AppWorks Demo Day #25 Unveils 23 New Startups Targeting Global Markets

TAIPEI, TAIWAN—On December 13, 2022, AppWorks Accelerator held  its online version of its 25th demo day, in parallel with a physical demo day taking place in Taipei, Taiwan on the 15th, unveiling 23 global startups operating across the frontiers of web3, AI/IoT projects, and Southeast Asia-focused startups.

As one of Greater Southeast Asia’s longest-running independent accelerator programs, AppWorks Accelerator brings together founders building innovative businesses for Taiwan’s digital renaissance, the global web3 revolution, and Southeast Asia’s emerging digital economy. The demo day connects founders with local, regional, and global investors, as well as support founders connecting with talent, potential business partners, and the media. The event was broadcasted across the firm’s YouTube channel at 11:00am Taipei Time (GMT +8) for general audiences. There will also be a demo day event held on December 15 which will feature startups entering or building for the Taiwanese market.

AW#25 officially kicked off in September 2022, welcoming 31 teams led by 76 founders from 15 different home markets, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, the United States, and beyond—with nine Taiwan-based teams. The batch included 10 female founders (13%) and 29 serial founders (38%). 39% of the batch’s founders are building projects in the web3 space.

For AW#25’s global demo day, the accelerator featured the following companies:

  1. Seasalt.ai: AI-powered omni-channel contact centers for cross-border businesses in Southeast Asia and the United States
  2. KPay: Payment gateway and SaaS solution for SMEs
  3. Quest: Alternate income platform for GenZs
  4. CRUST Group: Sustainable upcycled beverages
  5. Cast LMS: Canva for e-learning
  6. Seneca ESG: ESG workflow automation software for corporates and financial institutions
  7. ARTOGO: Immersive digital experiences for art, culture, and communities in the metaverse
  8. YesHello: Team inbox for WhatsApp
  9. AI Guided: AI/IoT-based visual guiding system for the visually impaired and elderly
  10. Fitscovery: Online marketplace for fitness activities
  11. Skilio: Skills-based hiring platform for Gen Zs
  12. Dynacyte Biosciences: Next-generation bioreactors to democratize biotechnology
  13. BintanGO: Financial solutions, productivity, and monetization tools for creators
  14. Bee Prepared: Software as a career coach
  15. CARFUL: Airbnb for car sharing
  16. Hive Keychain: Non-custodial crypto wallet for gamers and content creators
  17. depub.space: Civic media platform for web3
  18. Elite XP: GameFi platform for web2 and web3 games
  19. PaxWallet: Virtual crypto card for daily life
  20. OlaWealth: Web3 trading intelligence app
  21. Protoworld: Open metaverse for the next-gen creators
  22. Nimbl: Web3 video-sharing social network
  23. Niomon: Crypto wallet for web3 gamers

“With persistent macro uncertainty in the headlines, we believe that now is the best time to start a new venture as the value creation cycle resets—and the quality of AW#25 founders reflects this sentiment,” said Jessica Liu, Partner, AppWorks. “Whether it be web3 projects targeting global audiences or Southeast Asian startups building out the region’s digital economy, founders are crafting new and innovative business models. We are proud of the accomplishments of the AW#25 batch, and will continue to support them in their endeavors as they grow and scale.”

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#25, there are now 472 active startups (+37 YoY) and 1,522 founders (+120 YoY) in the community. The AppWorks community now accounts for US$15.2 billion in annual revenues (+9% YoY), creating over 23,390 high quality jobs in the digital economy (+16% YoY). In the firm’s rapidly growing web3 practice, the AppWorks ecosystem includes 106 active web3 startups, led by 221 founders from around the world.

Original file for download: State of The AppWorks Ecosystem (December 2022)

The AppWorks Accelerator features founders working on global web3, AI/IoT-related, and Southeast Asia-focused startups, and is held twice a year. 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.

About 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 the 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

About 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 472 active startups and 1,522 founders in the AppWorks ecosystem. Collectively, all companies in the ecosystem generate annual revenue totaling US$15.2 billion (+9% YoY), and have created 23,390 jobs (+16% YoY). Altogether, the ecosystem raised a total of US$5.4 billion (+14% YoY), with an aggregate valuation reaching US$31.5 billion (+13% YoY). The AppWorks web3 ecosystem now has 106 startups and 221 founders. AppWorks web3 companies generate revenue totaling US$1.8 billion (+30% YoY), and raised US$1.1 billion (+49% YoY), with an aggregate valuation of US$14 billion (+33% YoY).

We’re looking for founders working on web3, AI / IoT, and Southeast Asia to join AppWorks Accelerator. If you’re interested in joining our community, you’re welcome to apply. We look forward to seeing you showcase your team and the product on our next Demo Day!

Introductions to the Startups Pitching on AppWorks Demo Day #25 Facing the Southeast Asia Market

In mid-December, we will host an in-person Demo Day in Taipei, Taiwan, featuring startups that are facing the Taiwan market. It would be great for the founders facing the Southeast Asia Market to showcase their product and team to the wider startup community from across the region and our network through a virtual Demo Day. 

This past half year, AppWorks Accelerator recruited 31 teams across AW#25, with 76 founders from 15 different home markets, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, the United States, and so on—with 9 Taiwan-based teams. The batch included 10 female founders (13%) and 29 serial founders (38%). 39% of the batch’s founders are building projects in the web3 space. 

This particular demo day will feature 23 startups to give you a glimpse into our digital future, with 8 teams working on web3 solutions and 15 teams focusing on AI and SEA.

AppWorks Demo Day #25 will kick off on YouTube at 11 AM (GMT+8) on December 13th. To facilitate better connections with the founders, we’ll organize 1-1 meetings with the founders dedicated to investors and corporate representatives with a 2-week campaign.

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

1. Seasalt.ai: AI-powered omni-channel contact centers for cross-border businesses in Southeast Asia and the United States 

Xuchen Yao | [email protected] | seasalt.ai

2. KPay: Payment gateway and SaaS solution for SMEs

Davis Chan | [email protected] | kpay-group.com

3. Quest: Alternate income platform for GenZs

Evan Chow | [email protected] | quest-inc.co

4. CRUST Group: Sustainable upcycled beverages

Travin Singh | [email protected] | crust-group.com

5. Cast LMS: Canva for e-learning

Agno Almario | [email protected] | castlms.com

6. Seneca ESG: ESG workflow automation software for corporates and financial institutions

Jonathan Ha | [email protected] | senecaesg.com

7. ARTOGO: Immersive digital experiences for art, culture, and communities in the metaverse

Walt Chuang | [email protected] | artogo.tw

8. YesHello: Team inbox for WhatsApp

Carliff Rizal | [email protected] | yeshello.chat

9. AI Guided: AI/IoT-based visual guiding system for the visually impaired and elderly

Florence Chan | [email protected] | ai-guided.com

10. Fitscovery: Online marketplace for fitness activities

Michael Jiang | [email protected] | fitscovery.com

11. Skilio: Skills-based hiring platform for Gen Zs

Felix Tan | [email protected] | skilio.co

12. Dynacyte Biosciences: Next-generation bioreactors to democratize biotechnology

Alan She | [email protected] | dynacyte.com

13. BintanGO: Financial solutions, productivity, and monetization tools for creators

Jason Lee | [email protected] | bintango.com

14. Bee Prepared: Software as a career coach

Carmen Wong | [email protected] | beeprepared.info

15. CARFUL: Airbnb for car sharing

Ken Li | [email protected] | carful.asia

16. Hive Keychain: Non-custodial crypto wallet for gamers and content creators

Quentin Correa | [email protected] | hive-keychain.com

17. depub.space: Civic media platform for web3

Henry Oh | [email protected] | depub.space

18. Elite XP: GameFi platform for web2 and web3 games

Justin Wong | [email protected] | elitexp.io

19. PaxWallet: Virtual crypto card for daily life

Temerlan | [email protected] | smartportfolio.app

20. OlaWealth: Web3 trading intelligence app

Jason Chan | [email protected] | olawealth.io

21. Protoworld: Open metaverse for the next-gen creators

Ziii Kuo | [email protected] | protoworld.io

22. Nimbl: Web3 video-sharing social network

Adilkhan Rashit | [email protected] | nimbl.tv

23. Niomon: Crypto wallet for web3 gamers

Jay Leung | [email protected] | niomon.io

If you are an investor or corporate representative and need more detailed information about the teams or want to connect with AW#25 founders, please email us at [email protected].

We welcome all web3, AI / IoT, or Southeast Asia founders to join AppWorks Accelerator.

緯創軟體執行長蕭清志:企業需與善用軟體、數據創造價值的新創,共同探索未來

Antony Lee, Communications Master (李欣岳 / 媒體公關總監)

負責媒體與社群溝通相關輔導。加入 AppWorks 前有 18 年媒體經驗,是台灣第一批主跑網路產業的記者,先後任職《數位時代》副總編輯、《Cheers 快樂工作人》資深主編、SmartM 網站總編輯。畢業於交大管科系,長期關注媒體產業變化,熱愛閱讀商業與科技趨勢、企業與人物故事,樂於與人交流分享,期許自己當個「Internet 傳教士」。

在硬體製造業長期居於主流地位的台灣,1992 年成立至今剛滿 30 歲的緯創軟體 (Winstron ITS),是難得的軟實力亮點。緯創軟體是台灣少數的上市櫃資訊服務公司,在企業積極數位轉型,但資工人才短缺日益嚴重、軟體開發必須透過外包來加速完成的大趨勢下,自 2018 年起,連續 5 年繳出 EPS 超過 5 元以上的成績。多年來,緯創軟體也持續拓展海外市場,至今海外營收占比已超過八成。在台灣、中國大陸、日本以及美國四大市場,已達到 17 個交付據點,服務來自超過 150 個城市的企業客戶,在台灣與中國大陸兩大市場的穩健基礎下,近年則積極拓展日本、北美與東南亞客戶。

在各種由軟體驅動創新技術、應用、商業模式加速出現的浪潮中,緯創軟體也積極擴大與潛力新創的合作。AppWorks 特別專訪 Ching 蕭清志 (緯創軟體董事長暨執行長),以及負責與新創合作專案的 Ling-Fen 陳玲芬 (緯創軟體董事長暨執行長特助),分享對緯創軟體所處產業變化的洞察、與新創合作的經驗,以及在參加 Wistron Accelerator 緯創垂直加速器與新創的交流過程中,對於創業者的觀察以及收穫,以下是重點整理:

Q: 緯創軟體身為台灣領先的軟體公司,又出身自緯創集團,長期而言,有哪些發展策略與經營使命,與緯創之間的關係為何?

Ching: 緯創軟體是獨立的上市櫃公司,有自己的股東結構,我們的管理團隊以及經營使命,主要考量是最大化股東、客戶、員工以及其他利害關係人的利益。

和緯創集團之間,我們的互動很健康,簡單說,就是兄弟登山、各自努力,即使要互相做生意,也都符合商務邏輯。我們主要專注在軟體服務,所以對於緯創的 IT 建設,通常都會參與,這不是因為緯創高層下命令,我們就能拿到這個生意,而是像服務所有客戶一樣,爭取各事業單位的認同。此外,對於緯創 CVC (企業創投) 的活動,或是與 AppWorks 合作的緯創加速器,我們一直都有參加,也很高興看到緯創與 Simon (緯創董事長林憲銘) 在這方面一直願意投資。

在長期的發展策略上,我們的服務可從三個構面來看。資訊技術服務構面是圍繞在軟體與數據的日常工作,包括軟體研發、設計、開發、測試、營運與維護,以及對數據做各種處理。我們具有全球交付的能力,採取跨區整合、全球交付的離岸開發模式,對客戶的服務可能在遠端、近端,也可能在客戶端或是我們這一端。另外,我們也提供業務流程委外服務 (Business Process Outsourcing,BPO) 以及產品全球化服務 (Product Glocalization Service,PGS)。

在產業應用構面,目前我們切入金融、製造、高科技、電信、新能源汽車、醫療等幾個我們看好的領域。

最後科技應用構面,我們鎖定主流技術,包括 AI、IoT、Big Data、Blockchain、5G 等,跟著市場和客戶一起去演化、演進,讓客戶在這些科技應用的需求上,都能由緯創軟體提供專業的服務。

與新創合作創造正向循環

Q: 早在 2011 年,Marc Andreessen 就曾提出 “Software Is Eating the World”,軟體驅動科技創新早已是不可逆的趨勢。在緯創軟體所處的產業中,和三、五年前相比,有發現哪些重要的變化、趨勢正在發生?

Ching: 對我們來說,外部最大的改變,就是數據的範疇與含量比以前大幅增加。Internet 應用普及後,剛開始相關的數據,集中在使用者行為數據的搜集、觀察與分析,但我們看到,現在數據的應用範圍更廣,例如各種影像、語言、IoT 等數據。此外,我們也看到新興技術創新、發展與應用,變化越來越快,影響的範圍越來越廣。同時,因為疫情所帶來的轉變,讓 Work From Home 的工作型態更加普遍,這也呼應我們長期致力於提升全球交付能力的策略,在疫情後客戶的接受度更高,為我們帶來明顯的業務成長。

在這些變化的背後,人才是我們最關心的事情。2017 年,我為緯創軟體制定了 5 年發展藍圖 WITS 2.0,勉勵同仁們在人才、IT 建設、掌握主流技術等三大面向持續精進。在我們這個時代,軟體之於產業的發展,就如同糧食之於人類,重要性已非同小可,而我們所處、需要大量優秀人才的資訊服務業,人才就是最大的核心價值。所以我常提醒內部:「要把工程師當作寶貝,替員工加值、持續廣納人才。」2022 年,基於過去的成果,我再提出了 WITS 3.0 下一個 5 年發展藍圖,希望我們更要準確擬訂目標、推動數位創新、強化人才梯隊、落實永續經營等。

Q: 在這過程中,緯創軟體和哪些類型、規模和領域的新創會有合作機會?

Ling-Fen: 我們的策略在於嚴選優質客戶,以服務大企業客戶為主,與新創比較有系統、密切的接觸,是從參加緯創加速器開始。我們並沒有設限與哪個領域的新創合作,初步有兩個關注的方向,一個是與我們主流技術相符的新創,會是優先考慮的合作夥伴;另一個,則是以 SaaS 服務為商業模式的新創,這意味著新創未來的服務或發展方向,會與緯創軟體產生更大的綜效。

在這部分,緯創 CVC 以及 AppWorks 透過緯創加速器,幫我們媒合了很好的新創團隊進行合作。例如,在 2022 年 8 月啟動加速的第三屆團隊中,共有兩家新創與我們展開合作。一家是來自香港的 Super Chain,本身聚焦在 Big Data,同時運用 NLP,能夠透過數據分析,對銷售或市場需求進行預測,他們的專業與發展方向,和緯創軟體有一定程度的關聯,我們有提供一些專業知識、產業洞察上的協助,未來若有進一步的合作機會,我們也很樂意支持;另一家是台灣的 QTCOMM,做的東西比較特別,希望把台灣的統一發票機制應用到印尼,協助政府單位更有效率的徵稅,而 FinTech 是我們很重視的新領域。

此外,我們也會把在市場上觀察到具有潛力的新創,推薦給緯創 CVC。例如,我們在協助國際藥廠進行糖尿病的真實世界證據 (RWE) 數據分析過程中,注意到一家提供糖尿病照護平台並評估具有發展潛力的新創,我們很樂於推薦給 CVC 並協助進行技術鑑定與盡職調查。

具體來說,我們與新創的合作,包括商業輔導 (Business Mentoring),雙方在技術或商業模式上,可以共同討論與開發,若有機會也會一起開發業務或是成為潛在的投資機會,希望能因此創造正向的互動與循環。

Ching: 從另外一個角度來說明,我們有一個長期策略,是拓展未來深具發展潛力的領域。在幾個我們關注的新興主流科技領域,其實與新創差不多,對於運用軟體或數據來創造價值的新創,我們都會持續尋找各式合作機會。此外,日本、美國、東南亞是我們持續拓展的重要市場,我們也希望與經營這些市場的新創展開合作。

與潛力新創共同探索

Q: 緯創軟體如何定義深具發展潛力的領域以及新創?

Ching: 實際上,深具發展潛力的領域很多,我可列舉兩個。一個是新能源車,包括電動車、智能汽車等,這個趨勢很清楚,我們在中國大陸已經有超過 20 家以上的客戶來自這個領域,對我們來說,是很明顯且重要的未來市場。另一個則是健康醫療,這也是我們目前積極佈局的市場。

就新創的觀察,我覺得創業者往往會帶著一個很好的 Idea,去探索、挖掘、驗證很多有意思的機會,這是我們很重視的特質。因為我們的觸角一定有限,在某些利基領域,也未必能像創業者那麼敏銳,所以對於這樣的新創,我們會很有興趣與他們一同去探索各種可能,而不會只局限在經營大企業客戶。

Ling-Fen: 如何去識別新創有沒有發展潛力,其實我們也還在摸索中,沒有標準答案。但從我們的經驗,有一些顯而易見的觀察角度,例如,從新創的 Business Plan,可以了解想解決的問題、創造的價值,是否涵蓋了足夠大的市場規模;或是在技術上,是否足夠創新、具有獨佔性或是不可取代性。事實上,有很多不同的面向去綜合判斷。

Q: 在參與緯創加速器,或是其他與新創合作的過程中,對你們個人或是緯創軟體有哪些印象深刻的事情或 Takeaways?

Ling-Fen: 就我個人來說,這可分成創業者的領導魅力,以及用不同角度來看技術發展兩個部分。第一部分,實際參與和新創的交流後,我發現現在的創業者普遍非常年輕,我們甚至遇到只有 21 歲的創業者。他們未必已有很清楚的商業模式,也未必有很豐富的社會歷練,但他們普遍的共同特質,就是充滿理想性、很有抱負與夢想、不願輕言放棄,這些特質,讓這些創業者能夠號召一批夥伴與他們一起打拼,在他們身上學習到這種具有創業精神的領導魅力,對我來說是很好的收穫。

第二部分,我注意到大部分新創,儘管掌握了某個主流的關鍵技術,但不必然是從技術角度來切入市場,更多的是著眼於更利基、更前衛的應用場景。例如,我們看到一家新創運用 AI 技術去養雞,來確保同一個生長週期的雞隻都能長得一樣大,或是結合 IoT 技術來養蝦,透過檢測水質、溫度,以確保同批蝦子能養得健康。創業者能夠很快識別不同利基市場需求的能力,相當令人驚艷,對我們來說,這是日常工作或生活中未必能涉獵的場景,幫助我們用新角度去看待那些原本就已熟悉的關鍵技術。

Q: 對於想要申請加入緯創加速器,或是希望尋找與緯創軟體合作機會的創業者與新創,有哪些建議?

Ching: 對於與新創的各種合作機會,我們都抱持著開放態度,同樣的,我也建議新創在與企業合作時,能抱著更開放的心態。過去多年來,我們看到外界整體對於 IT 人才的需求快速增加,以及從中延伸出的外包趨勢非常巨大,我相信新創也會有同樣需求,應該更聚焦在核心競爭力的創新、想法和執行上,未來我們與新創的合作之間,應該會有更多新綜效出現。我們內部有一句話展現我們的價值觀:「以人為本,以客為尊。用 IT 技術為核心,與客戶一起成就美好世界。」不管是前面提到具有發展潛力的領域,或是在台灣、中國大陸這些我們已經很有很好基礎的市場,以及美國、日本、東南亞這些我們正在積極拓展的市場,我們都很期待與新創一起合作共同探索。

Ling-Fen: 在輔導新創的過程中,我們也發現,進入成長期的新創,往往要面對日常營運的柴米油鹽,創業者除了保持不斷學習的心態外,也要開始學習借力使力,將更多心力聚焦在核心競爭力上。透過更開放的合作關係,來共同解決所面對的問題,這也有助縮短新產品與服務的 Time to Market,我們目前幾個與新創合作成功的經驗,大部分都有這樣的發展脈絡,彼此互相加值,一起創造雙贏成果。

【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】

農家出身、台大機械所畢業的 iCHASE 張光甫,運用 AI / IoT 加速畜牧業智慧化

Alyssa Chen, Principal (陳敬旻 / 協理)

加速器事業負責人,經營包括 AppWorks Accelerator、Wistron Accelerator 等服務,以及 AppWorks 校友、Mentors 等社群。樂於陪伴創業者打造出屬於自己的火箭,大學時期曾於 AppWorks 實習,碩士畢業後加入華山文創園區,負責新銳文創品牌的招商與媒體合作。2016 年回到 AppWorks 擔任分析師,主要負責加速器,2019 年升任經理,2022 年升任協理,期間帶領 AppWorks Accelerator 持續成長、區域化,2018 年重新定位為專注於 AI、區塊鏈加速器,2020 年起隨疫情轉型為 Hybrid 加速器,2021 年成功與緯創合作推出 Wistron Accelerator 垂直加速器。在工作之外,喜愛插花、品酒,熱衷推動女力,喜愛與創業者走心。畢業於政大德文系、政大國際傳播所。

2021 年成立的 iCHASE 智逐科技,致力將 AI / IoT 的技術應用在家禽產業。第一個產品是結合 AI 影像辨識支援的智慧秤重計,當雞隻跳到秤重平台,總重量除以 AI 影像辨識得出的秤盤隻數,就能算出雞隻的平均體重,並提供異常通報給雞農,整個過程中並不需要人工參與。對雞農來說,雞隻體重是反映健康狀況的重要數據之一,iCHASE 以科技創新具體協助農民提升飼養效率與品質,目前已導入大成集團及其他廠商的部分養殖場測試,並申請 Wistron Accelerator 緯創加速器,在 2022 年 3 月加入,歷經 4 個多月的加速後順利畢業,成為第二屆校友。

iCHASE 共同創辦人暨執行長 Aidan 張光甫,畢業於台大機械所,在創辦 iCHASE 之前,曾擔任鴻海的機構工程師,以及擁有參與創辦牙科醫材新創的經驗。Aidan 本身是農業之子,家族長期經營農耕機械公司,從小就耳濡目染,深刻理解台灣農業普遍存在技術傳承的困境,希望用 AI 來凝聚並傳承老農的智慧與經驗。AppWorks 特別專訪 Aidan,將他一路上的心得分享給創業者,以下是重點整理:

Q: 你在 2021 年創辦 iCHASE 之前,曾在鴻海服務,也曾有創業經驗。是什麼機緣促使你再度創業?又為什麼會選擇切入應用於家禽產業的 AI / IoT 產品?

A: 創業的機緣,是因為我們家本身就是從事農業相關的工作。我心裡一直有一個種子,就是我認為自己是農業養大的小孩,所以當我有能力之後,也應該對這個產業有一些貢獻,這是我最主要的一個原動力。當然,由於家裡的淵源,也讓我從小就耳濡目染,對這個產業的特性,或是如何跟農民打交道,其實並不陌生,甚至可說很熟悉這個產業各種成文或不成文的運作邏輯。

至於為什麼會選擇養雞產業?主要有幾個原因。第一,我一開始先鎖定畜牧業,包含牛、豬、雞都算畜牧;第二,我再看市場規模,很值得注意的,就是 2022 年美國人均雞肉食用量,已經是豬或牛的兩倍,考量到現在節能減碳是世界大趨勢,牛和豬在飼養過程的碳排較高,雞肉則是相對更環保的肉品,所以這幾年,雞肉市場需求的成長速度非常快。

我們也曾經考慮過將 AI 的影像、聲音辨識技術,應用在飼養豬或牛上。但研究後發現,目前市場上,已經有一些國際大廠在養豬、養牛技術開發上佈局,唯獨在家禽市場,目前還沒有國際大廠的明確佈局,所以我覺得會是一個很好的切入點。

最後就是切入之前,我曾透過人脈去訪談一些雞農,實際了解產業的狀況,評估我們在技術上到底有多少可行性、這些技術是否有專利可以去做保護。經過這些層層評估,最終才決定投入家禽產業。

Q: 你是如何建立這樣一個選題、評估創業主題的邏輯思考?

A: 因為這已經不是我第一次創業了。我上一個創業題目是做醫材,當時接觸到很多客戶,客戶會有很多建議,幾乎每個人都會提供我一個新方向。所以當時是這個也想做、那個也可以做,最後就變成創業無法聚焦。當時我們在前面燒了不少錢,但是營收一直不如預期,所以有一段時間,我們的現金水位一直都很低,每天都很緊張,我覺得大概最慘的就是那個時候。

這給我一個很大的教訓,就是新創資源有限,一定要趕快把第一個產品做出來,打造出一個較為穩定的現金流後,才有能力再去開發更多的產品或服務。

其次就是在產品開發的選擇上會更謹慎,不會一股腦埋頭去做只有我自己覺得很棒的產品,而是要做有客戶需求的產品。甚至不能只是一、兩個客戶,而必須是很多人都想要的東西。如果今天要開發一個新產品,我一定要至少問過十個、二十個以上的潛在客戶,確定有客戶對這個產品是有興趣的,甚至要有客戶會願意花點錢買我的樣品,這樣才會比較有信心繼續往下發展。

少人化雞場是未來趨勢

Q: 從你的角度觀察,家禽產業在 AI / IoT 應用上,有哪些商業機會?

A: 我自己把養雞產業的數位化分成三個階段。第一個階段是設備自動化,包含溫度、濕度或是氣體等類別的環境感測。

我認為接下來的市場第二階段,應該會是生物本體感測。就是透過一些感測器,直接去感測家禽本身,進而去辨識個別的生理狀況。

至於最終階段,我不敢說是無人化,但至少應該是少人化的雞場。以前可能需要三、五個人才能管理一座雞舍,以後可能會變成一個人就能管理三座、甚至五座雞舍。

當然,要達到這個目標之前,第二階段的感測和監控,就是一個必要的過程,所以我才覺得應該把心力投入在這個領域上面,因為這是一個足夠大的市場。此外,就我觀察,目前農民在判斷家禽的一些生理徵狀的時候,百分之百都還是依靠人工,所以這些農民的經驗,或者是一些判斷的法則,都是無法量化、無法傳承的。所以我希望透過 AI 的方式,切入這個產業。

Q: 在我們一般人的理解中,這個領域是一個非常傳統的產業,不容易立即與 AI / IoT 應用連結起來。你們如何掌握這個領域的 Domain Know-how?又是如何說服、獲得合作廠商以及客戶的支持?

A: 農業的確是一個很傳統的產業。就我自己的認知,我們不需要強推一個全新的技術,或是一個全新的流程。因為這樣在實際落地時,會遇到相對較大的阻力。

我們的作法則採取逆向思維。先去觀察農民平常進入雞舍時有哪些行為?他們是透過哪些作法、做哪些觀察,來判斷雞隻飼養狀況?接著我們再想辦法,透過 AI 的方式去自動化這些過程,並把它數據化。這樣一來,對農民而言,當新的技術導入後,其實和他們原來就在做的事是一模一樣,不需要去學習一個全新的流程,我認為這樣切入就會容易許多。

Q: 這個過程中,有哪些重要的挑戰?如何克服?

A: 以一隻雞的飼養週期來看,白肉雞大約是一個月出頭,土雞則大概是三到四個月。這期間會有各式各樣的的變異係數,會有不同的生理發展差異出現。尤其是土雞,通常前兩個月還算穩定,但是到第三、第四個月,各種變異性就會跑出來。

對我們來說,主要的挑戰就是機器穩定度與可靠度。在穩定度上,我們要讓農民相信機器量測出來的結果是準確的。我們的做法,就是先跟大廠進行試用合作,在廠區收集數據,透過真實的數據,來驗證我們設備的精準度,證明量測結果是準確的。

再來則是設備的可靠度。因為禽舍跟其他工廠不同,是一個有動物活動的環境,通常粉塵非常多,也會有排泄物。所以機台在硬體設計上,基本的防鏽、防塵、防水不用說,其他多餘的接口也都要封起來,因為如果不這麼做,可能過幾個月就有蟲在裡面生蛋。這些實際使用的情境,在我們產品設計時就必須被考慮進去。

Q: 你在畜牧業者合作方面都是怎麼去突破?通常如何和雞農打交道?

A: 因為我們的創業團隊,都有家人在相關的產業工作,所以我們一開始的策略,就是透過現有人脈去敲門,其次是透過全台各縣市的養雞協會,再來就是透過農民的推薦。例如大成和卜蜂等大廠,都是透過這些方式逐步接觸。

最終,我們的策略是專注經營契約養殖戶。所謂的契約養殖戶,就是由一個像大成這樣的大廠,和一群農民簽訂契約養殖,目前台灣已經有九成的肉雞,都是走這個模式。只要我們鎖定前五大契約主,大約就可以掌握到台灣六至七成的市場。

在這個產業模式中,雞農的角色會分成大廠和養殖戶,我們需要分別說服他們與 iCHASE 合作。就大廠來說,數據很重要。所以第一個大廠試用合作時,我們在每一期結束後,都會特別做一個結案報告。在這個報告裡,量測數據的結果就像解盲一樣。我還記得當時業主在電話裡邊聽邊看數據,一邊就立刻說「有準喔」,這也讓他認可了 iCHASE 產品的穩定度與可靠度。

至於農民,我覺得他們很在意服務品質,服務要很及時,並且要理解怎麼和他們溝通。通常都是年紀比較大的資深農民會罵我們,他們會抱怨機器秤重沒用,自己抓起來就知道多重了。這種時候,我們會持續溝通,會跟他說:「你的經驗很厲害,因為有飼養二、三十年的經驗。但是你的兒子有像你這麼厲害嗎?你請的員工也會這麼厲害嗎?在未來十年後、二十年後,你的事業應該由誰來傳承這些經驗?」

Q: 2021 年創業至今,你覺得已完成哪些階段性的創業目標?有哪些讓你覺得難忘的經歷?

A: 我們原本設定是在 2022 年至少要有一家大廠採購我們的設備,目前不僅確實做到,還有另外一家也表達意願要採購。我滿樂觀在 2022 年可以完成第一階段目標。

但我覺得大廠採購只是第一個階段。之後我們會設法打造一個合作或經銷的模式,透過大廠去觸及他們的契約養殖戶。因為一家大廠,可能旗下管理多達一、兩百座養雞場,如果有一些數據化去佐證,讓大廠可以更精準的去掌握每一座養雞場,一定可以大幅提升養殖的效率與產出。

加入緯創生態系,帶來加乘效應

Q: 為什麼會選擇在這個階段申請加入緯創加速器?

A: 這其實有點因緣際會。因為我是在網路上瀏覽新聞時,才知道有緯創加速器,第一次看到覺得很特別。因為原本覺得我的創業主題和硬體相關,應該跟 AppWorks 所舉辦的加速器較不相關,但看到緯創與 AppWorks 合作舉辦緯創加速器,就覺得應該很適合我們。因為緯創是硬體製造大廠,對於我們未來在產品打樣、試產、甚至到量產,都會有很大的幫助,所以我們毫不考慮就申請了。

事實上,我們申請過兩次。緯創加速器第一屆時,我們是連 Prototype 都還沒有就提出申請,結果自然沒有獲選。但也因此得知緯創 IIC (新創整合中心) 正好在尋找類似的解決方案。所以我們就用很快的時間把 Prototype 做出來,去年 11 月,就已經在第一個案場進行合作,並同時再申請加入緯創加速器第二屆,這段時間前後大約半年。

我還記得非常清楚,當時 IIC 一開始不是詢問雞隻秤重的設備,而是問我們能不能做飼料的遠端監控。雖然我們當時並沒有,但其實飼料遠端監控與雞隻秤重的原理非常類似,所以我們只用了一週的時間,就快馬加鞭把我們現有硬體改出一台樣品機寄給 IIC,他們看了之後,馬上就說要購買,我們雙方的合作,就這樣在還沒加入緯創加速器之前就已經開始了。

Q: 實際加入緯創加速器後,你認為對你或 iCHASE 帶來哪些幫助?

A: 緯創在養雞產業的佈局,已經有一定的規模跟產業 Insight,同時已經有一些客戶基礎。對我們來說,能加入緯創所打造出的產業生態系,整體來說能帶來很大的加乘效應。因為雞農並不一定只需要我們的設備,還有可能在溫度、濕度或是氣體偵測上需要其他設備,我們沒辦法開發所有的東西,但透過緯創的介紹,可以很快速找到適合、有品質的合作夥伴提供一整套解決方案給雞農,這是非常吸引我的優勢。

另外,我們在加速器期間與緯創的緊密合作,對於 iCHASE 建立生產開發流程,也有極大的幫助。讓我印象非常深刻的,就是 IIC 部門的主管與同仁們,對我們這個專案盯得超緊。與我們對接的窗口 Kileven (緯創新創整合中心產品經理廖弘凱),他就像是我們專屬的 PM,每週都要盯進度、每週都要報告,比我們自己還在意 Bug 什麼時候會抓完。

我們在那一段期間,無論是硬體、軟體或韌體更新都非常快速,往往業者反饋什麼,隔一週就要完成修改並報告,然後又馬上討論。所以加速器結束之後,我們與緯創也很快就啟動了其他案場的合作。

Q: 對想要申請緯創加速器的創業者,你有哪些建議?

A: 對照我們的經驗,我建議至少要把 Prototype 做出來再來申請。因為這樣至少可以讓對方清楚知道產品想要達成的目的、想要量測或是完成的功能是什麼。對緯創來說,我相信這樣也能讓他們能夠去想像產品應用的場景,或是安排集團中相關的單位去串接相關的產業,這樣才能對創業者與新創產生實質的幫助。事實上,把 Prototype 做出來,這也是在與企業或是 B2B 潛在客戶進行討論時,最重要的基礎,可以讓雙方對進一步合作有更完整的討論或計畫。 

Q: 展望未來,iCHASE 下一階段的計畫或目標為何?

A: 我們的目標是希望成為家禽的健康守門員。目前在台灣,已有不錯的客戶開始合作,所以我們接下來的目標,就是透過這些客戶去觸及契約合作的飼養場,換句話說,現階段我們會花比較多的時間深耕台灣,希望先在這個市場做到一定的規模。

同時,我們還有一些正在開發的產品,例如,從囉音 (雞叫聲) 中,去偵測雞隻呼吸道疾病的 AI 分析產品,以及針對致死率高的禽流感,開發 AI 雷射驅鳥器等。這段時間我們會把其他產品開發完整,讓整個產品線發展比較穩定後,再去思考國際市場佈局。

【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: The Decentralized Quartet of Origami, Inc.

Jack An, Analyst (安良方 / 分析師)

Jack is an Analyst covering AppWorks Accelerator. Before joining the team, he was a co-founder and early team member at two InsurTech startups, where he developed a passion in user experience and product development. Previous to his startup journey he worked as a commercial property underwriter at Chubb Insurance in New Zealand. Jack graduated with a Bachelor of Music from Waikato University where he studied classical piano. He loves to cook, read and is a practicing stoic.

With the introduction of a new form of asset ownership such as fungible tokens (cryptocurrencies) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) powered by blockchain, accounting for production value is perhaps at the most efficient point in human history. These new tools – and any other tool that came before – change human behavior as suddenly the world we perceive now works differently. This could very well be the first ripple to forever change how humans organize and collaborate with each other. 

Decentralized Autonomous Organizations, DAOs for short, is envisioned to be a re-invented form of community-owned organization that follows rules encoded by computer program, decision making and financial transactions following these rules are transparently made for the community and kept on blockchain ledger, creating this “trust-less” environment that open up the possibility for organizations to function without relying on total oversight such as the government or a few selected authoritative. This allows organizations to operate from anywhere in the world, as they are incorporated on-chain instead of with local sovereign regimes, and the payment for these operations can also be made to anyone in the world leveraging cryptocurrencies and NFTs.

DAOs really took off this year as all sorts of communities adopted this form of on-chain organization from gaming to DeFI, to social and non-profit organizations. The most prominent and immediate DAOs that are seeing strong traction right now are investment DAOs where people pool money together and make investments similar to an angel club. These on-chain investment DAOs are able to invest in both NFTs and tokens, while people in the DAO possess something representing their ownership stake of the collective funding. Investment DAOs have seemingly found a product-market-fit (PMF) this year. 

That’s why we are very excited to make our investment into Origami, Inc., launched by veteran founder and crypto native Ben Huh, alongside Bloomberg Beta, Protocol Labs, Dylan Field, Balaji Srinivasan, and many others. Ben  and his co-founders are extremely passionate about helping humans co-create their tribes and organizations by building tools and playbooks that can help scale these organizations into the future. 

Origami co-founders – a true test to decentralization organization

The co-founders of Origami are spread across different time zones. Ben (CEO) and Johnny Chin (CGO) are both based in San Francisco, while Matt Voska (COO) is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Stephen Caudill (CTO) is based in Colorado. This made scheduling our calls slightly difficult with AppWorks being in Taipei. But in those early morning calls we were still able to really find resonance with the team’s passion for collaboration, even with thousands of miles between them. Which stands as a solid proof that DAOs can work and they can work very well together.

Being decentralized, the team was naturally formed on the internet like most DAOs these days. But more than just randomly DM’ing each other, the Origami team already had an interesting track record together co-founding OrangeDAO and raising US$80 million to back ambitious crypto founders around the world. The team initially connected as they were all part of different Y Combinator programs, but as YC didn’t really focus on crypto and web3, the Origami founders turned their maxed-out WhatsApp crypto group of 256 people into OrangeDAO with over 1,000 members.

The founding of OrangeDAO wasn’t by luck either. Just before the WhatsApp group started, Ben was introduced by friends to some famous internet cats that took the crypto world by storm – Cryptokittes – created by Dapper Labs, an AppWorks portfolio. Ben is a veteran when it comes to cats on the internet, having built I-Can-Has-Cheezburger.com (ICHC), a collection of User Generated Content (UGC) websites fueled with memes. And at the prime of their operation had 400 million unique views per month.

Ben immediately made the connection between the relationship of blockchain and how it can power communities in a whole new way. With his time at ICHC, Ben and his team cultivated thriving communities that produced endless streams of new content, metas, and derivative content of everything in between. However, there simply wasn’t a way to account for the values created by the community itself nor the value of cultivating the community itself. This problem seems finally solvable with the new tools brought to us by blockchain.

Onboarding the next 100,000 DAOs

The team took their learnings from OrangeDAO and made it into a framework for other investment DAOs to adopt, including Kauffman Fellows VC3 DAO, Techstars Constellation DAO, and Bessemer Venture’s BessemerDAO. But it doesn’t just stop there. Although investment DAOs have found PMF this year, there are also countless other DAOs formed and operated across Decentralized Finance, web3 gaming, open-source NFT governance, social clubs, and so much more that in 2021 alone the assets held by DAO treasuries grew 40x to US$11 billion in one year. Even the 2022 Taipei Blockchain Week is run and hosted by a DAO dubbed Bu Zhi DAO.

However, it isn’t easy to run a DAO. A lot of DAOs struggle to keep their communities engaged, select the best voting style for their community, or still find it difficult to properly communicate among their peers. And this is where Origami comes in. With the funding, Origami will be able to scale up technologies and support a variety of DAOs, with their framework in tandem to provide these new organizations a guideline on how to optimize coordination in voting, decision making, and member management so they can produce a consensus decision wherever they are and in whatever field of focus.

Places to belong

Ben, the Origami team and their investors, including we at AppWorks, all believe DAOs will play a very crucial role through onboarding general users and giving them their first web3 aha moment. At the end of the day, humans are a very diverse bunch with all sorts of different wants and needs, and each of us desires to belong and spend our time here on earth on things we find meaningful. We’ve already witnessed the result of connecting diverse communities and organizations that span around the world via Reddit or other forums alike. But for the very first time, these assorted forums of fascination can now be so much more than just text with efficient organization powered by DAOs.

At AppWorks, we look for great founders who are building new and innovative models. We’re honored to have the privilege to partner with Ben and the entire Origami team as they continue to push the envelope on DAOs and how people organize in the digital age.

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