the region. Such meetings include founder mentoring sessions with veterans of the technology industry who have launched startups from zero to one and even listed several IPOs. You can rest assured that you will get to meet investors, journalists, corporate executives, and other partners who can make a positive impact on your founder journey through our hybrid activities.

If you’d like to leverage AppWorks to test out the Taiwan market or set up a technical team, we can provide suitable introductions to our network through online activities. However, based on our experience, we recommend that founders invest the necessary time and effort to personally understand Taiwan’s market and environment if you are interested in doing business in the country.

We believe that physical face-to-face engagement is still extremely effective for building strong relationships, and thus encourage founders to visit Taiwan and attend the accelerator in person for the most optimal experience.

2. Why does AppWorks now only admit founders working on AI, web3, or SEA? 

We believe that AI and blockchain are based on the good foundation that the internet has built, and the extended data applications and the decentralized model will be a huge disruption that founders must leverage in the next decade. According to Market and Markets, the global AI market size is valued at US$86.9 billion in 2022 and will continue to expand to US$407.0 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 36.2%. The increasing demand for automation, personalization, and optimization in various industries creates new opportunities for AI to drive innovation.

Generative AI, a subset of AI that involves creating new data or content, is also experiencing significant growth. By 2028, according to Market and Markets, the Generative AI market size is estimated to reach US$51.8 billion. The growing sophistication of AI algorithms, the proliferation of open-source frameworks, and the increasing availability of data allow founders to experiment with potential applications of AI across various industries, including healthcare, finance, retail, and gaming.

On the other hand, as the web3 industry starts to enter mass adoption, it requires infrastructure to seamlessly facilitate increasingly everyday transactions and activities. Meanwhile, applications for the web3 industry will speed up the process of onboarding end users. New primitives such as DAOs and protocols will completely disrupt the way people structure and run organizations from finance to entertainment to commerce—and this will all be done by leveraging the open, decentralized, permissionless, and trustless nature of blockchains. The time to build is now.

At the same time, SEA’s digital revolution is well underway, with a young, ever-expanding, and increasingly affluent middle class driving brisk economic growth across the region. The scale of Southeast Asia’s digital economy is estimated to reach US$1 trillion by 2030. Among them, Indonesia, with a population of nearly 300 million, has a median population of only about 30 years old and a high degree of Internet usage above 70%, maximizing its potential for innovation. Vietnam and the Philippines, with around 100 million population each, are open-minded to new technology, with crypto user penetration rates at 20% and 5%, ranking 1st and 14th in the world, respectively. As the digital economies of Southeast Asian countries are still developing, there are many opportunities for growth.

Therefore, this is the focus of our attention. In the last 10 years, we’ve seen the popularity and penetration of mobile internet. If you want to capture life-changing opportunities in the next decade, it is important to think about how to leverage these key areas to create the future.

3. How can AppWorks Accelerator help a web3 founder?

As our web3 ecosystem has grown, so have opportunities for partnerships, knowledge exchange, and founder-to-founder support—all critical for entrepreneurs building in this network and community-driven space:

a. Grow with one of the largest web3 founder communities.

Entrepreneurship is a lonely journey. After starting your own business, most of your friends and family won’t understand the ups and downs you’re experiencing as a founder. If you can share these experiences with fellow founders who are as capable and determined and who understand when you encounter setbacks, you will be more motivated to continue. In addition to about 50-60 other founders accelerating together in the same batch, we will hold frequent alumni gatherings where you’ll meet many alumni who have gone through the zero-to-one process. 

The web3 ecosystem within the AppWorks community now consists of almost 100 active teams with a total of 200 founders. These extraordinary web3 startups include  Pendle (AW#20), a DeFi yield-trading protocol that enables the tokenization and trading of future yield, Blocto (AW#19), a mobile portal to the blockchain world featuring seamless integrations with different wallets and web browsers; and Teahouse (AW#17), an on-chain liquidity management platform.

As one of the most flourishing web3 founder communities in the region, we can help support founders working on web3 products who want to learn the ins and outs of entrepreneurship through introductions of resources and connections in the startup ecosystem. Moreover, founders can learn together with fellow founders as driven as you about tokenomics, DAOs, and community-building.

b. Stay ahead of the game as the ecosystem rapidly evolves and access premium development partners

In web3, startups developing on the right public chain and working with the right partners can help create synergies and accelerate scaling. Within the AppWorks web3 ecosystem, almost 100 teams have developed their products on various public chains, including Ethereum, Cosmos, and so on. If you are a founder building on these chains, you can always find a connection within our ecosystem.

AppWorks is proactively building a vibrant ecosystem for web3 startups to explore and connect with each other. We are one of the investors in the public chain Flow, developed by Dapper Labs, the creator of CryptoKitties and NBA Top Shot. If you are interested in developing a new business model on Flow or the chance to talk to various stakeholders in the Flow ecosystem, you can receive more direct resources and support from AppWorks and Flow’s collaboration. Founders building things on Flow Chain will be able to enjoy support from the Dapper / Flow Team with Flow token grants.

At the same time, AppWorks builds partnerships with essential development tools, platforms, and cloud services such as Animoca Brands, Alchemy, and AWS to make sure that blockchain startups gain adequate support to grow.

4. How does AppWorks Accelerator help founders enter new markets?

Since 2009, AppWorks has made close connections within entrepreneur communities and in the venture capital ecosystem. When startup teams want to enter a new market, we can quickly help them learn from local partners to obtain key resources and business models that are tailored to different regions.

The AppWorks community includes our accelerator alumni, international startup teams that have received investment from AppWorks Venture Fund, and mentors with insight and experience. Our community of entrepreneurs is located all over the world, and many are from our key markets in Southeast Asia, such as Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, etc. For example, Eden Farm is an up-and-coming startup from Indonesia that is familiar with local logistics and agricultural products; while Carousell is a startup from Singapore, which focuses on C2C e-commerce and has expanded to 8 markets in Asia.

In addition to our community, AppWorks has also strategically cooperated with more than 20 venture capital funds across Southeast Asia and the web3 industry. Our partners include ACV, Golden Gate Ventures, Openspace Ventures, Ascend Vietnam Ventures, Foxmont Capital, Pantera Capital, Play Future Fund, etc. When entering a new market, we can easily cooperate with investors from different regions to help you expand local connections and business opportunities more efficiently.

5. What does AppWorks look for in applications?

When AppWorks reviews applications submitted by founders, we pay special attention to a founder’s north star. Some questions that might help you think about whether AppWorks is a good fit for you: 

  • Why did you launch your startup?
  • What problem do you want to solve and why?
  • What do you believe fundamentally needs to exist in this world that doesn’t already?
  • What kind of future do you want to create and how will you get there?
  • What have you already done to demonstrate your commitment to tackling this problem?

AppWorks Accelerator’s online application covers about 30 topics related to team background, product/service, business model, market analysis, and more. It is very detailed and requires time to complete. It also includes a required one-minute self-intro and product demo from the founder (CEO) for us to know you better.

6. Does AppWorks Accelerator cost anything?

No. AppWorks Accelerator has always been free for founders. We will not charge rent or service fees, nor will we require any form of compensation, such as sweat equity, tokens, options, revenue, or profit-sharing. Our exclusive mission is to help founders.

7. We need funding now, can we get an investment by joining AppWorks?

The short answer is you will have much better access to us than non-AppWorks accelerated teams. We will discuss with you and help you figure out at this stage of your startup’s journey if capital can give your startup a significant edge and/or take it to the next level and/or there are other more burning issues, e.g., achieving stronger product-market fit, figuring out a working go-to-market strategy, recruiting a solid co-founder, etc. Any AppWorks founder is welcome to start a discussion with us on fundraising anytime. We will do our best to advise and support you with US$212 million in total fund size. 

Please note, AppWorks Accelerator will never require teams to accept our investment before joining the accelerator, nor will teams ever need to provide any form of equity or revenue / profit share in return.

8. I am not a technical founder, or I need to find an engineer to help scale my idea, can I still apply?

Yes, you can. In a manner of speaking, you have come to the right country. 

Taiwan graduates over 25,000 hardware and computer science engineers each year and is world-famous for the engineering and computer science mastery that has boosted the quality of international companies like Apple and Acer in hardware and Google and Microsoft in software, to name but a few. 

We strongly recommend founders who come to Taiwan to check out the country’s vast human talent resources. Part of the founder journey will be about learning how to hire, and there is probably no better place in Asia to hire engineers than here.

9. My service (or product) has not yet started to make money. Can I still apply?

Of course! There probably isn’t a better time to learn in an accelerator than as a founder just starting out. This period before a founder has built a startup into a scalable business model with Product-Market Fit is called the “seed stage.” During this period, founders always need more than funding; they need a variety of entrepreneurial-related insights, inspiration from other founders, and room for trial and error. AppWorks Accelerator was built to provide these lessons and more.

10. I already raised a Series A / I’m profitable, is AppWorks right for me?

The most important thing for us is to identify where a founder is in their journey.

Reaching a funding goal can be a cause for celebration, but it’s also a relatively minor part of the growth of a founder. So many more things can go right or wrong, even with a funding round. There are many other facets to master. When we admit founders into the program, it is because we have carefully considered what they need as a founder, and how our resources and network, and Taiwan’s unique market and supply chain position in the world, can help them grow. 

Joel Leong and Henry Chan at ShopBack had already built a business model and received seed funding in 2015 when they launched in Singapore before they came to AppWorks Accelerator #13 in 2016. 

Joel told us that had the team known about Taiwan’s massive US$42.2 billion GMV e-commerce market and all the region-wide technical and tactical innovations that it would eventually yield, they would have made the move to Taiwan much sooner. It demonstrates that funding rounds and business model maturity do not limit founders in learning something new. As long as you think that AppWorks can help you in the entrepreneurial learning process, you should apply.

11. Since I am not a Taiwanese citizen, can you help me obtain a proper visa?

International founders admitted to AppWorks Accelerator, according to your qualifications and needs, AppWorks can help with your application for the Gold Card, Entrepreneur Visa, or Business Visa in Taiwan. This enables founders from overseas to concentrate on work in Taiwan without traveling abroad to sort out troublesome visa issues. We can offer advice on this process.  

AppWorks will closely track government policies and provide adequate support as the policy evolves.

12. Do I have to set up a company to join AppWorks Accelerator?

Not necessarily, but we recommend an overseas founder to set up a Taiwan office, especially those of you that are B2B facing. This may enable you to find business partners and negotiate commercial agreements later. AppWorks has professional accounting and legal specialists who can assist in handling procedures for landing in Taiwan.

13. What is the difference between applying during the first round vs. the final round? 

The application period is split into two intakes, with interviews and admissions facilitated on a rolling basis. Based on past experience, teams that submit their application earlier tend to have a higher chance of being admitted and are also immediately granted access to all the resources that AppWorks Accelerator has to offer.

14. I have previously applied to AppWorks and have been rejected, can I apply again? Will it affect the chances of admission?

Reapplying represents the determination of the founder and is a positive signal for us. Therefore, we will re-evaluate all aspects, not only for the growth of the founder but also for the progress of the company.

We hope the above FAQ can help you clarify your questions about AppWorks Accelerator. If you seek more clarity, please write to: [email protected] and we will try to answer your questions.

If you’re a founder working on AI, web3, or Southeast Asia, you’ve come to the right place! Applications for AppWorks Accelerator #27 will be open until July 10, 2023.