Wistron has been working closely with AppWorks since 2014 and is one of the major limited partners of AppWorks Fund II and Fund III. It also invested in MoBagel (AW#16), ANIWARE (AW#17), Authme (AW#18), Aiello (AW#20) , and other alumni who have graduated from AppWorks Accelerator. Wistron and AppWorks have been working closely together and have a long-term strategic partnership, and launched the Wistron Accelerator in September 2021. AppWorks, itself a leading accelerator in Greater Southeast Asia, provides core logistics and operations support.
We put together some frequently asked questions for startup teams who still had questions about the Wistron Accelerator program after reading the information on the landing page. If you have similar questions, we hope you can find the answers below.
[Wistron Accelerator #10 is taking applications now!]
1. What outcomes does Wistron Group expect to achieve through the Accelerator program? What kind of support can Wistron Group provide?
Some domain-specific perks include:
a. Access to C-level Mentors from Wistron Group
The most significant value of this accelerator is that the C-levels of different business units at Wistron Group will serve as your Mentors. Startups in the Wistron Accelerator can directly discuss partnerships and business insights with C-level Mentors at Wistron Group, significantly increasing the chance of collaborative success.
The Mentors participating in the Wistron Accelerator are from the following business units:
Wistron Group (including the CVC team)
Wiwynn
WNC
Wistron ITS
WMT
WiAdvance
People who have experience working with enterprises know that the CEO or C-level manager is usually responsible for the strategy, and their team is accountable for execution. Therefore, if you can directly communicate with high-level managers, you may significantly increase the chances of developing a strategic partnership, new services, and new business.
In addition, even though startups already have domain knowledge in their focus area, when facing different industries and large enterprises, there is still much to learn, including both hard and soft skills.
In the Wistron Accelerator program, Mentors take on the role to solve the aforementioned issues. During the accelerator period, startups will have in-depth collaboration and interaction with the heads of the designated business unit. Startups can further understand companies’ needs, plans, and insights, and learn how to work with large corporations effectively.
b. Exclusive PoC collaboration with Wistron Group
Startups running B2B businesses know that it takes a long time to successfully onboard corporate partners because of the different organizational nature and the longer decision-making processes. It’s very common to take a quarter or even more than six months to kick off a collaboration.
Wistron Accelerator has thoughtfully planned the schedule, process, and goals to speed up the collaboration process. The startups participating in the Wistron Accelerator will directly collaborate with Wistron Group to come up with a PoC. During the program, AppWorks will facilitate the discussion and implementation of the PoC. Startups can develop the minimum viable product (MVP) within the four-month timeline and further discuss more in-depth collaboration after the program.
2. What are the important factors you consider when evaluating applications?
The application review process combines AppWorks’ experience in mentoring startups and Wistron’s industry expertise. We are looking for founders who continuously work on themselves and have a clear North Star in their founder journey, which we believe will help founders overcome obstacles and build up the product’s core competitive advantages.
The following questions can help you think about whether you are suitable to join Wistron Accelerator:
Why did you start your business?
What problem do you want to solve? Why?
What efforts have you made in solving these problems?
How is your product different from existing solutions?
What do you expect from the collaboration with Wistron Group? What value can you bring to Wistron Group?
3. Is there a charge for the Wistron Accelerator? If we need capital now, will we receive investment after joining?
Wistron Accelerator is an entirely free service for founders. We will not ask for rent, service fees, or any types of concessions such as stock, options, revenue, or profit-sharing. At the same time, every enrolled startup will receive a NT$200K subsidy from Wistron, which is not in exchange for any shares.
Wistron has been a bullish strategic investor, in recent years investing more than NT$13 billion with over 60 companies in their portfolio. In 2021, Wistron established a corporate venture capital (CVC) team and is actively looking into strategic investments. Startups selected for the Wistron Accelerator will have the opportunity to discuss further collaboration or investment with Wistron CVC, business units, or its subsidiaries during and after the program.
4. Why does Wistron Group recruit startups only from AI, IoT, cloud, cyber security, education, and medical technology industries?
Wistron is one of the world’s leading manufacturers in the ICT industry. In recent years, Wistron has been investing in R&D, tech innovation, and diversified product development, and has also seized on the growing trend of cloud applications. They have successfully integrated a multitude of hardware devices, software services, and cloud applications, and offer technical service platforms and solutions. During this time they have also expanded their business to new fields like education, corporate services, IoT, and medical care.
Through the Wistron Accelerator, Wistron Group hopes to share its industry experience and rich resources with startups, and to explore innovative opportunities by working on a PoC together. Wistron Group is happy to be one of the case studies for startups to test their B2B solution. Wistron Group also expects to develop growth opportunities for the next decade through this collaboration.
5. What stage of startups is suitable for the Wistron Accelerator?
We do not have a strict standard on the stage of the startup. But we do recommend startups that have experience working with enterprises or have a few proven PoCs to apply. These startups should be able to better utilize the four-month timeline and can reasonably expect a certain level of results from the program.
If you are still in the MVP stage and have not yet defined your target customers, we would suggest you focus on developing your product first, try to get some initial users, collect feedback, and iterate accordingly. Once you validate the problem you want to solve and know the core advantage of your product, that will be a better time to apply for the Wistron Accelerator.
If you already have a product prototype but have not yet established a company, we recommend that you complete the company setup process first. From our experience, it can help you onboard business partners and initiate collaborations more efficiently.
AppWorks can provide professional accounting and legal services to help founders set up a company, whether you are from Taiwan or overseas.
6. I am not a citizen of Taiwan. Can you help me get a visa?
Wistron and AppWorks can assist international founders enrolled in the Wistron Accelerator to apply for the Entrepreneur Visa, the employment Gold Card or the Business Visa based on certain conditions. Founders from overseas can concentrate on their work without worrying about visa issues.
7. While participating in the Wistron Accelerator, do we have to stay at Wistron Group’s office all day from Monday to Friday? Can we participate remotely?
We do not stipulate work locations. Every startup will discuss the meeting frequency, and format with the Mentor on a case-by-case basis.
8. The application questions are written in English. Will writing in Chinese affect the score?
Wistron Accelerator’s application has 26 questions, covering team, product, business model, market analysis, etc. It requires a certain amount of time and effort to fill out. We hope that by this design, we can help every team clarify their current status and the assistance they are looking for.
Filling in the application is like having a health check-up. Founders must think profoundly about their products, market strategies, team and the overall industry environment. Therefore, regardless of if you decide to apply or not, we still recommend you to carefully think about these questions.
We encourage you to answer in English; however, using Chinese will not affect the results. The most important thing is to express your views clearly. Furthermore, we also encourage the founder (CEO) to make a one-minute self-introduction video for us to get to know you better.
9. What is the difference between the first round and final round application?
Wistron Accelerator’s admission is on a rolling basis. Based on previous experience, teams that applied earlier had a higher chance of being selected. They could also know the results earlier to have adequate time to plan for the PoC. Therefore, we encourage founders to apply early to avoid high competition during the final application deadline.
We hope the answers mentioned above can help you clarify any questions about the Wistron Accelerator.
If there are further questions, please send a message to us or write to: [email protected]. We will reply to you as soon as possible.
[Calling founders working on AI, IoT, cloud, cybersecurity, EduTech, and MedTech. The deadline for the Early Bird Round is Dec 28, 2025]
Founded in 2010 by Jamie Lin, AppWorks Accelerator is a startup community created by founders, for founders.
Every six months, we welcome founders who are building on the edge of what’s possible – those pushing the boundaries of technology and creating what the world has yet to imagine. We equip them with the necessary resources, mentorship, and community to turn bold visions into lasting impact.
We know there are many considerations for founders when applying to an accelerator. That’s why we’ve created an FAQ page to help you decide whether or not AppWorks is the right fit for your startup.
As of November 2025, AppWorks Accelerator #32 is open for applications. You can find important information about the Accelerator experience on our main page.
The FAQs
1. What do I need to know before joining the accelerator? What is AppWorks doing to help founders make the most out of the accelerator?
We understand the unique needs and aspirations for founders, and we’re committed to providing an experience that’s both flexible and deeply supportive:
Tailored Events for Founders: No two founder journeys are alike — whether you’re just getting started, actively scaling, based in Taiwan, or operating from anywhere in the world, we’ve designed a flexible accelerator that blends online and offline experiences. You’ll have access to the resources, mentorship, and connections that best fit your unique path, ensuring that you get what you need, when and where you need it.
A Pan-Asia Founder Network: Beyond flexibility, what truly sets AppWorks apart is our expansive presence across Asia. Our active founder and investor network now spans Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Korea, and Japan. Wherever you are, you’ll find peers, mentors, and partners who can share local insights, facilitate introductions, and open doors to new cross-border opportunities.
Taiwan: Your Strategic Base for Innovation: Taiwan stands at the intersection of technology, manufacturing, and finance, making it an ideal base for founders building in AI, manufacturing, defense technology, and on-chain banking. Its world-class engineering talent, reliable manufacturing partners, and robust supply chain give startups the speed and stability to develop and scale products efficiently. Combined with an open, innovation-friendly environment and strong digital infrastructure, Taiwan provides everything you need to move from prototype to market with confidence. We encourage founders to join our in-person activities whenever possible. Face-to-face engagement within our community in Taiwan and across Asia builds deeper relationships, sharper insights, and opportunities that online meetings cannot fully replicate.
Your success is at the heart of what we do. We can’t wait to embark on this journey with you.
2. I already raised a Series A / I’m profitable, is AppWorks right for me?
The short answer is, yes!
The long answer is, reaching a funding goal can be a cause for celebration, but it’s also a relatively minor part of the founder journey. So many more things can go right or wrong, even with a funding round. There are many other facets to overcome and master. When we admit founders into the program, it is because we have carefully considered what they need as a founder, and how our resources and network across Taiwan and Southeast Asia can help them grow.
Joel Leong and Henry Chan atShopBackhad already built a business model and received seed funding in 2015 when they launched in Singapore before they came to AppWorks Accelerator #13 in 2016.
Joel told us that had the team known about Taiwan’s massive US$20 billion GMV e-commerce market and all the region-wide technical and tactical innovations that it would eventually yield, they would have made the move to Taiwan much sooner. Taiwan has since become one of ShopBack’s biggest markets and R&D centers. It demonstrates that funding rounds and business model maturity do not limit founders in learning something new.
As long as you think that AppWorks can help you in the entrepreneurial learning process, you should apply.
3. What is an RFS? What kind of support can AppWorks Accelerator provide for startups in AW#32 RFS#1: Manufacturing AI, RFS#2: Defense Tech, and RFS#3: On-Chain Banking?
A Request for Startups (RFS) highlights the specific problem spaces AppWorks is most focused on each batch – areas we believe have strong growth potential and for founders to make a meaningful impact.
An RFS is not a restriction; it’s a signal. It helps founders understand where AppWorks can provide the most value and resources in this batch. If you’re already building in one of these areas, we’d love to meet you. But even if not, as long as your startup aligns with our focus or could benefit from joining the AppWorks founder community strategically, you are very welcome to apply.
For AppWorks Accelerator #32 (AW#32), we’re looking for founders building in Manufacturing AI, Defense Tech, and On-Chain Banking — three verticals that will redefine Asia’s industrial and economic foundation in the coming decade, and where Taiwan and the AppWorks community can provide a unique advantage.
AW#32 RFS#1: Manufacturing AI
Over the past two years, the rapid progress of AI has begun to fundamentally reshape manufacturing — from design and production to operation and maintenance. Now is the time for the industry to embrace intelligent transformation.
With Taiwan’s world-class manufacturing and supply chain ecosystem, AppWorks helps founders directly connect with leading OEMs, manufacturers, and cross-industry partners to co-develop and validate PoCs, as well as build AI-driven solutions for automation, quality inspection, and predictive maintenance.
Our community already includes startups deeply rooted in manufacturing innovation, such as NunoX (AW#31), which accelerates textile development with generative AI; Relajet (AW#17), which delivers advanced sound separation for smart acoustics; and Groundup.AI (AW#27), which enables predictive maintenance through acoustic monitoring.
Through collaboration, sales partnerships, and shared know-how within our network, AppWorks helps your solution validate faster, scale faster, and reach real-world impact.
AW#32 RFS#2: Defense Tech
In an era of geopolitical uncertainty and growing emphasis on supply chain and technological sovereignty, dual-use technologies such as unmanned systems, sensing, cybersecurity, AI models, and advanced materials are becoming critical to both national and industrial resilience. This shift is also creating unprecedented opportunities for startups innovating in high-barrier sectors.
AppWorks Accelerator, together with Wistron Accelerator, has long focused on hardware, AIoT, and deep tech, providing a full-scale environment for manufacturing, prototyping, and validation.
Our community already includes deep-tech startups delivering cutting-edge solutions across both defense and commercial domains — such as Aliena (AW#30), developing propulsion systems for small satellites; Aonic (AW#30), Southeast Asia’s largest industrial and agricultural drone operator; and UNL Global (AW#30) and Mapxus (AW#30), offering precision mapping and geospatial intelligence.
Through this ecosystem, AppWorks helps founders connect with manufacturing and enterprise partners, develop and test PoCs, access investors and R&D talent, and accelerate both technological development and market adoption.
AW#32 RFS#3: On-Chain Banking
We believe the future of finance will be programmable, transparent, and borderless.
AppWorks is looking for founders reimagining financial infrastructure through Web3 technologies. From asset tokenization and decentralized clearing and settlement, to cross-border payments and on-chain compliance and regulatory tools.
As you build toward this new financial architecture, AppWorks helps you understand Asia’s fintech landscape, connecting you with regional financial institutions, compliance advisors, and investors.
Through our community of FinTech, LegalTech, and Web3 founders and mentors across nine markets in Asia, we provide hands-on insights and strategic guidance for scaling within regulated markets and driving real-world adoption.
Whether you’re building the next-generation AI factory, advancing dual-use technologies, or constructing the foundation of on-chain finance, AppWorks is more than an accelerator -we’re your strategic partner for entering Taiwan and scaling across Asia. Helping you go from prototype to scale, from the lab to the real world.
4. How can AppWorks Accelerator help a web3 founder?
As our Web3 ecosystem continues to expand, so do the opportunities for collaboration, real-world testing, and founder-to-founder support. AppWorks connects you to the heart of Asia’s blockchain innovation, offering the right mix of community, partnerships, and practical access to local markets.
a. Grow with one of the largest web3 founder communities.
AppWorks has built a strong Web3 ecosystem of more than 156 active teams with a total of 424 founders. These extraordinary web3 startups include Pendle (AW#20), a DeFi yield-trading protocol that enables the tokenization and trading of future yield; Resolv (AW#30), which issues stablecoins through a ‘Delta Neutral’ strategy and an over-collateralization mechanism; and Event Horizon (AW#28), a meta-governance platform that mobilizes community assets to influence external governance proposals.
As one of the region’s most active web3 founder communities, we help you navigate every stage of the journey—through mentor and founder intros, ecosystem resources, and peer learning on tokenomics, DAOs, and community-building.
b. Build in Asia’s strongest fintech and blockchain sandbox
Through deep collaborations with leading financial institutions, telecom operators, and exchanges in Taiwan, AppWorks provides Web3 startups with real PoC opportunities to test and refine products in a trusted and compliant environment.
Beyond Web3, our large Web2 founder community — spanning sectors in B2C and B2B, offers potential partnerships that help you reach new user profiles and accelerate adoption.
c. Stay ahead of the game to capture the pulse of the ecosystem and access premium development partners
Within the AppWorks community, nearly 95 teams are already building on major public chains such as Ethereum, Solana, Arbitrum, Hyperliquid, Sui, TON, and Base.
We maintain close ties with leading L1 and L2 ecosystems, and partner with global blockchain infrastructure players including GSR, Alchemy, Quantstamp, and Chainlink, ensuring founders can access reliable tools, liquidity partners, and expert support to scale faster in the region.
5. How does AppWorks Accelerator help founders enter new markets?
Since 2010, AppWorks has made close connections within founder communities and throughout the venture capital ecosystem. When startup teams decide to enter a new market, we can quickly help them learn from local partners to tap into key resources and business models that are specifically tailored to different regions.
Today, the AppWorks community brings together over 600 active technology startups, of which more than 300 operate across multiple Asian markets. The network spans founders from Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan—ensuring that wherever you plan to expand, there’s already an AppWorks founder community on the ground ready to exchange insights, share local know-how, and open doors.
This community is supported by a strong layer of mentors, alumni founders, and seasoned operators, many of whom have built, scaled, or exited successful companies. Together, they form a trusted network that helps new founders navigate everything from product localization to cross-border partnerships.
Beyond the founder network, AppWorks actively invests in over 25 venture funds across AI and Web3, including AC Ventures, Golden Gate Ventures, Openspace Ventures, Ascend Vietnam Ventures, Figment Capital, and Pantera Capital. This extended capital network gives founders exposure to top investors and potential follow-on funding partners throughout Asia.
AppWorks also partners with leading corporate LPs across manufacturing, finance, media, and telecommunications. Our funds are backed by institutions such as Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund and Korea’s government investment agencies, giving our founders privileged access to regional corporates, pilot opportunities, and distribution networks.
6. What does AppWorks look for in applications?
When AppWorks reviews applications submitted by founders, we pay special attention to a founder’s north star. Some questions that might help you think about whether AppWorks is a good fit for you:
Why did you launch your startup?
What problem do you want to solve and why?
What do you believe fundamentally needs to exist in this world that doesn’t already?
What kind of future do you want to create and how will you get there?
What have you already done to demonstrate your commitment to tackling this problem?
AppWorks Accelerator’s online application covers about 30 topics related to team background, product/service, business model, market analysis, and more. It is very detailed and requires time to complete. It also includes a required one-minute self-intro from the founder (CEO) for us to know you better.
7. Does AppWorks Accelerator cost anything?
No. AppWorks Accelerator has always been free for founders. We will not charge rent or service fees, nor will we require any form of compensation, such as sweat equity, tokens, options, revenue, or profit-sharing. Our exclusive mission is to help founders.
8. We need funding now, can we get an investment by joining AppWorks?
The short answer is you will have much better access to us than non-AppWorks accelerated teams. We will discuss with you and help you figure out at this stage of your startup’s journey if capital can give your startup a significant edge and/or take it to the next level, or if there are other more burning issues, e.g., achieving stronger product-market fit, figuring out a working go-to-market strategy, recruiting a solid co-founder, etc.
Any AppWorks founder is welcome to start a discussion with us on fundraising anytime. We will do our best to advise and support you with US$390 million in total fund size behind us.
9. My service (or product) has not yet started to make money. Can I still apply?
Of course! There probably isn’t a better time to learn in an accelerator than as a founder just starting out. This period before a founder has built a startup into a scalable business model with Product-Market Fit is called the “seed stage.” During this period, founders always need more than funding; they need a variety of entrepreneurial-related insights, inspiration from other founders, and room for trial and error. AppWorks Accelerator, with over 15 years of experience, was built to provide these lessons and more.
10. I’m planning to expand my business into Taiwan, however, since I am not a Taiwanese citizen, can you help me obtain a proper visa?
International founders admitted to AppWorks Accelerator, according to your qualifications and needs, AppWorks can help with your application for theGold Card, or Entrepreneur Visa in Taiwan. This enables founders from overseas to concentrate on work in Taiwan without traveling abroad to sort out troublesome visa issues. We can offer guidance on this process.
11. Do I have to set up a company to join AppWorks Accelerator?
Not necessarily, but we recommend founders to set up an office when entering a new market, especially those of you that are B2B facing. This may enable you to build relationships with business partners and make negotiating commercial agreements smoother in the future.
For the founders who are planning to land in Taiwan, AppWorks has professional accounting and legal specialists who can assist in managing the necessary procedures, making the process of setting up much easier and more efficient.
12. What is the difference between applying during the first round vs. the final round?
The application period is split into two intakes, with interviews and admissions facilitated on a rolling basis. Based on past experience, teams that submit their application earlier tend to have a higher chance of being admitted and are also immediately granted access to all the resources that AppWorks Accelerator has to offer.
13. I have previously applied to AppWorks and have been rejected, can I apply again? Will it affect the chances of admission?
Reapplying represents the determination of the founder and is a positive signal for us. Therefore, we will re-evaluate all aspects, not only for the growth of the founder but also for the progress of the company. In the past, some entrepreneurs applied 2-3 times before being selected. In some cases, after unsuccessful applications, they continued to explore and eventually achieved more user growth and deeper insights. In other cases, they honestly faced the fact that there was no Product-Market Fit (PMF), changed their topic, found a scalable business model, and reapplied. These entrepreneurs have performed well after graduating from the accelerator.
We hope the above FAQ can help clarify your questions about AppWorks Accelerator. If you seek more clarity, please write to:[email protected], and we will try to answer your questions.
If you’re a founder creating what the world doesn’t know it needs yet, you’ve come to the right place! Applications forAppWorks Accelerator#32 will be open until January 11, 2026.
