web3.GSEA: 2021 Greater Southeast Asia Web3 Ecosystem Map

Original file for download: web3.GSEA Snapshot 2021

Jun Wakabayashi, Analyst (若林純 / 分析師)

Jun is an Analyst covering both AppWorks Accelerator and Greater Southeast Asia. Born and bred in America, Jun brings a wealth of international experience to AppWorks. He spent the last several years before joining AppWorks working for Focus Reports, where he conducted sector-based market research and interviewed high-level government leaders and industry executives across the globe. He’s now lived in 7 countries outside US and Taiwan, while traveling to upwards of 50 for leisure, collectively highlighting his unique propensity for cross-cultural immersion and international business. Jun received his Bachelors in Finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Founded in 2009, AppWorks is a leading startup community and venture capital firm built by founders, for founders. We are committed to backing the next generation of entrepreneurs in Greater Southeast Asia (ASEAN+Taiwan) and helping them to facilitate the region’s transition into the digital age. Building off the firm’s decade-plus of experience, AppWorks works closely with early-stage founders to achieve product-market fit, while helping growth-stage companies establish sustainable business models at scale.

Starting in 2018, blockchain was incorporated in the firm’s core mandate. We believe that the technology is currently driving a massive paradigm shift, opening up new disruptive and innovative opportunities for the next generation of entrepreneurs as the world transitions into the web3 era.

In 2021, blockchain entered a mass adoption phase. With the emergence of new innovative applications such as DeFi, NFTs, GameFi, and web3 infrastructure, an unprecedented number of new funds, retail investors, and users have flocked to the crypto world, creating a flywheel effect that has facilitated the formation of key web3 infrastructure that we believe will usher in a new era of large-scale commercialization.

“As the world decentralizes, will development vary between different countries and regions?” This is a question that we’ve mulled over years. With the accelerated development of blockchain, we recognize that, in fact, regional dynamics have become more pronounced. We found that in Greater Southeast Asia’s major markets, the confluence of different historical, economic, industrial, societal, and cultural contexts has resulted in crypto adoption taking different forms. The emergence of diversified crypto markets is driving growth in the region to meet different market conditions and leading to new business models and approaches in the industry that can be applied globally.

The following is an overview of our analysis and views on each major market in the region:

Indonesia: Crypto Investment Outstripping Public Equities

Indonesia, the world’s fourth largest population and the largest in GSEA, is estimated to have an unbanked population of 66%. Based on market size alone, Indonesia has become an important market for the development of blockchain. Indonesia is entering a financial paradigm shift driven by blockchain and cryptoassets, and overall development is trending towards exponential growth. According to statistics from Indonesia’s Ministry of Trade, during the first five months of 2021, more than 6.5 million people in Indonesia traded cryptocurrencies—far exceeding the 2.2 million who traded public equities—totaling US$25 billion in cryptocurrency transactions, compared to US$4.4 billion over the same period in 2020, representing year-on-year growth of 470%. With statistics like these, it comes as no surprise that cryptocurrency has become the most popular investment category among Indonesian retail traders.

Compared with other countries, the Indonesian government is relatively positive towards crypto. Since September 2018, a series of laws have been enacted, signaling the open attitude of the Indonesian government. The Commodity Futures Exchange Supervisory Board (BAPPEBTI) oversees cryptocurrency-related issues and has provided legal frameworks for licensing and trading. Currently, Indonesians can legally own and trade a total 229 different cryptocurrencies.

Indonesia’s crypto landscape is underlined by the rapid development and adoption of exchanges, wallets, asset management tools, and other DeFi applications. For example, Indodax, established in 2014, is Indonesia’s leading exchange with more than 4.7 million users. With increasing acceptance of investment in cryptocurrencies by the general public, new areas of development, such as investment platform NOBI, that provide asset management services that cater to crypto users will mark the next wave of growth.

Philippines: Massive User-Driven Growth

In 2021, Yield Guild Games (YGG) broke out in the Philippines and became a global phenomenon. Evolving from its initial function of assisting Axie Infinity in recruiting and training players, YGG is now home to more than 1,500 NFT game guilds based in the Philippines. YGG provides players with digital asset management, game scholarships, and community support—becoming the world’s largest NFT gaming guild.

According to Playercounter, more than 40% of Axie Infinity players hail from the Philippines alone. Play-to-earn has proven to provide meaningful income to users, effectively alleviating economic pressure caused by the pandemic for many users.

This model of massive user acquisition to drive ecosystem growth is a unique characteristic of blockchain development in the Philippines. We anticipate that with the mass inflow of capital and users, there will be a corresponding entrepreneurial response that will lead to the creation of new and innovative applications in the Philippines. We have seen this trend emerge with projects like NFT marketplace Vention and gaming guild management and data platform BlockchainSpace.

Singapore: Leveraging the Strength of Asia’s Financial Center

Singapore has always been known as Asia’s financial center, building off the government’s proactive policies over the past several decades. A similar trajectory is also taking shape in the country’s blockchain development. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is the leading regulatory body overseeing cryptoassets, and has long demonstrated a relatively open and friendly stance on the development of blockchain and cryptoassets within the city-state.

As early as 2017, MAS issued “A Guide to Digital Token Offering” which established the Singapore government’s policy framework for ICOs, issuers and related platforms, under the purview of the Securities and Futures Act (SFA). In January 2021, the “Payment Service Act” (PSA) was launched, regulating all cryptocurrencies, exchanges, and digital payment services in Singapore.

As a result, there has been an emergence of several new blockchain-related applications. For example, Biconomy, which builds transaction infrastructure for blockchain applications and optimizes cross-chain transaction experience; Xfers, a developer of financial electronic payments; and Vauld, a service provider covering cryptocurrency transactions, lending, and wallets. In the future, we expect more projects coming out of Singapore in cryptocurrency-related asset securitization, license compliance, and international exchanges.

Thailand: From Late Mover to Frontrunner

While Thailand’s blockchain ecosystem can be considered quite early, 2021 marked an acceleration point with several milestones. In November, Thailand’s first blockchain unicorn was born as crypto exchange Bitkub sold a 51% stake worth US$535 million to Siam Commercial Bank. Paired together with logistics provider Flash Express’s newly minted billion-dollar valuation, Thailand welcomed its first unicorns of the internet and Web3 era respectively within a five-month period.

Bitkub’s success is galvanizing the Thai blockchain ecosystem, demonstrating that Thailand can develop scalable blockchain infrastructure. Bitkub alumni and seasoned Web2 entrepreneurs are diving into Thailand’s blockchain space, just as we’ve witnessed in other markets.

In fact, we can already see the emergence of more mature and advanced Web3 applications. For example, the emergence of cross-chain data oracle platform Band Protocol and metaverse gaming guild GuildFi show the level of innovation and reiteration happening in the market. We believe that in the near future, we will see more projects in the NFT space, building off Bangkok’s rich fashion and design industry and the country’s active NFT artist community.

Vietnam: The Axie Infinity Effect

When it comes to Vietnam, the most well-known player is Sky Mavis, the developer behind the killer NFT-based game Axie Infinity. According to CryptoSlam statistics, since its launch in 2018, the total amount of NFT transactions on Axie Infinity reached more than US$3.7 billion, with more than two million daily active users, culminating in Sky Mavis’s recently completed US$152 million Series B round of financing.

The impact of Sky Mavis’s success on Vietnam can be observed from two perspectives. First, it is driving the growth of Vietnam’s local NFT gaming ecosystem and attracting international capital to accelerate development and adoption.  For example, in October, Sipher raised US$6.8 million in seed financing from major global investors. In addition, there’s been a surge in casual and semi-casual GameFi projects coming out of the woodwork including My DeFi Pet, Mytheria, Thetan Arena, and Faraland

Second, Vietnamese users have demonstrated high levels of acceptance for blockchain and cryptoassets. According to the 2021 Global Crypto Adoption Index survey conducted by Chainalysis, Vietnam ranked first globally in terms of overall adoption. Among three indicators, on-chain value received, on-chain retail value received, and P2P exchange trade volume, Vietnam ranked in the top five in the world. We anticipate that new applications in DeFi, wallets, and asset management like we see with Kyber Network’s Liquidity Hub will highlight the next wave of blockchain innovation in Vietnam.

Taiwan: A Huge Digital Market Driven by Engineering Talent

Compared with other markets in the GSEA region, Taiwan has two notable characteristics and advantages in blockchain development. First, Taiwan is home to a massive digital gaming and entertainment market. To illustrate this market size, according to App Annie, in 2020, Taiwanese consumers spent US$2.44 billion in the App Store, equal to total spending from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia combined. Second, Taiwan has accumulated a wealth of engineering talent across manufacturing, software, and hardware integration. This talent pool has formed the core of Taiwan’s blockchain industry.

In 2021, Taiwan also joined the global NFT wave with early-stage activity. Leveraging the island’s fertile digital gaming and entertainment market, Taiwanese founders are adopting NFTs to create products, services, and new business models. Musicians, artists, game publishers, and influencers have embraced NFTs to build public awareness and tap into this new digital format of ownership, demonstrating immense promise for large-scale commercial adoption of NFTs. 

Since the advent of Ethereum, Taiwan’s local engineers have continued to explore the frontiers of blockchain development, becoming a key driving force in the crypto world. Taiwan is home to several notable projects led by seasoned teams, including Perpetual Protocol, which provides Virtual Automated Market Maker (vAMM) to implement perpetual contract solutions; smart contract wallet Blocto has become the go-to wallet for Flow—with more than 80% of Flow users trusting Blocto for Flow Token pledges. In cross-chain applications, Blocto also supports Ethereum, BSC, Solana, Avalanche (c-chain), and Polygon, among other mainstream public chains.

Bright Days Ahead

Just a few years ago, you’d be hard pressed to find the words web3, blockchain, DeFi, or NFTs uttered anywhere outside of niche crypto spheres in this part of the world. Now, sentiment from founders and investors across the region have evidently shifted from “why web3?” to “how do I get a piece of it?”—largely in this past year alone. 

Taiwan is at the forefront from a technical perspective, with an unparalleled engineering pool in terms of cost and performance; Indonesia is emerging as massive market for web3 consumers, now with crypto traders outnumbering stock traders by severalfold; Philippines is in a close second, with everyday users showing an uncanny demand for GameFi to make ends meet; Thailand’s historically nascent ecosystem is expected to garner significantly more attention now with their first crypto unicorn; Vietnam, given Axie’s success, is quickly distinguishing itself as a the world’s NFT gaming hub; and lastly, Singapore’s position as the region’s financial and management hub will likely extend into the web3 era.

Any doubts of whether or not web3 is here to stay were certainly eroded by the massive strides that the regional ecosystem has taken in 2021. Looking forward, the development and adoption of web3 is looking especially bright. Although crypto markets will likely ebb and flow in the coming months and years, with the occasional bears and dips, many stakeholders across the value chain have already gotten taste, and will likely only want more. 

The 2021 Greater Southeast Asia Blockchain Ecosystem Map is authored by AppWorks. For inquiries, please write to [email protected]. For this survey, thanks for several friends’ assistance: Peter Ing (Co-Founder of BlockchainSpace), Leo Pham (Manager of Access Ventures), Hung Nguyen (CEO of Spores), Tri Pham (CEO of Kardiachain), Ben Minh Le (CRO of M3TA), Rémy Perettieny (CEO of Reminiscense), TN Lee (Co-Founder of Pendle Finance), Lawrence Samantha (Founder of NOBI), and Eagle Su (Marketing Specialist of Zombit)

In partnership with: Asosiasi Blockchain Indonesia

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

Why We Invested: Lorien Gabel, Co-founder and CEO of Figment

David Wu, Associate (吳戴文 / 投資經理)

David is an Associate mainly focused on investments. He previously lived in the US, but was drawn to the Greater Southeast Asia region by the growth opportunities and the wonderful people here. He spent the first five years of his career as a consultant at IBM, where he became intimately familiar with the enterprise software and services needs of Fortune 500 companies. Later, he focused on building predictive models and solving optimization problems for large companies, and gained an appreciation for the role of data and algorithms in our lives. He joined AppWorks in 2020 after receiving his MBA from Columbia Business School, and also has a B.S. in Mathematics from the Ohio State University. In his free time, he tries to stay active and is always looking for opportunities to hike or trek, often seeking the trail less traveled.

2021 was a banner year for retail cryptocurrency adoption. The most exciting up-and-coming projects and meme coins alike have entrenched themselves into dinner table conversations for tens of millions of retail users, while the Coinbase IPO legitimized the space for many institutional observers. 

However, remarkably, we are still in the early stages of development in other segments of the crypto space. The first wave of institutional investors have been around for a while, but it’s still a drop in the bucket for traditional institutions managing trillions of dollars in assets. 

Today, we announce our investment into Figment, one of the largest independent enterprise staking service providers in the world. Of course, at AppWorks, no investment could be made without having strong conviction in the founding team, and we found an exceptional founder in Lorien Gabel. 

A serial founder with the heart of a warrior

When we first met Lorien we could immediately feel a calm sense of depth, wisdom, and ambition. A veteran founder of the web1 era, which enabled millions of ordinary people to publish and read content on open protocols, Lorien has long been fighting for and brings a special passion for the principles of decentralization. 

And with three successful exits under his belt, Lorien brings more than a few battle scars as a tech entrepreneur. He built the first of his many ventures, one of the early internet service providers, with his brother in their 20s, before being acquired by what became the largest consumer ISP in Canada. Their second company, a web hosting service, was another early mover in the web1 days and was acquired by AT&T Canada. And now they’re back at it again with Figment. 

Despite being told by many investors early on that he was building a commodity business, Lorien never gave up, taking it on as a personal challenge to emerge from the pack while always keeping an eye on the long game. In hindsight, it is not the least bit surprising that he and his team have been able to build a unicorn in just a few short years.

But Lorien isn’t stopping here. While the results thus far speak volumes, we are even more impressed by his determination to take Figment into the future. We weren’t surprised to hear that the team never even considered recent acquisition offers, given Lorien’s passion for solving intellectually challenging problems, his warrior-like mentality towards finding a way to emerge from a highly competitive landscape, and his sheer drive to create outsized impact in the web3 ecosystem.

Exploding demand for staking as crypto is legitimized

Figment provides staking infrastructure for institutional asset holders and custodians, allowing crypto asset holders to earn yield by participating in the upkeep of the network. Tokens belonging to this exploding asset class, proof-of-stake tokens, utilize a more environmentally-friendly consensus mechanism while generating yield for holders. 

Staking is not a trivial task and involves frequent node infrastructure updates. High performance and execution is required, as nodes that do not perform as expected are punished financially, hurting staked token holders. As one of the largest players in the space, Figment has the resources to deploy teams of researchers and engineers to ensure high performance across several chains and play a critical role in the governance of each chain.

As staking service providers consolidate into a small handful of dominant players in a market expected to reach US$50 billion in just a few years, we believe in Figment’s ability to emerge as one of the top players and create tremendous value, something we have already recognized as a loyal customer ourselves.

Unlocking the next frontier

We’re excited to see how Figment will evolve under Lorien’s leadership, and we have a feeling that the business will look very different in five to ten years, as any great business does. As an operator of node infrastructure, they are in a unique position to offer indispensable services to web3 developers just as the developer flywheel is beginning to take off. Figment has already demonstrated remarkable promise in their web3 explorer Hubble, developer platform DataHub, and search service. 

At AppWorks, we look for great founders who seek to create significant impact and move their respective industries forward. We’re honored to have the privilege to partner with Lorien and the entire Figment team as they continue to push the envelope on enterprise-grade staking and the rapidly evolving web3 development landscape.

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

AppWorks Virtual Demo Day #23 Unveils 23 New Startups

TAIPEI, TAIWAN—On December 21, 2021, AppWorks Accelerator held its 23rd demo day virtually, unveiling 23 startups operating across the frontiers of AI/IoT, Blockchain, and Southeast Asia. The event is held in collaboration with AWS Activate, with support from Google Cloud, Flow, and Alchemy, and promptly follows the firm’s in-person demo day held on December 15 specifically for those teams in the batch targeting the Taiwan market.

As one of Greater Southeast Asia’s longest running independent accelerator programs, AppWorks Accelerator built off the success of AW#22’s fully virtual Demo Day earlier this year, attracting innovative founders from around the world. The event will be broadcasted live across the firm’s Facebook page and YouTube channel at 09:00am Taipei Time (GMT +8). 

AW#23 officially kicked off in September 2021, featuring 34 teams and 66 founders from 16 different home markets, including Australia, Hong Kong, India, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam. Reflecting the global embrace of digital work, 67% of the teams are internationally-based outside of Taiwan. 

As an early mover in Blockchain and NFT investments, AppWorks proudly presents 11 DeFi- and NFT-related projects to showcase their products on the virtual demo day, leveraging the firm’s extensive experience in cryptocurrency to provide guidance and best practices in the space. Eight startups addressing dynamic opportunities in the Greater Southeast Asia region were represented in the batch, targeting verticals such as D2C brands, gaming, proptech, retail & e-commerce enablement, and more.

AppWorks is currently accepting applications for AppWorks Accelerator Batch #24, accepting qualified founders in AI/IoT, Blockchain/NFT, and Southeast Asia-related startups. AW#24 will be held from March to July  2022. The accelerator is equity- and cost-free, providing practical and hands-on mentorship to guide founders in achieving better product-market fit, win key business partners, and become a better founder.

For AW#23, the accelerator featured the following companies:

[Web3]

  1. Anyfty: NFT bank
  2. Artizen: NFT grants for art, science, and public goods
  3. Autonomy Network: Decentralized automation- helping DEXes grow their volume
  4. BlockCo Labs: Protocol for creating next-generation NFTs
  5. GranDen: New mateverse social gaming app
  6. Hooky: One-click DeFi and crypto debit card
  7. Limitd: Creating and selling NFTs, made easy
  8. Numbers: A decentralized photo network for Web 3.0
  9. Pictta: Launchpad for NFT collections on Solana and ETH blockchain
  10. Sloika: Photo NFT marketplace

[AI & IoT]

  1. DimOrder: Point-of-Sale, eCommerce, delivery, financing, supply platform for restaurant 
  2. Munin Space: Automation of operations in remote locations with satellites, IoT, and AI
  3. NIFLR: Autonomous checkout technology platform for retail
  4. ROJU: Jump rope fitness app
  5. Voutyque: Immersive online marketplace platform for premium brands

[SEA]

  1. Anyone Lab: A SaaS service empowering Asian creators to become entrepreneur 
  2. Foptics: Technology enabled D2C eyewear brand
  3. MamaHelpers: LinkedIn for foreign domestic workers
  4. Metaco: Marketplace for gaming contents
  5. Nüli App: Asian female fitness app
  6. Partipost: Crowd influencer marketing and commerce platform
  7. WeGoWhere: Marketplace for offline expenditures
  8. YouHomes: An all-in-one cloud based application to help real estate brokers save 50% operating cost and increase 30% sale transactions

The AppWorks Ecosystem Galvanizes in the New Digital Age

As one of Greater Southeast Asia’s largest accelerator programs, AppWorks holds its Demo Day twice a year, welcoming investors and business leaders seeking partnerships with carefully selected digital innovators from across the region and around the world. With the addition of AW#23, there are now 435 active startups and 1,402 founders in the community. Both the total funds raised and valuation have more than doubled in the last year. The AppWorks community now accounts for US$13.9 billion in annual revenues, creating over 20,000 high quality jobs in the digital economy.

Original file for download: State of The AppWorks Ecosystem (December 2021)

“Our mission has always been to help founders be the best they can be, capitalize on mega paradigm shifts and maximize their impact on Taiwan and Southeast Asia. At this current stage, we are most optimistic about the disruptive potential of AI, blockchain/NFT, and SEA (ABS). We are at the cusp of the web3 revolution. 20 years from now, a few of the web3 startups or “DAOs” will become killocorns, and dozens will turn into hectocorns. Many of them can and will be born out of Taiwan and Southeast Asia. When that day comes, I am not sure where today’s tech giants or financial empires will be. Many might have fallen like what AOL, Yahoo and Nokia did. There’s really no better time to be a founder. AppWorks will be here to help them on this long journey, become the best founder they can become and build the most impactful startups/DAOs they can build,” said Jamie Lin, Chairman and Partner of AppWorks.

【We welcome all AI, Blockchain, NFT, or Southeast Asia founders to join AppWorks Accelerator

AppWorks

Founded in 2009, AppWorks is a leading startup community and venture capital firm built by founders, for founders. We are committed to backing the next generation of entrepreneurs in Greater Southeast Asia (ASEAN+Taiwan) and helping them facilitate the region’s transition into the digital age. Just as how mobile and the internet completely transformed the status quo, we believe the current era of technology is currently being defined by major three paradigm shifts: AI, Blockchain, and Southeast Asia (ABS). 

As such, whether it’s mentorship, investment, or talent, AppWorks has established a one-stop-shop for ambitious founders willing to bet against the consensus and drive a change they want to see in the world. We help startups build disruptive businesses from even an inkling of an idea into world-class enterprises through our three primary lines of service: Accelerator, Funds, and School.

More information: appworks.tw

AppWorks Accelerator

AppWorks Accelerator is a launchpad for bold and ambitious entrepreneurs targeting Greater Southeast Asia (GSEA). Every six months, we take in startups with strong potential, equipping founders spanning all walks of life with the necessary resources, mentorship, and guidance to get their ventures off the ground.

There are now a total of 435 active startups and 1,402 founders in the AppWorks Ecosystem. Collectively, all companies produce a turnover of US$ 13.9 billion, an annual increase of 72% compared to the same time last year, and provide 20,169 jobs, 16% more than the year prior. Altogether, the Ecosystem raised a total of US$ 4.7 billion, an annual increase of 100%, with an aggregate valuation reaching US$ 27.8 billion, growing 152% YoY.

More information: appworks.tw/accelerator

AppWorks Funds

AppWorks manages three venture capital funds totaling US$ 212 million. We’ve attracted a diverse array of LPs who believe in our vision, including Taiwan Mobile, Axiom Asia Private Capital, Fubon Life, Wistron, Cathay Life, and Taiwan’s National Development Fund. We fund 20 deals a year, now with more than 70 names in our portfolio, including leading startups in several verticals such as Lalamove, Dapper Labs / Flow, Animoca Brands, 91APP, Carousell, ShopBack, Tiki, 17LIVE, and KKday, while having produced 5 IPOs, 2 IEOs, 1 hectocorn, 2 decacorns, and 4 unicorns.

More information: appworks.tw/investments

AppWorks School

Established in 2016, AppWorks School has strived to cultivate a pipeline of skilled engineers to help our community meet the technical demands of tomorrow. Quality talent has always served as the bedrock of innovation, yet shortages still remain the foremost challenge that tech companies in GSEA face today.

Within five years, AppWorks School has graduated 352 aspiring software engineers; 90% of these graduates went on to pursue successful software development careers in prominent companies such as momo, 91APP, KKBOX, WeMo Scooter, and Gogoro. AppWorks School currently provides five courses: Android, iOS, Front-End, Back-End, and Data Engineering.

More information: school.appworks.tw


Introductions to the Startups Pitching on AppWorks Virtual Demo Day #23

In mid-December, we hosted an in-person Demo Day in Taipei, Taiwan, featuring startups that are facing the Taiwan market. And we thought it would be great for the founders to showcase their product and team to the wider startup community from the region through a virtual Demo Day. 

This past half year, AppWorks Accelerator recruited 34 teams across AW#23, of which 8 are focusing on NFTs specifically, while 5 teams are focusing on DeFi / other blockchain solutions, 11 teams on Southeast Asia, and 14 teams on AI/IoT. It is one of the largest and  most diverse batches to-date, with 66 founders in total who span across 16 different nationalities. Over 20% of them are women and 45% of the founders are serial entrepreneurs. 

This particular demo day will feature 23 startups, with many in the NFT / blockchain space to give you a glimpse into our digital future. Tune into our livestream on YouTube or Facebook at 9 am (GMT+8) December 21st.

You can find a brief introduction to each pitching team and founder below:

1. Sloika: Photo NFT marketplace

Ev Tchebotarev | [email protected] | sloika.xyz

2. Autonomy Network: Decentralized automation- helping DEXes grow their volume

Diego Chui | [email protected] | autonomynetwork.io 

3. NIFLR: Autonomous checkout technology platform for retail

Ankur Sharma | [email protected]niflr.com

4. YouHomes: An all-in-one cloud based application to help real estate brokers save 50% operating cost and increase 30% sale transactions

Julius Cuong | [email protected] | youhomes.vn

5. Numbers: A decentralized photo network for Web 3.0

Sherry Chung | [email protected] | numbersprotocol.io

6. Partipost: Crowd influencer marketing and commerce platform

Jonathan Eg | [email protected] | partipost.com

7. WeGoWhere: Marketplace for offline expenditures

Ty Lertwichaiworawit | [email protected] | wegowhere.com

8. Artizen: NFT grants for art, science, and public goods

Rene Pinnell | [email protected] | artizen.fund

9. foptics: Technology enabled D2C eyewear brand

Raynald Zhang | [email protected]foptics.club

10. Nüli App: Asian female fitness app

Daniel Schreiber | [email protected]nuli.app

11. Munin Space: Automation of operations in remote locations with satellites, IoT, and AI

Jorge Iglesias García | [email protected]munin.space

12. Anyfty: NFT bank

Igor Syromolotov | [email protected] | anyfty.io

13. ROJU: Jump rope fitness app

Pak Cheung | [email protected]roju.app

14. DimOrder: Point-of-Sale, eCommerce, delivery, financing, supply platform for restaurant 

Ben Wong | [email protected]dimorder.com

15. Limitd: Creating and selling NFTs, made easy

Kim Hoang | [email protected]limitd.co

16. Voutyque: Immersive online marketplace platform for premium brands

Michael Liang | [email protected] | voutyque.com

17. MamaHelpers: LinkedIn for foreign domestic workers

Amanda So | [email protected]mamahelpers.io

18. AnyoneLab: A SaaS service empowering Asian creators to become entrepreneur 

Rebecca Leung | [email protected] | anyonelab.com

19. Metaco: Marketplace for gaming contents

Jaime Djuhar | [email protected]metaco.gg 

20. Pictta: Launchpad for NFT collections on Solana and ETH blockchain

Linda Chan | [email protected] | pictta.com

21. Hooky: One-click DeFi and crypto debit card

Reno Duh | [email protected]hooky.fi

22. BlockCo Labs: Protocol for creating next-generation NFTs

Andy Chan | [email protected] | blockcolabs.com

23. GranDen: New mateverse social gaming app

Dochin Lai | [email protected] | granden.rocks / parazen.world

If you are an investor or corporate representative and need more detailed information about the teams or want to connect with AW#23 founders, please email us at [email protected].

We welcome all AI, Blockchain, NFT, or Southeast Asia founders to join AppWorks Accelerator.

AppWorks Demo Day #23 與 Wistron Demo Day #1 聯合登場,21 支新創團隊展現加速成果

廣受外界期待、由 AppWorks (之初加速器) 主辦的 AppWorks Demo Day #23 + Wistron Demo Day #1,在今日 (12/15) 於台北熱鬧登場,有 16 支來自 AppWorks Accelerator #23、5 支來自 Wistron Accelerator #1,共 21 支新創團隊輪番登場,展現過去 3 個多月的加速成果。

AppWorks 董事長暨合夥人 林之晨

11 年來每年舉辦兩次的 AppWorks Demo Day,早已是大東南亞 (東協 + 台灣) 新創圈的盛事之一。舉辦的主要目的,在於為當期 AppWorks Accelerator / Wistron Accelerator 團隊提供舞台,並促進新創社群的國際交流、投資、商務媒合,以及創造更多的可能性。受到疫情影響,本次 Demo Day 改為邀請制,進行入場人數控管,AppWorks 總共邀請了約 500 位來自創投、企業、新創以及其他相關單位的代表蒞臨,持續為大東南亞地區的創業生態系挹注能量、創造蓬勃發展。 

AppWorks 自 2010 年啟動第一屆創業加速器以來,就持續積極結合各方資源,累積更大的影響力,為創業者打造最佳的協助平台。AppWorks 董事長暨合夥人林之晨指出:「AppWorks 的長期目標一直都沒有改變,我們希望協助優秀的創業者,掌握典範轉移所帶來的顛覆機會,最大化他們對台灣以及整個大東南亞區的影響。在這個階段,我們最看好三大板塊位移,也就是 ABS – AI、Blockchain、Southeast Asia。此外,在過去兩年,我們也看到 NFT 成為另一個快速崛起的典範轉移。NFT 是 Blockchain 技術中,快速成長的巨型應用,為數位資產的擁有權帶來突破性改變,並成為實現 Web3 世界的關鍵基礎。正因為 NFT 帶來如此廣泛且重要的影響力,因此,我們相信值得將它自 Blockchain 領域獨立出來看待,就好像電子商務之於 Internet 的關係。」

在結合各方資源下,本屆 Demo Day 也呈現截然不同的風貌,相較於過往,本次 Demo Day,共有三大堪稱里程碑的亮點:

1. AppWorks Accelerator: 新創成熟度高、策略結盟區塊鏈 Flow 

自 AW#23 起,AppWorks Accelerator 正式與區塊鏈一線公鏈 Flow 策略結盟,共同推動區塊鏈生態系。AppWorks 自從 2019 年投資 Flow 以來,就一直與 Flow 公鏈、同時也是 CryptoKitties 與 NBA Top Shot 開發團隊的 Dapper Labs 保持非常密切的合作,有計畫地持續推動建構在 Flow 公鏈上的各式 NFT 應用與生態系。從遊戲與娛樂起步,在基礎建設日趨成熟下, Flow 正成為一個蓬勃發展的生態系。

Flow 為進駐 AppWorks Accelerator 的新創,提供專屬的服務與資源。包括 Flow 團隊在技術、行銷、社群和產品方面的專屬支持;由 AppWorks 安排與 Flow 團隊的 Office Hours;共享 Flow 的教育資源、以及其它 Flow 區塊鏈專案的寶貴經驗;優秀的開發專案,有機會獲得 Flow 與其他夥伴的投資;獲得 FLOW Token 贊助機會,將產品發佈於 Flow 主網,加速初期獲客。

除了一線公鏈的合作外,AppWorks Accelerator 長期聚焦在 ABS 三大主題,並持續看好 NFT 的發展。從本屆 Demo Day 登場的團隊身上,可看到 AppWorks Accelerator 持續吸引越來越多國際優秀創業團隊進駐,繼續引領大東南亞地區創業生態前進。在這些明日之星中,有來自台灣、新加坡、香港、美國與英國的團隊,也有不少連續創業者,曾擁有成功出場的經驗,整體不論在創業經驗、產品或服務、商業模式等面向上,都展現出更加成熟、更加多元的特色。

例如,開發 Web3 去中心化照片網路,使數位媒體資產可被追溯與驗證的 Numbers,在 8 月創下百萬 API Access、用戶來自超過 90 個國家,並在近期完成 600 萬美元的私募種子輪募資,投資人包括開發出 Filecoin 的 Protocol Labs、交易所 Binance、為新創提供技術平台和募資框架的 MakerDAO,以及 YouTube 共同創辦人陳士駿、Twitch 共同創辦人林士斌。

來自新加坡的網紅行銷平台 Partipost,為品牌媒合社群推廣的網紅與內容創作者。目前已將版圖拓展至台灣、新加坡、印尼、馬來西亞、菲律賓等五個市場,與近 65 萬名網紅、創作者,以及超過 2,000 個品牌展開合作,並在今年完成 500 萬美元 A 輪融資,投資人包括 Quest Ventures、SPH Ventures 等。

針對亞洲女性開發健身 App 的 Nuli,平台上已打造超過 400 種健身課程,累積近 1.4 萬名付費訂閱用戶,今年以來的成長率達 126%,在所有付費用戶中,接近一半選擇使用年度訂閱方案,展現強大的用戶黏著度。

本次 16 支登場的 AppWorks Accelerator #23 新創團隊,簡介如下:

1. Numbers: 去中心化照片網路,在數位媒體領域創造社群、價值與信任。

2. DeFITs: 由 DeFi 模式驅動的加密貨幣資產管理平台。

3. ROJU: 多合一跳繩健身 App。

4. Partipost: 網紅行銷平台。

5. Nuli: 針對亞洲女性開發的健身 App。

6. GranDen: LBS / O2O 社交遊戲 Metaverse。

7. DimOrder: 餐廳 POS 系統。

8. Hooky: 數位資產管理平台。

9. Voutyque: 為亞洲獨立品牌打造的社群電商平台。

10. foptics: D2C 眼鏡品牌 。

11. Cardbo: AI 驅動的數位支付管理工具。

12. Toko: 英文口語 AI 練習 App。

13. Gather Stars: 整合 email、簡訊、語音的溝通協作 AI 平台。

14. Dress As: 800 萬追蹤者的時尚圖片分享社群平台。

15. AnyoneLab: 創作者商務管理 SaaS 服務。

16. ESEN: 結合知識平台與線下診所的家庭醫學 O2O 平台。

2. Wistron Accelerator: 緯創集團各事業體協助加速

繼 AW#23 共 16 支新創團隊登場後,緊接著是 Wistron Accelerator #1 共 5 支新創團隊登場。緯創身為全球 ICT 產業的領導廠商之一,近幾年在強化研發、提升技術創新、多元化產品開發、建立新技術產業鏈以及創新平台、前瞻性投資等策略上,展現出傑出成果,也使得 Wistron Accelerator 不僅廣受外界關注,更成為台灣大企業與新創策略合作的指標。 

緯創與 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,並在今年 9 月首度啓動緯創垂直加速器,由 AppWorks 提供營運等核心業務。

緯創資通董事長林憲銘指出:「Demo Day 不是加速的結束,而是另一個階段的開始。與新創合作、互相交流與學習,結合雙方的優勢,是我們長期的策略目標,因此,我們願意用更長的時間去等待開花結果、產生綜效。」

緯創資通董事長 林憲銘

Wistron Accelerator 能順利啟動、快速展現成果,關鍵在於獲得緯創集團各事業體的支持 (Endorse)。因此,Wistron Accelerator 最大特色,就是由緯創集團各事業體最高負責人擔任 Mentors,進行獨家合作 PoC,獲選的新創,可直接與緯創各事業群高階主管討論,在合作主題和方向、商品化、規模化等面向上,都能由 Top-down 建立長期的策略與目標,加速並放大成果。

例如,專注於提供 AI 身分認證的 AuthMe,此次與緯創展開 KYC 應用合作,共同開發遠距醫療解決方案,在病患登入時進行身分辨識。以軟硬體整合,開發各式物聯網設備的 BeeInventor,提供智慧營造解決方案,在與緯創進行 PoC 後,並進一步將合作拓展至旗下緯謙科技、緯昌科技。正在招募中的 Wistron Accelerator #2,緯創集團旗下的緯育、緯創醫學科技、啟碁科技也將加入與新創合作,協助加速的行列。

本次 5 支登場的 Wistron Accelerator #1 新創團隊,簡介如下: 

1. AuthMe: 專攻身分認證及詐欺防範的 AI 解決方案。

2. BeeInventor:  為建築工地提供 AI 解決方案。

3. BSOS Tech: 以區塊鏈技術提供供應鏈金融服務。

4. Poseidon Network: 去中心化雲端聚合儲存方案。

5. 3drens: 大數據驅動的 IoT 車輛管理平台。

3. LINE Bank X AuthMe 對談:在 AppWorks Demo Day 之後展開的策略合作

本次 Demo Day 另一個亮點,則是首度進行大企業與新創對談,邀請純網銀 LINE Bank 總經理黃以孟,與台灣領先的數位身分驗證解決方案 AuthMe (AW#18) 共同創辦人暨執行長李紀廣,共同分享合作的經驗。

LINE Bank 總經理 黃以孟 (中)、AuthMe 共同創辦人暨執行長 李紀廣 (右)

在 2019 年 6 月登場的 AppWorks Demo Day #18,黃以孟在聽完李紀廣上台 Pitch 後,對 AuthMe 的技術與應用非常感興趣,在活動後的交流時間,親自與 LINE Bank 的團隊,前往 AuthMe 的攤位與李紀廣交流,並在隨後很快地敲定了雙方團隊的正式會議,也因此開展了後續的合作,AuthMe 因此成為 LINE Bank 在 KYC 的技術夥伴。

從大企業的角度,黃以孟指出:「純網銀背負了外界極大的期待,透過與 AuthMe 的合作,讓我們得以快速掌握創新科技,進而為客戶提供更高品質、更高效率的金融服務。LINE Bank 將新創夥伴看作是企業研發中心的延伸,未來將持續往 Banking 4.0 升級里程上,尋找適合的合作機會。」從新創的角度,李紀廣則指出:「金融業必須符合最高等級的資安與法遵要求,經過與 LINE Bank 的合作和檢驗後,讓我們的技術和解決方案,得以更順利推廣至其他產業和領域。」

AppWorks 生態系持續加速成長

至今已來到第 23 屆的 AppWorks Accelerator,飛輪正不斷加速轉動,整體生態系持續展現出超越過往的成長速度。在累計募資金額、全體總價值都繳出成長 100% 以上的佳績,全體創造就業數更突破 2 萬的重要里程碑,代表為大東南亞地區的經濟發展帶來實質貢獻。具體成績包括:活躍新創累積至 435 家、共 1,402 位創業者,所有新創的加總年營業額來到 139 億美元 (約為 3,773 億新台幣),較去年同期成長 72%,全體提供就業數 20,169 位,年增 16%,生態系累積募資金額來到 47 億美元 (約為 1,304 億新台幣),年增率高達 100%,總價值達到 278 億美元 (約為 7,718 億新台幣),較去年此時大幅增加 152%。

原檔下載:State of The AppWorks Ecosystem (December 2021)

同時,區塊鏈產業的崛起速度遠勝以往,AppWorks Accelerator 自從 2018 年開始積極招募來自區塊鏈領域的新創,目前,整體生態系已有超過六分之一,共 75 家活躍新創、141 位創業者來自區塊鏈領域。

林之晨指出:「AppWorks 將持續推動 AppWorks 生態系、所有新創校友與各種類型的企業與機構合作,一起掌握 AI、Blockchain、Southeast Asia 三大典範轉移所帶來的各種機會,推動各式數位轉型、為大東南亞數位經濟圈創造更強大的影響力。」

#關於 AppWorks 之初加速器集團

2009 年成立,由「創業者」為「創業者」設立的加速器,以及基於加速器發展的新創社群與創投機構,致力在大東南亞地區協助下世代的創業者,抓住數位革命的成長機會。正如同 Mobile Internet 帶來了巨變,我們相信 ABS – AI、Blockchain 與 Southeast Asia 是今日的三大典範轉移。我們認為,創造一個偉大事業的過程中,團隊是主角,而投資人則是配角,我們專注扮演配角,從種子時期開始支持有想法的團隊,一路陪著他們打造區域級、世界級的偉大企業。AppWorks 目前共提供 Accelerator、Funds 與 School 等三項主要服務。

更多資訊:appworks.tw

#關於 AppWorks Accelerator 之初加速器

2010 年成立,每半年嚴選本區域最具潛力的新創團隊進駐。輔導新創團隊尋找 Product-Market Fit、幫助成長期團隊建立 Sustainable / Scalable Business Models。成立以來,從 AppWorks Accelerator 畢業的活躍新創已達 435 家、1,402 位創業者。過去一年來,AppWorks Ecosystem 大幅成長,所有企業加總營業額達 139 億美元,年增 72%,提供就業數 20,169 位,年增 16%;生態系累積募資金額達 47 億美元,年增 100%,總價值則達到 278 億美元,年成長達 152%。

更多資訊:appworks.tw/accelerator 

#關於 AppWorks Funds 之初創投基金

AppWorks 管理三支創投基金共 2.12 億美元,我們與認同我們理念的投資人合作,其中包括在科技製造、金融、媒體等業界領先的龍頭企業。我們每年進行 20 個投資案,目前為止已持股超過 70 家新創,其中許多在其垂直居於領先地位,如:Lalamove、Dapper Labs / Flow、Animoca Brands、91APP、Carousell、ShopBack、Tiki、17LIVE、KKday 等。此外,並已有 5 個 IPO 案 (Uber、隆中網絡、創業家兄弟、松果購物、91APP)、3 個 IEO 案,以及 1 隻百角獸 ( Hectocorn)、2 隻十角獸 (Decacorn) 與 4 隻獨角獸 (Unicorn) 。

更多資訊:appworks.tw/investments

#關於 AppWorks School 之初學校

AppWorks School 成立於 2016 年,致力協助渴望投身數位、網路與電商產業的人才,提供免費、實作、高效、與業界結合的紮實培訓計畫。成立至今,已畢業 352 位學員,其中 90% 成功投身網路界,在 momo、91APP、KKBOX、Line TV、WeMo Scooter、Line Taxi、Hahow、VoiceTube、OmniChat 與 Gogoro 等知名新創與科技公司擔任軟體工程師。現經營有 iOS、Android、Front-End、Back-End 與 Data Engineering 等轉職專班以及軟體工程師進修班。

更多資訊:school.appworks.tw

【歡迎所有NFT、Blockchain / DeFi、AI / IoT 以及目標 Southeast Asia 的創業者,加入專為你們服務的 AppWorks Accelerator