AppWorks Accelerator FAQ 創業者常見問題回覆 (為 AW#32 申請團隊準備)
AppWorks
November 17, 2025
in Accelerator

 

AppWorks Accelerator 在 2010 年由 Jamie 林之晨等創業者，為創業者所成立。每半年招募一屆，對象是來自台灣、亞洲與世界各地的新創團隊。成立 15 年以來，AppWorks Accelerator 總共已招募 31 屆，自 2025 年 11 月起，開放申請的第 32 屆 (AW#32)，將特別聚焦在站在科技最前線、致力於改寫產業規則與突破現況的創業者，並邀請正在打造智慧製造（Manufacturing AI）、國防科技（Defense Tech）、以及鏈上金融（On-Chain Banking）相關應用的新創團隊加入。

每次招募團隊，AppWorks 都會收到許多申請書，過程中我們發現，新創團隊在看完網站的介紹後，對我們的加速器計畫仍有些許疑問，因此，我們整理了以下常見問題，希望能為有類似疑惑的你，提供一些解答。

【AppWorks Accelerator #32自 2025 年 11 月開放申請】

  1. 在加入加速器之前，我需要了解什麼？AppWorks 在幫助創業者充分利用加速器方面做了哪些工作？

AppWorks 致力於提供創業者彈性且全面的體驗，服務台灣本地創業者、以及國際創業者。以下是一些我們獨有的特點：

專為創業者打造的活動：無論你正處於初步驗證、產品開發，還是正在擴張成長，我們都會依照創業階段，設計最適合的活動，協助你持續突破下一個里程碑。

AppWorks 的創業者來自台灣、亞洲美國及全球各地，為了滿足跨時區與多元需求，我們提供實體與線上並行的活動形式，讓你能以最適合自己的方式參與。從工作坊、創業者對談，或是商業媒合，每場活動都經過精心設計，幫助你在每個關鍵時刻加速成長。

亞洲創業網絡：經過 15 年的持續耕耘，我們可以很自豪地分享，AppWorks 已串連起亞洲最活躍的創業生態系，包括創業者社群與投資網絡，遍佈台灣、新加坡、香港、印尼、越南、菲律賓、馬來西亞、韓國與日本，確保你無論身在何處，都能獲得需要的支持。

台灣的市場能量：台灣是亞洲科技創新的核心樞紐，擁有完整的硬體製造鏈、強大的工程與研發人才，以及開放成熟的科技環境。這裡不只是電子與半導體重鎮，更是 AI、國防科技與金融創新的理想實驗場。

AppWorks 深耕台灣超過 15 年，擁有最廣泛且活躍的在地網絡，串連企業龍頭與製造商、創投，以及頂尖學術機構。我們幫助創業者連結供應鏈資源、共同開發解決方案，並加速進入區域市場。

我們強烈建議創業者親自參與 AppWorks 在台灣與亞洲各地舉辦的實體活動，透過面對面的交流，建立更強的關係與更深的洞察，獲得真正能推動成長的連結。

  1. 什麼是 RFS？AppWorks Accelerator 可以分別提供 AW#32 RFS#1: Manufacturing AI、RFS#2: Defense Tech、RFS#3: On-Chain Banking 新創什麼幫助？

RFS (Request for Startups) 是我們在每一期加速器中特別關注的主題，代表我們認為具有發展潛力、值得優秀創業者投入的方向。RFS 不是限制，而是我們希望創業者留意的訊號，讓創業者了解 AppWorks 此期聚焦的重點與我們能提供的資源。

如果你的創業題目正好屬於這些關鍵領域，我們很期待認識你；若不是，但你認為自己的解決方案與我們關注的方向相契合，或者相信加入 AppWorks 社群將能帶來策略性的成長，也同樣非常歡迎申請。

AppWorks 正在尋找致力於 智慧製造（Manufacturing AI）、國防科技（Defense Tech）、以及 鏈上金融（On-Chain Banking） 的創業者。我們相信，這三個領域將在未來十年改變亞洲的產業結構與經濟基礎，也是台灣與 AppWorks 的社群能為創業者發揮助力的地方

AW#32 RFS#1: 智慧製造（Manufacturing AI）
過去兩年 AI 的加速發展，讓我們看到了 AI 正全面改變製造業的運作模式，從產品設計、生產製程，到後續維運，皆有機會被大幅翻轉 – 現在正是製造產業迎向智能化升級的關鍵時刻。

台灣擁有世界級的製造與供應鏈生態系，AppWorks 能協助創業者直接連結頂尖 OEM、製造商與跨產業夥伴，共同驗證 PoC、開發 AI 驅動的自動化、品質檢測與預測維護等實際應用。

同時，我們的社群中已聚集眾多 AI 與製造相關的新創，例如可加速織品開發流程的 NunoX (AW#31)、提供精細音訊分離技術的 Relajet (AW#17)、以聲音監測進行預防性維護的 Groundup.AI (AW#27) 等等。透過彼此共同開發、銷售或是經驗分享，AppWorks 社群能幫助你更快驗證、更快落地，推動產品從原型走向規模。

AW#32 RFS#2: 國防科技（Defense Tech）
在地緣政治緊張、各國追求供應鏈與關鍵技術自主的時代，具「雙重用途」的科技—如無人系統、感測、資安、AI 模型與新材料，正快速成為維護國家與產業安全的關鍵力量；這同時也代表著新創能以創新技術切入高門檻市場的機會。

AppWorks 加速器、以及我們與緯創集團共同運營的緯創加速器（Wistron Accelerator），長期聚焦於硬體、AIoT 與深科技領域，提供從製造生產到概念驗證的場域。

同時，我們的社群中已有多支深科技新創，提供國防與商業最前沿的科技應用。包括打造航太與小型衛星推進技術的 Aliena (AW#30)、東南亞最大的農工業無人機服務供應商 Aonic (AW#30)、提供高精度定位與地圖資料解決方案的 UNL Global (AW#30) 與 Mapxus (AW#30) 等等。

在這樣的生態網絡中，AppWorks 將協助新創團隊媒合製造與企業夥伴，開展 PoC 與試驗合作，並連結投資人與技術人才，幫助你強化研發實力、拓展商務應用。

AW#32 RFS#3: 鏈上金融（On-Chain Banking）
我們相信金融的未來，將是程式化、透明且全球化的。AppWorks 正在尋找致力於用 Web3 技術重構金融基礎設施的創業者，包含資產代幣化、去中心化清算與結算、跨境支付，以及鏈上合規與監管工具等領域。

在這條通往新金融架構的路上，AppWorks 能協助你了解亞洲的金融科技生態，連結區域內的金融機構、法遵顧問與投資人，同時透過 AppWorks 社群中橫跨亞洲九個不同市場的 Fintech、LegalTech、Web3 創業者與導師網絡，我們能為你提供在受監管市場中擴張的實戰經驗與策略建議。

無論你正在打造下一代 AI 智慧工廠、研發國防自主科技，或建立鏈上銀行的基礎架構，AppWorks 的定位，並不只是加速器，而是你進入台灣與亞洲市場的策略夥伴。我們期待與你一起，從原型走向規模，從實驗室走進現場。

  1. AppWorks Accelerator 可以提供 web3 新創什麼幫助？

隨著我們 web3 創業者社群的成長，為參與其中的創業者，創造出越來越多建立策略夥伴關係、知識交流的機會，並可促成創業者彼此之間互相幫助。 AppWorks 社群可為 web3 創業者提供獨特的加值服務：

1. 與亞洲最活躍的 web3 創業者社群共同成長

由 AppWorks 建立起的 web3 生態系，已累積 156 支活躍新創團隊、共計超過 424 位創業者，這些傑出的 web3 新創，包括實現資產未來收益代幣化的 Pendle (AW#20)，聚合鏈上投票權並幫助協議用戶完成去中心化治理投票的 Event Horizon (AW#28)；透過「Delta 中性」策略和超額抵押機制，發行穩定幣的 Resolv (AW#30)

AppWorks 團隊長期協助創業者之間建立連結，將資源與人脈引介給各新創團隊，並從不同創業者身上，交流學習各種創業相關經驗與秘訣。

2. 與 Web2 與 Web3 領域的關鍵夥伴建立 PoC 與產品整合機會

AppWorks 與台灣的金融產業龍頭、電信公司、以及交易所維持深度合作，為提供鏈上金融服務的區塊鏈公司，打造真實的 PoC 測試與落地機會。

除了活躍的 Web3 生態外，我們也擁有強大且在各自產業領域領先的 Web2 創業者與企業社群，讓 Web3 團隊能與不同用戶群輪廓的夥伴合作、測試產品，並快速驗證市場需求。

3. 在快速發展的 web3 生態系保持領先，並獲得優質的開發合作夥伴

AppWorks web3 生態系中，有近 95 支區塊鏈團隊已經在各種公鏈上開發產品，包括 Ethereum、Solana、Arbitrum、Hyperliquid、Sui、TON、Base 等。創業者可在社群中找到具實戰經驗的夥伴，共同開發產品或交流技術。

此外，AppWorks 也與全球知名的開發工具、審計公司、造市商與雲端服務供應商合作，包括 GSR、Quantstamp、Chainlink 等，為新創提供專業資源與支援。

  1. 如果我的新創已經完成 Series A/B 募資、或是已經開始獲利，AppWorks Accelerator 還適合我嗎？

我們並沒有限定申請團隊的成熟階段，無論是正處於早期、或是已規模化擴張的團隊，只要你認為在創業過程中，AppWorks 能提供到你所需要幫助，都歡迎申請加入。

依過去的案例，也有許多較成熟的團隊加入，例如，有些團隊已經在台灣做出不錯的成績，想往東南亞發展，AppWorks 可以成為新創佈局東南亞的橋樑或跳板。

或者是規模已不小的國際團隊，如果想在台灣建立技術團隊或開發市場商機，加入 AppWorks， 可以成為在台落地的第一步。像是例如來自新加坡、在 2016 年進駐 AW#13 的 ShopBack，早在 2014 年就創立，並在 2015 年完成種子輪募資並在新加坡推出服務，而透過在 AppWorks Accelerator 的時間，ShopBack 在台灣建立起技術團隊，並同時驗證了測試台灣市場的發展性可能性。如今，台灣已是 Shopback 所有經營的市場中，重要的營收來源和核心研發基地。

  1. AppWorks Accelerator 可以提供想進入國際市場的新創什麼幫助？

AppWorks Accelerator 自 2010 年啟動迄今，累積了廣大的創業者社群與 VC 夥伴網絡，協助新創團隊在進入新市場時能快速獲取關鍵資源，並向當地的創業者學習因地制宜的商業模式。

目前，我們的社群中已有超過 600 家活躍的科技公司，其中超過 300 間已經是跨市場經營的企業。社群中不僅包含加速器校友新創與 AppWorks 基金投資的國際團隊，也有眾多曾成功規模化或退出的創業者與 Mentors。

他們分布於 亞洲 9 個市場：新加坡、印尼、越南、菲律賓、馬來西亞、韓國、日本、香港與台灣，這代表無論你想進入哪個市場，AppWorks 社群中都已有在地的創業者群體，以及曾成功拓展跨國事業的創業者，能與你交流經驗、協助引薦人脈，加速你在新市場的落地。

除了創業者社群以外，AppWorks 另外在 AI、web3 等領域投資超過 25 個創投基金，包含 AC Ventures、 Golden Gate Ventures、 Openspace Ventures、Ascend Vietnam Ventures、Figment Capital、Pantera 等。

此外，AppWorks 與認同我們理念的基金投資人合作，其中包括在科技製造、金融、媒體、電信等領域領先的企業，基金也獲得馬來西亞主權基金與韓國政府投資機構的支持，並與印尼最大的電信公司建立策略夥伴關係，進一步鞏固我們在亞洲的布局，讓新創團隊進入新市場時，能與不同區域的投資人合作、更有效率的拓展人脈與商機。

  1. AppWorks Accelerator 要收費嗎？

AppWorks 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、獲利分成，或是 Token 等任何形式的回饋。

  1. 我們現在需要一筆資金，加入 AppWorks 就可以被投資嗎？

相較於其他新創團隊，參與 AppWorks Accelerator 的創業者，有更多與我們深度交流的機會，自然也就有更高的合作機率。無論參與的新創處於什麼階段，我們都會與創業者討論，什麼是現階段最需要且適合你的幫助。在對的時間點，當資金可以大幅提升該新創的實力與競爭優勢，我們會全力協助你完成該輪募資。但有些時候，創業者當下更重要的任務，是解決其他更急迫的問題，包括重新定義市場問題、 探索正確的目標客群、或是尋找更強的 Product Market Fit 等等。

AppWorks 管理四支創投基金規模共 3.9 億美元，無論是關於募資，或是其他策略面向的討論，我們隨時準備好提供你最適切的建議與協助。

  1. 我的服務 (或產品) 還沒開始賺錢，這樣能申請嗎？

當然可以。從公司創立到找到可規模化商業模式這段期間，稱為「種子期」。種子期新創公司需要的多半不是資金，而是各種與創業有關的知識、啟發，以及嘗試與犯錯的空間。AppWorks Accelerator 有豐富的經驗，協助種子期新創尋找可規模化商業模式，幫助他們順利邁向下一階段。

  1. 加入 AppWorks Accelerator 一定要設立公司嗎？

不一定，但我們會建議做 B2B 的團隊設立公司。根據我們的經驗，這將有助於你與潛在事業夥伴洽談後續合作。AppWorks 有專業的會計與法務專家，可以為創業者提供成立公司過程中所需要的協助；以及為計劃擴張到台灣的團隊處理落地的手續。

  1. 我不是台灣公民，能否幫忙申請簽證？

入選 AppWorks Accelerator 的國際創業者，可根據個人的需求與條件，由 AppWorks 提供協助，申請 Gold Card 就業金卡、 Entrepreneur Visa 創業家簽證 ，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。

  1. 新創的申請書中，AppWorks 注重的內容有哪些？

我們特別重視驅動創業者長期持續自我精進、沿途排除阻礙，非得要抵達的北極星。此外，以下幾個問題，也是我們關注的：

  • 為什麼要創業？
  • 你希望透過創業解決什麼問題？為什麼？
  • 你相信世界上，還有哪些尚未被滿足的基本需求？
  • 你希望創造什麼樣的未來？計畫如何去實現？
  • 你已經做了哪些努力來證明你正在解決這些問題？
  1. 申請書的題目都是英文，用中文寫會不會影響分數？

AppWorks Accelerator 的線上申請書共有約 30 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。

在 AppWorks，創業者有大量使用英文的機會，與各國創業者、投資人與企業夥伴溝通交流。因此，我們鼓勵你嘗試以英文作答。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，我們也需要創辦人/CEO 拍攝一段一分鐘的自我介紹與產品說明影片，讓我們不僅是透過文字，能夠更加認識你。

  1. 第一階段 VS. 第二階段申請有何差別？

AppWorks Accelerator 的面談與入選採先收先審方式 (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。

  1. 我以前有申請過 AppWorks 被拒絕了、還能再申請嗎？是否會影響錄取的機率呢？

不會影響錄取率。我們會評估你在這段時間的進展，無論是 Founder 本身的成長，或是公司的拓展。整體而言，再次申請代表了創業者的決心，對我們來說是正面的訊號。過去也有創業者申請了 2~3 次才獲選。有的案例是在申請未果後，仍繼續耐心摸索，最終成功增長更多的用戶、也累積了更深入的洞察；有的案例則是坦誠面對沒有 PMF 的事實，更換了題目後，找到可擴展的商業模式而再次申請，而這些創業者自加速器畢業後的表現也相當優秀。

希望以上整理能幫助你釐清對 AppWorks 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。

【歡迎所有不滿足於現狀、正致力於以嶄新方式突破傳統的創業者，加入專為你們服務的 AppWorks Accelerator，AW#32 申請截止日為 2026 年 1 月 11 日】

AppWorks Secures Investment from KVIC, Launches Korean Accelerator Cohort to Help Startups Go Regional
Anne Chen
September 29, 2025
in General

AppWorks, a leading startup accelerator and VC firm headquartered in Taiwan, has signed an MOU with Korea Venture Investment Corporation (KVIC) to strengthen support for Korean startups. With KVIC’s strategic commitment into AppWorks Fund IV, AppWorks and KVIC will work together to help Korean founders access new markets, capital, and networks across Asia—empowering them to scale beyond Korea and compete on the global stage.

AppWorks is launching a Korean cohort to accelerate cross-border expansion

AppWorks Accelerator—the renowned startup accelerator originated in Taiwan and has since expanded across Asia—has built its alumni network the region’s largest founder community of 624 active startups and 2,029 founders, and will soon launch a Korean cohort for growth-stage startups ready to expand beyond their home market. Admitted startups will gain access to AppWorks’ valuable mentorship and connection to key strategic partners—including leading regional VCs and top-tier corporates from key sectors such as telecom, world-class electronics manufacturers driving the AI supply chain, cutting-edge media companies, and leading retail players to fast-track their entry into Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and beyond. More importantly, they will join AppWorks’ alumni network across Asia, pioneering frontier technologies such as AI and IoT, while connecting with the corporate partners to accelerate growth and collaboration. 

AppWorks connects Korean founders to one of Asia’s most vibrant startup ecosystems and network for capital & strategic partnership.

Founded by one of Taiwan’s most successful and influential founder-turned-investors, Jamie Lin, in 2009, AppWorks has since built a thriving pan-Asia community of 2,029 founders and 624 active startups, all together valued at $32.1 billion and pulling $16.3 billion in annual revenues.  These companies span across diverse tech sectors. Built by founders, for founders, this community thrives on peer learning, shared networks, and collaboration. By joining, Korean founders gain a platform to scale beyond their home market and accelerate their path from local champions to regional leaders. 

Taiwan is a strategic market, profitability center, and AI hub for startups

Taiwan is quickly becoming a leading hub for AI, with strong ties to the world’s semiconductor supply chain and a growing network of AI startups and corporates. AppWorks connects founders to key industry players and corporates eager to adopt AI and IoT solutions. For Korean startups in AI, Taiwan provides exceptional access to advanced technology and a rapidly expanding market, offering a solid base to grow regionally and globally.

In addition to its strategic position within the AI supply chain, Taiwan is also an ideal market for consumer-facing startups. With strong purchasing power supported by a high GDP per capita of US$34K, and a digitally savvy population eager to try new products, Taiwan serves as both a testbed and a profitability center, where startups can refine their business models and unit economics before scaling to larger markets.

Global players have already proven Taiwan’s strategic value. Coupang selected Taiwan as one of its first overseas markets, quickly gaining traction due to high average order value, dense urban populations, and strong local demand for Korean products in beauty, F&B, and fashion. LINE has built Taiwan into one of its strongest markets outside Japan, reaching nearly the entire population with over 20 million active users. Today, LINE operates as a true super-app, offering messaging, payments, banking, and media services woven into everyday life.

For Korean founders, Taiwan offers both the accessibility of a nearby market and the growth potential of a leading AI ecosystem, making it a powerful bridge from Korea to the broader Southeast Asian region.

AppWorks is doubling down on Korea’s fast-growing tech ecosystem

In recent years, AppWorks has steadily nurtured a growing community of Korean founders, backing ambitious startups and supporting their growth beyond domestic borders. With partnership with KVIC, AppWorks is doubling down—providing Korean entrepreneurs with the networks, capital, and regional know-how they need to scale across Asia.

AppWorks, a leading regional VC with a proven investment track record

Alongside its accelerator, AppWorks manages four venture capital funds with US$370M total funds raised, investing from seed to Series C stage startups. AppWorks has invested in more than 100 companies, including category leaders such as Lalamove, Carousell, ShopBack, KKday, 91APP, 17LIVE, Animoca Brands, and Dapper Labs/Flow. Its portfolio has produced 6 IPOs, 8 IEOs, 1 hectocorn, 2 decacorns, and 8 unicorns—cementing AppWorks’ position as one of Asia’s most impactful founder communities and VC platforms.

AppWorks and KVIC, together, share a commitment to helping Korean startups grow into global players

Jessica Liu, Partner leading AppWorks’ initiatives in Korea:

“We are excited to partner with KVIC to empower Korean founders. Korea is home to incredible founders and culture, and with the right networks across Asia, we believe these startups can grow into the next wave of regional and global champions.”

 

Less is More! The Power of Simplicity in 91APP’s 10-year journey from start to a successful IPO
Nathan Alexander
September 23, 2025
in View

 

Nathan Alexander, Associate
Nathan joined AppWorks in 2024 as an Associate in the Southeast Asia Arm, dedicated to meeting and supporting founders in the region. He brings forth over 7 years of experience in startup advisory, investments and M&A. He started his career at PwC Indonesia where he was first exposed to the investment world and developed his initial acumen for analyzing companies. In 2021, Nathan moved to the venture capital industry, taking on the position of Senior Analyst at Alpha JWC. In his most recent role, Nathan served as the Head of Investments for Telkomsel Ventures where he focused on sourcing startups and underwriting investments for Telkomsel, Indonesia’s largest telecom operator.

It might be uncomfortable but less is often more in making a tech product. In this article, I want to highlight a company in our ecosystem that grew rapidly not by piling on features, but by consciously removing complexity.

Why Simplicity Matters: Learnings from 91APP

Here’s something founders often overlook: users don’t actually crave more features; they crave less friction. Adding more features might sound impressive, but every extra click, screen, or step can turn users away.

I see a strong case of 91APP, one of the startups in our community that had successfully gone IPO in Taiwan. 91APP is a storefront SaaS solution for merchants. Unlike many other solutions that overwhelm merchants with complicated setups, convoluted integrations, and steep learning curves, 91APP built their entire platform with one core principle: make omnichannel retail ridiculously easy. No complex integrations, no tech-heavy setup, just effortless retail management.

91APP helps merchants to quickly create a fully functional online store/website and branded mobile app within days, sparing them all technical complexities. Its unified, simple dashboard integrates everything, from online and physical retail to payments and marketing channels, allowing brands to manage their entire omnichannel retail experience all in one platform.

91APP’s success stems from its deliberate simplification of complex retail processes. The platform makes it easy for anyone, even non-tech-savvy merchants to quickly launch and manage an omnichannel retail experience. But 91APP’s simplicity mindset extends beyond just the product:

  • Intuitive User Interface: Easy-to-navigate interfaces with clear, jargon-free language.
  • Straightforward Pricing: Transparent, simple subscription models with no hidden fees.
  • Seamless Integrations: Effortless OMO integration to sync inventory, member data, employee performance, and loyalty programs across their online store and physical shops with ease, eliminating the need for manual management after launching.

By deeply understanding their customers, 91APP added a simple built-in referral mechanism, giving each store staff a unique code that earns them a commission on sales from both e-commerce and physical stores. This OMO integration not only boosts staff bonuses but also encourages them to embrace digital channels to maintain customer influence. Many businesses benefited a lot through increased sales performance after adopting this straightforward, yet highly effective feature. This enables 91APP’s merchants to scale faster and spend less time on problems that don’t move the needle.

Timberland was struggling to unify their offline and online operations. 91APP’s OMO (Online-Merge-Offline) solution allowed Timberland to integrate inventory, member data, and loyalty programs across both their online store and physical shops, eliminating the need for manual management. After implementing this solution, Timberland saw 70% of online sales from the brand’s official e-commerce, and their OMO members spent twice as much as single-channel customers. 

91APP’s success demonstrates that simplicity is not just about removing unnecessary features—it’s about deeply understanding user needs and creating an experience that minimizes friction. Their approach shows that when technology is simplified and made intuitive, it can lead to faster growth, higher engagement, and stronger customer loyalty—proving us one thing: simplicity matters.

Keeping Simplicity in the Age of AI

Talking about product development right now would be incomplete if we don’t consider AI. The truth is AI brings immense potential and…complexity. 91APP recognized that adding AI shouldn’t mean adding friction. They integrated AI silently and intuitively:

  • Retail AI Jooii: Automatically recommends the best pricing and promotions using real-time shopper data, no manual setup, just smart suggestions built into the dashboard.
  • One-Click Copywriting: Generates product descriptions and ad copy in seconds, removing the need for writing or marketing expertise.
  • Smart Insights: Converts raw data into clear, actionable reports, so even non-technical users can make fast, informed decisions without digging through spreadsheets.

The beauty of 91APP’s approach here is they make AI feel like part of the background, not the focus. Instead of overwhelming users with tech, they’ve built tools that simply work, helping merchants with things like pricing or copywriting without adding complexity. That’s the real power of AI: when it becomes invisible, solving big problems without anyone noticing. It’s proof that even in the age of AI, simplicity isn’t just possible, it’s the best way to grow.

Why simplicity is harder than it looks

 

When I found out the power of simplicity, then the next question would be: if simplicity is so valuable, why not more companies do it? People often hear “keep it simple” and nod along, until they try to do it. On paper, stripping features sounds easy. In practice, it’s one of the hardest things a company can pull off. I tried to dig deeper and found there are at least three main reasons why it’s difficult to achieve.

First, simplicity means saying “no” over and over. It’s easy to keep adding features because every “yes” feels like progress. But each “no” risks disappointing a customer, investor, or salesperson. Most companies simply don’t have the courage and discipline.

Second, simplicity isn’t cheap. Behind 91APP’s’s easy storefront are years of hidden engineering effort. It takes huge technical depth, custom infrastructure, optimized code, and endless tweaking to make complex technology feel invisible. It’s easier to expose complexity than hide it. The shorter the grass, the deeper the root.

Third, simple products must be opinionated. A customer-centric founder will know exactly what their customer needs. 91APP deeply understood the needs of merchants and how they wanted to manage omnichannel retail, so they built a platform that streamlined the process and removed unnecessary complexities. This deep understanding of their customers allowed them to focus on the core value they were delivering, even if it meant overlooking other potential use cases. Many companies fail to be so customer-obsessed, and that lack of focus can lead to overcomplicated products that don’t truly address what users want or need.

Simplicity only looks easy from the outside. It actually requires cultural discipline, technical depth, and a customer-centric mindset. Few teams are willing or able to invest in all three, which is why true simplicity remains a competitive moat rather than a commodity.

Conclusion

The big lesson here is clear: complexity might seem impressive, but simplicity holds real value. Founders are often tempted by new technologies, mistakenly believing complexity equals sophistication. Yet, the real winners succeed precisely because they reject unnecessary complexity and maintain relentless focus on their users’ needs.

But embracing simplicity isn’t easy, it’s incredibly difficult. It demands the courage to say “no” repeatedly, even when it disappoints stakeholders. It requires deep technical mastery to hide complexity beneath the surface. And it needs bold, opinionated decisions coming from deep understanding of the customers, which will clearly define the product’s direction, despite the risk of alienating some users and stakeholders.

True simplicity is a competitive advantage precisely because it’s so hard to achieve. It involves deliberate cultural discipline, constant technical refinement, and unwavering commitment. When done right, simplicity doesn’t just grow businesses, it transforms them.

 

AppWorks 基金為何投資：周益鑫，JTCG創辦人 (AW#13)
Bill Hsu
August 28, 2025
in Investments

從大學生寫 App，到打造雙引擎的創業者

JTCG 的創辦人周益鑫 (James) 是 AppWorks 加速器第 13 屆校友，也是少數同時具備產品、成長與企業銷售全方位能力的創業者。2016 年加入加速器之後，讓他在創業初期便透過豐富的社群活動結識許多同後屆的創辦人與導師，之後更進一步加入 AppWorks「六次方」社群，與 20–30 人規模的新創 CEO 定期討論招募、薪酬結構與營運難題，讓他不論在招募、募資或是找客戶，都能從社群中獲得支持。

在大學期間，他就打造了 Colorgy，一款幫助大學生整理課表與社交互動的 App。這產品最早從他自己手動匯入大學課表開始，一邊寫程式、一邊和同學測試，不斷修正介面與使用流程。他發現大學生其實對社交更感興趣，課表只是入口，因此他把焦點放在社群功能設計上，比如能看到同學選課、揪團開課等模組，讓用戶之間自然形成互動。他也從早期的數據中觀察到，不同科系的使用習慣差異極大，於是設計了模組化的彈性架構，以支撐多樣化需求。 Colorgy 最高曾達到 200 萬註冊用戶，深受大學生族群歡迎，整個過程讓 James 累積了完整的產品開發與使用者研究歷練。

後來他注意到法國的新創 Zenly 正在崛起，做的是即時地圖分享與朋友定位的社交 App。因為經營過大學生課表產品，James 對這個年齡層的生活模式與校園擴散節奏非常熟悉，他敏銳地意識到 Zenly 如果能搭配台灣校園的地推與產品優化，有機會快速打開市場。於是他主動寫信給 Zenly 的創辦人，分析台灣市場的成長潛力與校園推廣策略，爭取加入團隊。他不只提出想法，還親自拉了一群學生實測不同的 onboarding 流程與功能 A/B 測試，最後正式接手台灣與韓國的在地化與增長工作。短短一年內，他帶隊把月活用戶從 5 萬推升到 120 萬，並把這套成長模式複製到韓國，實際操演一次跨國市場的 go-to-market 策略。

從大學就開始創業，也讓他洞悉自己對於企業正規軍的策略理解不足。當他看到 LINE 要收購 Choco TV，覺得這是一個難得的機會，可以親身觀察國際公司是怎麼做併購與整合的。剛好 Choco TV 的創辦人 Davidd 也是Colorgy 的天使投資人，兩人相談合拍下，James 就加入整合團隊。參與了整個過程，從資料與技術對接、流程重新設計，到如何讓兩邊團隊建立共識、對齊預期。這段經歷讓他對大企業如何運作、如何協調文化落差有了第一手的理解，這些經驗也成為他日後共同創辦 MetaCRM、處理企業銷售與 B2B 合作的重要底氣。

James 能從零打造產品，也能在面對大型企業與通路夥伴時穩健談判，並且擁有實戰經驗：從一個大學生寫 App 的工程師、到主導國際產品落地、再到參與企業併購與跨部門整合，最後又成立 B2B SaaS 軟體新創。這些經驗讓 JTCG 能夠同時運作 PLG（product-led growth）與 SLG（sales-led growth）這兩種成長引擎，使其 AI 產品能快速打入市場並有效擴張。

解痛點、建資料飛輪，打造 AI 客服的持續競爭優勢

James 在經營 Zendesk 代理商期間，完整接觸企業客服流程，從大量客服工單與報表看見了兩個關鍵問題。第一，傳統規則式聊天機器人resolution rate (解決率，指顧客問題能被解決) 通常不到一成，而客服人力卻有七成時間進行重複「查詢系統資料、確認資料、回覆客戶」的工作；其二，多數國際大型客服 AI 工具雖功能強大，但價格昂貴且不夠接地氣，對本地語言與系統整合也缺乏彈性。這些觀察讓他意識到一個結構性機會：當地的 SI 可以造自己的 AI agent，取代國際 SaaS 工具，取代昂貴的國際 SaaS 預算，並提供更貼近需求的在地服務。

這些第一線經驗促成了 Raccoon AI 的誕生。機器人不僅能對話，更能直接喚用「查訂單、取消、退款」等後端 API，把客戶真正需要的動作一次完成。舉例來說，顧客詢問『我的訂單出貨了嗎？』時，Raccoon AI 不只回覆流程，而是會即時查詢電商後台的訂單管理系統，調出該訂單狀態，確認是否已出貨並提供物流單號，若尚未出貨還能進一步協助取消或改期。這是與傳統規則式聊天機器人最大不同，透過串接公司後台資料庫讓機器人有更多 context ，進而提高工單 resolution rate。

Raccoon AI 自推出以來在實際專案中展現出明顯差異化優勢。以台灣電商與旅遊業為例，系統可自動解決六成以上的客服工單，而同類 LLM chatbot 的平均 resolution rate 通常不及三成。這部分優勢來自於 Raccoon 長期累積的在地產業語料，例如電商常見的「出貨查詢」「修改地址」「訂單取消」等對話範式，甚至包含繁體中文語境下的客服語氣、商品分類邏輯與品牌風格調性，這些內容被整理成超過一百萬筆的向量知識庫，能讓 AI 在第一天上線就接近人類客服的回答品質。加上即將推出的 low code 客服流程編輯器（V2 版本，目前進入 Beta 測試階段），新客戶可在兩天內完成概念驗證，並預期在四週內完成正式上線。

每解決一張客服工單，系統會將意圖、回答與品牌語調回寫至該客戶專屬的向量知識庫，進一步優化客服機器人的涵蓋能力與回應品質。這種「資料飛輪」機制讓每家商戶的 AI 隨使用逐步成長，搭配 Raccoon 極短的導入時間，能快速開始累積語料、加速學習與優化，有效鞏固其 first mover advantage。

另一方面，James 已與 Zendesk、91APP、Omnichat、與 Shopline 等夥伴建立合作關係，也為 JTCG 建立起穩定且具規模化潛力的銷售管道。這些通路目前已貢獻 20–30% 的潛在客戶來源，讓團隊得以專注在產品與語料的持續打磨，不必從零開始冷啟動。

透過資料飛輪、快速導入與通路槓桿的三方協作，JTCG 已建立一套具有持續複利效應的擴張模式，清楚展現其在效率與速度上的結構性領先。

把握時機，搶占生成式 AI 客服的成長浪潮

相較於歐美大型客服 SaaS，JTCG 的優勢在於更「接地氣」。國際客服平台在亞洲的本地化落地仍有落差，例如多數歐美主流客服工具並不會優先支援 LINE 或台灣主流電商平台，對本地企業而言導入門檻相對較高。因此在客服與售後支援領域，JTCG 面對的是一個成熟產品未充分覆蓋的市場，正是一個可以快速切入、卡位成為關鍵供應商的機會。

我們在 2025 年第一季看到，JTCG 交出了年成長超過 100%的成績。基於團隊過往累積的產品能力與渠道優勢，以及生成式 AI 正全面改寫客服產業的市場時機，我們選擇領投 JTCG 的 Pre‑A 輪，加速 Self-Onboarding 產品開發與銷售團隊的建置，並成為亞洲 AI 客服的領先者。歡迎任何有意導入 AI 客服、自動化售後流程的品牌與 JTCG 或 AppWorks 聯繫，攜手打造新一代的客服體驗。

Why We Invested: James Chou, Founders of JTCG (AppWorks #13)
Bill Hsu
in Investments

From College App Developer to a Dual‑Engine Entrepreneur

James Chou, Founder of JTCG, an AppWorks Accelerator Batch #13 alumni, stands out as one of the rare entrepreneurs who can seamlessly switch between product design, growth hacking, and enterprise sales.

In college, James built Colorgy, an app to help students manage class schedules and connect with peers. It started with him manually inputting his own timetable, coding at night, and testing during the day with classmates. Feedback led him to realize students cared more about the social side than schedules. So he pivoted, adding features to help them find classmates and form study groups. As usage patterns varied across departments, he developed a flexible backend to support different needs. At its peak, Colorgy reached over 2 million registered users and became a campus favorite among college students. The entire journey gave James deep, hands-on experience in product development and user research.

When French start‑up Zenly began to rise with real‑time friend‑location sharing, James noticed the perfect fit for Taiwan’s campus culture. Drawing on his Colorgy experience, he cold‑emailed Zenly’s founders, outlining growth playbooks and offline campus seeding tactics. He even assembled a student squad to A/B‑test onboarding flows. In just one year he led Zenly’s Taiwan & Korea localization and growth, pushing monthly actives from 50 K to 1.2 M and later duplicating the playbook in Korea—his first taste of cross‑border go‑to‑market.

When LINE TV moved to acquire Choco TV, James saw a chance to observe a global‑scale integration from the inside. Choco’s founder Davidd Liu—an early Colorgy angel—invited him onto the post‑merger task force. James managed data & tech hand‑offs, redesigned workflows, and brokered cultural alignment between the two teams. The experience gave him first‑hand insight into how large enterprises negotiate, integrate, and manage product roadmaps—knowledge he later applied to enterprise sales and B2B partnerships.

James knows how to take an idea from zero to one, and he’s just as comfortable pitching enterprise clients as he is building products from scratch. His journey covers everything from building student-focused apps and scaling international consumer platforms to navigating corporate M&A and launching a B2B SaaS company. That blend of experience is exactly what enables JTCG to run both product-led growth (PLG) and sales-led growth (SLG) side by side—helping their AI tools hit the market fast and scale even faster.

Solving Real Pain & Building a Data Flywheel—The Raccoon AI Edge

During his time as a Zendesk reseller, James reviewed thousands of support tickets and spotted two systemic gaps:

  1. Rule-based chatbots had a resolution rate (the percentage of customer issues that are ultimately resolved) of less than 10%, yet 70 % of agent time was spent on repetitive look‑up → confirm → reply loops.
  2. Global CX‑AI suites were pricey, inflexible, and poorly localized for Mandarin and Taiwanese integrations.

He realized that local system integrators (SIs) could build their own AI agents, under‑cutting global SaaS while serving local needs better. Hence Raccoon AI was born.

Raccoon AI not only chats but also acts: calling backend APIs such as Look Up Order, Cancel, Refund in real time. Example: When a shopper asks “Has my order shipped?”, the bot fetches status, delivers the tracking code, or even cancels/reschedules if needed—compressing what used to take 3–5 human interactions into a single exchange.

Since its launch, Raccoon AI has demonstrated a clear competitive edge in real-world projects. In Taiwan’s e-commerce and travel sectors, the system can autonomously resolve over 70% of customer service tickets, whereas the average resolution rate for comparable products typically falls below 30%. This advantage stems from Raccoon’s long-term accumulation of localized industry data, including common dialogue patterns such as “shipment inquiries,” “address changes,” and “order cancellations”—as well as nuanced Taiwanese customer service phrasing, product categorization logic, and brand tone preferences. These elements are compiled into a vector knowledge base of over one million entries, enabling the AI to deliver near-human response quality from day one. Additionally, with the upcoming release of the low-code customer service flow editor (V2 version, currently in Beta), new clients can complete proof-of-concept within two days and are expected to fully go live within four weeks.

Every solved ticket writes back intent, answer, and brand tone to that merchant’s private vector store, widening coverage and improving quality. Fast onboarding means data starts compounding early, reinforcing JTCG’s first‑mover advantage. Long-nurtured partnerships with Zendesk, Omnichat, Shopline, 91APP, and others now contribute 20–30% of inbound leads. Their ecosystem connections help the team avoid cold starts and stay focused on improving product and data quality. 

The trio of data flywheel, rapid deployment and channel leverage forms a structural lead in both efficiency and speed.

Seizing the Moment: Riding the Generative AI Customer Support Wave

Taiwan’s total addressable market includes approximately 71,000 support seats in the e-commerce, travel, and logistics sectors. Even automating just one-third of those would redirect an estimated NT$4.5–6 billion (US$140–190 million) annually toward AI customer service SaaS. Global CX giants still lack proper integration with platforms like LINE or local commerce infrastructure, creating friction for Taiwanese firms. Meanwhile, local MarTech players such as Super 8 and Appier primarily focus on marketing funnels rather than post-sale support, leaving this sector under-served and primed for rapid adoption.

In the first quarter of 2025, JTCG recorded over 100% year-over-year growth and a gross margin exceeding 60%. With a proven track record in product development, data moats, and robust distribution channels, we led the Pre-A round to accelerate self-onboarding product features and secure JTCG’s leadership position in Asia’s first wave of AI-driven customer support.

We welcome any brands interested in implementing AI customer service and automating after-sales processes to contact JTCG or AppWorks. Let’s work together to create a new generation of customer service experiences.