Andy Tsai, Partner (蔡欣翰 / 合夥人)

負責投資與基金管理。帶著超過 10 年創投經驗，於 2018 年加入 AppWorks，2019 年升任合夥人。先前主要服務於 CID 華威國際、最高擔任至投資副總裁，熱愛和團隊一起思考營運模式與競爭策略的解謎活動，更早之前短暫就職於中華開發負責產業研究。政治大學財管碩士，嗜好是旅遊和滑雪。

雖然在 AppWorks 的四年，咻一ㄟ丟貴去啊，但在整個 AppWorks 生態系的歷史長河裡，還是有好多團隊跟好朋友們沒機會好好認識，藉這個發文來介紹自己。我是 Andy，在 AppWorks 擔任合夥人，我已投身創投產業超過 15 年，如果有各式疑難雜症，歡迎隨時來找我一起集思廣益。 

硬體到軟體 / Centralized 到 Decentralizing / 實體到虛擬 / 原物料到元宇宙

在加入 AppWorks 之前，其實比較常接觸的產業，是台灣的科技硬體公司。但即使在硬體產業找新創公司的投資機會，也明顯地感受到軟體的重要性越來越高。從全球的角度來看，全世界最高市值的公司早已由傳統、電腦產業，明顯轉向 AMAAT*。軟體更是提升硬體效率的有效方式，還記得有段時間看到有趣的科技新創，多是 Software defined XXX，打破單純由硬體控制的設計方式，有效地大幅提升產品效能跟可能性，這也讓我對於軟體在台灣還有哪些可能性，充滿了好奇心。加入 AppWorks 之後，除了以 AI / IoT、Blockchain、GSEA 數位經濟新創公司為主修之外，還很幸運的在 Web3 應用落地的初期階段，就有機會在海景第一排，欣賞到新一波科技大浪潮的到來。

掃地僧：籌資、投資、再到投後

回顧一路走來的工作經驗，經常轉換頭上要戴的帽子，似乎是最大的特色。做過創投基金籌資，跟所有新創團隊一樣，在談判桌上坐在投資人對面，推測跟回答投資人所關注的問題，過程通常跟新創公司的籌資過程相似，包括面對投資人源源不斷的 Q&A，以及思考誰是關鍵的決策者，或是潛在 Deal Breaker 等問題；做過新創投資案，用最高成長曲線的期待，拷問過不少的創業者，不過覺得這部分最有趣的，是長期觀察新創團隊的成長，曾經見過的團隊，後來歷經籌資、打磨產品、創辦人變更，一件一件都映在心裡，雖然不會參與到所遇到的每一家新創的投資，但也是很開心可以在不同階段認識創業者，甚至看到晉升獨角獸的過程。

投資後管理，戴的又是另一種帽子。希望在團隊鎖定的產品市場上，從產業廣度上提供看法跟觀點，協助新創可以少繞點路，或是可以看到更有效的市場進入方法，當然最重要的是，讓團隊在嘗試新產品、新市場的過程，降低失敗後的風險。曾經遇過最棘手的案例，是投資案的經營團隊，因為產品開發的方向，忽略了市場及客戶的評估，但由於佔公司一半人力的新產品線，始終找不到 PMF，在協助公司重新調整方向的過程中，由我去擔任交接期的董事長，上任第一天的重點工作，是必須砍掉一半的人力，始終還記得那些為著這個產品努力，卻必須面對資遣夥伴們的眼淚，回想起來，過程中有許多可以及早改變的做法，也默默在心中希望不要再讓類似的問題重演。積累這幾年的參與過程，應該有一些經驗談可以跟各位創業者交流分享，也希望能有效提供幫助，並歡迎一起研討以及探索各個產業的破關秘訣。

Long term thinking

隨著年歲漸長，覺得最重要的事情，應該就是要有長期思維。面對生活、工作、人生的難題，好像常常很容易只關注到短期的緊急任務，然而，長期的策略思考，往往可以讓人突然有豁然開朗的想法。好比，想要猜測接下來一週的天氣跟溫度，大概率是很難猜對的，但春夏秋冬的氣候，考量過去的歷史，是相對很容易判斷的。如果，很幸運的一切都順風順水，也 Echo 我們大家長 Jamie (林之晨、AppWorks 董事長暨合夥人) 經常呼籲的，以長期思維的角度，要培養健身的習慣，累積健康的本錢，也是人生很重要的一項關鍵指標。

PS. 因為年歲漸長，雖然人臉辨識的功能沒有衰退太多，但記名字功能的處理器速度緩慢，如果打招呼的時候，沒有直接喊出您的名字，還請多多包涵呀！

*AMAAT = Apple、Microsoft、Alphabet、Amazon 與 Tesla，是目前全球 5 家超過 1 兆美元市值的科技企業。

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」。

進入 40 歲之後的人生，彷彿就像電影《命運好好玩》(Click) 中進入快轉模式的主角，感覺在 One Click 之後，我加入 AppWorks 就滿 4 年了。在這正邁往第 5 年的當下，想趁此機會，回顧一下我的 AppWorks 旅程，以及我被賦予的任務、角色，可以如何與我的 Stakeholders 協作。

過去這幾年，我最常被問到的問題，就是「為什麼要離開媒體，加入新創圈？又為什麼要加入 AppWorks？」事實上，我並不覺得我真的離開，現在只是以另一種角色參與。

媒體記者與編輯的工作，很長一段時間是我工作選擇的第一志願，因為透過文字內容分享觀點，進而讓讀者有所收穫、發揮影響力，對我來說，始終是充滿樂趣的事情。大學時期，我就投身校刊社，也經常在各大 BBS 上跟人辯論、打筆仗，對於第一份工作，幾乎沒有什麼多餘思考，很直覺的選擇就是財經雜誌。

很幸運，我在 2000 年加入創刊剛滿一年的《數位時代》，成為台灣第一批報導數位產業的記者，從此開展出往後 15 年的媒體職涯，在《數位時代》與《Cheers》兩本雜誌各二進二出。在 2015 年，我決定離開所謂的傳統媒體，投入當時剛創立、以銷售實體與線上課程為主的 SmartM，負責經營社群與製作自媒體內容。

我在 2015 年的職涯轉換，從事後來看，歸根究底是 Mobile Internet 所帶來的典範轉移，以及對我產生的震撼和衝擊。

第一個原因，來自大環境的結構面。當時，全世界最熱烈討論的是 Uber 與 Airbnb 模式，讓我意識到，一支可上網的手機，竟然可對計程車司機、民宿業者帶來如此巨大的轉變，而這兩種工作，原本只需要在自己的小天地中，經營自己的事業就已經足夠，什麼摩爾定律、破壞式創新、從 0 到 1⋯⋯這些對他們來說，是遠在天邊、幾乎毫不相關的事情，但 Mobile Internet 對他們工作所帶來的影響，顯然徹底顛覆了一切，讓我開始思考，「眼下的所有工作，沒有什麼將是天長地久不會改變的，是否該離開我原本的舒適圈到外面看看？」

第二個原因，則比較偏向個人面，因為我在前一年結婚了。「前女友」跟我一樣，都是傳統媒體的編輯，雖然我們當時所服務的媒體，待遇、福利、影響力都在業界平均之上，但在各種社群媒體、通訊工具紛紛橫空出世，幾乎重新改寫媒體定義的那些年，夫妻兩人「把雞蛋放在同一個籃子裡」，怎麼看都不是一個好主意，人生下半場將頗為艱險的機率很高。

隨後，我轉而投入新創領域，並在 2018 年加入 AppWorks，吸引我投入的原因，至今不曾改變過。包括我以及 AppWorks 所有的同事們，都相信「透過支持創業者展開成功的新創旅程，可讓台灣晉升為數位強國」這個北極星。

對身為台灣第一批報導數位產業的記者，至今從未離開過這個產業的我來說，見證台灣過往 20 多年的發展，一定會有某種程度的「不甘心」。在 1990 年代後期，全球 Internet 第一波浪潮中，台灣曾經位居跑得很前面的領先集團，在入口網站 (Portal)、電子商務、搜尋引擎、通訊軟體或是其他不少垂直領域中，台灣都曾有很優秀的創業者，在當時的起跑點，寫下讓人非常驕傲的成績，但在 .com 泡沫後，劇情急轉直下，在隨後而來的 Mobile Internet 浪潮，我們卻只是擦身而過。

不論是過往的編輯、記者，或是現在在 AppWorks 的 PR 工作，我都非常喜歡跟創業者交流，因為可以感染到他們的熱情與生命力。例如，還在媒體工作時，我大約每半年，會個別與我覺得「有趣、但尚未找到報導角度、先從交朋友與互相學習開始」的幾位創業者一起吃午餐或喝杯咖啡。

我記得有位創業者，擁有美國資訊科學排名 Top 5 大學的資訊碩士學歷，在矽谷享受優渥的生活與工作，某位被科技巨頭高額購併的新創創辦人，就曾是坐在他旁邊位子的同事。因為懷念台灣的生活與文化，決定舉家搬回台灣創業，當時還是不到 10 人的小公司，在我們定期的碰面交流中，他會跟我分享最近創業遇到哪些問題，正在思索如何解決，等到半年後再見面時，他會很興奮的跟我說如何把問題解決了，然後再來要闖什麼關、打什麼怪，而這些交流的部分內容，在幾年後，很自然地就成為我報導內容中的獨家角度。

後來，他的創業成績很不錯，產品與技術都很到位，順利完成了幾輪募資、進軍國際市場，並已啟動 IPO 計畫。我到現在，都還清楚記得，在我們某一次喝咖啡時，正逢他創業的低潮，他幾乎是眼中泛淚的跟我說：「我賣掉兩台車、一棟矽谷的房子，說服全家人放棄美國夢，回台創業，每天跟老婆一起騎機車上班，儘管現在很多人都不看好我，但我相信我的創業一定會成功。」那個畫面，至今仍是我覺得優秀創業者展現決心、勇氣和生命力的美麗風景。

在 AppWorks 這幾年，除了 AppWorks 本身的 PR 工作外，我另一個更重要的角色與任務，就是透過以前在媒體的經驗，協助輔導創業者在 PR 和產製自媒體內容相關的事務。在工作上，我有兩個主要的 TA，第一個，是找到 Prodect Market Fit、進入成長期，可透過適度媒體曝光宣傳加乘、轉動飛輪的 AppWorks 生態系創業者；第二個，則是負責網路產業，總是在尋找下一篇科技趨勢、新商業模式、新創報導角度的記者或編輯。

對於創業者，我自我期待的角色，是提供 PR 相關的協助與輔導，歡迎預約我的 Office Hour，一起發想未來的 PR 策略。包括擬定新聞稿角度、準備媒體專訪，或是如何產製頻率與品質穩定的自媒體內容，我都非常樂意一起交流。因為絕大多數的創業者，都鮮少有與媒體交手的經驗，並不熟悉如何提供讓媒體有興趣的角度、有意義的故事或數字，甚至是與媒體合作的潛規則，而每家新創也都有各自的特色與擅長領域，很難有一體適用所有新創的 PR 策略，這樣坐下來深度的一對一交流，根據這幾年實作的經驗，是最為有效的方式，我可以運用過往的媒體工作經驗，提供一些媒體如何思考、如何吸引記者興趣、如何透過媒體與 TA 溝通等相關的回饋或建議。事實上，在這過程中，我從創業者身上學習的收穫更大，因為能更深入了解許多創業者的思考脈絡、定義與解決問題的過程。

對於媒體記者與編輯，我自我期待的角色，是促成媒體更深入認識新創的橋樑。對媒體來說，AppWorks 生態系累計至今的 435 支活躍新創、1,402 位創業者，是很豐富且多元的報導資源，許多來自創業者的精彩創業故事、產業最前緣的觀察，在當下，未必能夠立刻就 Google 得到，而我很樂意與媒體分享這些內容。

這幾年來，不少負責科技或新創報導路線的記者，都與我建立起不錯的協作默契。當報導專題還在醞釀、搜集素材階段，尚未進入正式的內部題目會議前，一起約時間喝杯咖啡，跟我分享正對哪些議題感興趣、正在尋找哪類報導角度的案例，我可以提供一些更貼近業內現況的角度與觀點，或是一起發想專題企劃的架構、思考如何創造「讀者為什麼要看」的閱讀利益，以及推薦適合的新創受訪案例，作為記者往後報導的參考。

當然，這些都不會是硬推銷，在報導中，也不用非得要有 AppWorks 相關的篇幅，一切皆只是建議與參考。因為我相信，只要有更高品質、更深入業界觀點、更有影響力的媒體報導，對台灣新創圈整體的長期發展，都是巨大的加分。有趣的是，在這樣介於正式採訪與無目的閒聊之間的交流，出乎我預料的，「媒體工作者的職涯規劃」是個滿熱門的話題，而我過往的工作經驗，讓我似乎成了年輕媒體工作者諮詢的朋友，因為從沒看過有關於這個主題的媒體報導或書籍，對此的疑惑，也不是每個人都能找到適合討論、尋求建議的對象。

在多次調整之後，目前，我正在經營 AppWorks Media Meetup 的社群，希望成為協助媒體更深入認識創業者的橋樑。AppWorks Media Meetup 開放給對數位、新創相關議題持續有報導與採訪需求的媒體記者、編輯，或是自媒體的創作者 (包含 Blogger、Podcaster、YouTuber、Newsletter)，大約每月會設定一個主題，邀請兩位 AppWorks 生態系的創業者分享最前緣有關科技、市場、商業模式的趨勢觀察，或是第一手的創業故事，可讓媒體作為發想未來製作內容的參考，或是往後有適合的專題角度，也能從此延伸出更進一步的專訪成為報導內容。

以上，就是我的產銷履歷與協作說明。真心期待，台灣能成為更偉大的數位強國，有更多優秀的創業者、表現亮眼的新創，以及更具影響力的媒體報導。在這過程中，我也將持續透過所扮演的角色，讓這一切更往前推進一些，在路上！

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.

People often ask me why I committed career suicide and came to Taiwan. When I accepted my return offer after my MBA summer internship here, some of my classmates at Columbia, who I love, were surprised. Some had assumed I just wanted a summer of fun in “Thailand” before resuming a serious career. Others gave me some encouraging words and reminded me that recruiting wasn’t over and I should stay open to other opportunities. One person literally thought I was joking (to be fair, most people can’t ever tell if I’m joking or not).

The main reason I came was for personal growth. Before my MBA I spent a year in Shijiazhuang, China only learning Mandarin (there wasn’t anything else to do there). Like most people who have lived in a different country, I really grew as a person from leaving my comfort zone, experiencing new things, and talking to different people. For this reason, I literally would have sooner taken a job as a kitchen hand in Asia than a white collar position in the US. Taiwan also happens to be a really pleasant place to live where the people are truly salt of the earth. 

I’m also blessed to be a simple person from Ohio (US) and spent the first 25 years of my life there, so I don’t need much to be happy. Many “coastal elites” have lower expectations of Middle America, and we are generally misunderstood. But that’s just the way we like it. We block out the noise and worry about our own business, get down to honest work, and always end up surprising people. Maybe I also found that in Taiwan – a lot of smart, determined, overlooked people brewing up some special things. I think we’ll continue to surprise a lot of people.

In this way, I resonate with founders a lot. Many founders are viewed skeptically by society, but they don’t care, and they get down to work and end up surprising people. I will never forget enthusiastically describing to my friends a startup I encountered during my summer internship, when one friend remarked, “that’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard”. That company is now valued at close to $10 billion (not that stupid things can’t be worth $10 billion). Every day I have the privilege of believing in people, and few things are as fun as witnessing them create something from nothing.

Despite being known as “The Professor” at the office, my main job is to be a student. I work on the web3 arm at AppWorks, which brings me joy as it unites me with my college interests of math and computer science. Every day I’m uncomfortable, see new things, and talk with amazing founders. At times I feel like a college student again, stepping into a new world with humility and an open mind.

Besides working on investments and doubling as a host at Demo Day, I also run the college intern program here. Many people overlook interns as unskilled labor, but I see them as our future leaders who will surpass most of us faster than we think. I believe helping these bright young people at this juncture of their career will pay rich dividends for all of us. The intern program is just one of the many non-financial investments we make here to help better society, and I personally get a lot of fulfillment from coaching and teaching.

Lastly, I also run the MBA recruiting program. It’s a sales job, and I try to pitch MBAs on why they should come to Taiwan after they’ve just spent two years and $200K on their degree and are being wined and dined by consulting firms and big tech companies that people have actually heard of. It is a tough sell to start from the bottom. But I’ve always believed that the view from the top is more breathtaking after you’ve climbed from the bottom, arriving totally spent, after nobody thought you could. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Hi everyone, I’m an Analyst that recently joined AppWorks. I’m currently working with AppWorks Accelerator and covering Greater Southeast Asia.

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.

“KK 6040 AMS to IST Nonstop, tomorrow 5:45pm.” Believe it or not a 24 hour flight notification was actually considered a courtesy by many in my previous job. You could be in a country for 8 weeks or 8 months, but once that ticket showed up in your email it was time to schedule your goodbyes, blitzkrieg the last of your “MUST EAT, SEE, DO IN [COUNTRY]” list, or finally get around to trying that panini shop you noticed after dropping by the Prime Ministers’ office for the 5th time in a moonshot attempt to schedule an interview with the head honcho himself (or herself).

My most recent profession was, to say the least, a whirlwind of personal and professional life experiences. In the last several years prior to AppWorks, I had worked as a business journalist covering the healthcare and energy sectors. My primary role was to enter various emerging and developed markets around the world, interview the movers and shakers across government, associations, and industries, and ultimately publish on-the-ground business intelligence reports for a global executive audience.

I would eventually go on to live and work in 7 countries across 4 continents, while meeting over 300 of the brightest and most successful minds the world has to offer. Admittedly, though, the most enjoyable conversations that really resonated with me were actually the ones outside the corporate and government sphere. Those gritty, bootstrapping entrepreneurs that were hellbent on driving a change they see in the world often produced the most compelling and riveting stories.

I still remember this one pair of co-founders from Singapore who had spent the better part of the last 2 decades finding market validation for their plasma fractionation technology — a novel way to extract plasma from donated blood to produce albumin, immune globulins, clotting factors and other proteins for therapeutic use at lower costs and in the end save more lives. Truly disruptive technology, but was way too ahead of its time when they first developed it. Nevertheless, they kept at it, even taking out mortgages of their own houses and risking personal insolvency to carry the company through to its milestones. They’ve since received regulatory approval and the contracts have only been rolling in from there.

So, as I began to contemplate the next step in my career, it should come as no surprise that I naturally gravitated towards the startup scene. Lukewarm at the thought of going back to my home in the US, I opted instead for Asia where I saw a vibrant, yet relatively nascent startup community full of aspiring entrepreneurs increasingly tempted by the allures and intrinsic rewards of starting their own business. And what better place to start, I thought, than my ethnic motherland of Taiwan. It was there that I stumbled across AppWorks and signed on board with our mission to empower founders and startup ecosystems not only in Taiwan, but all across Greater Southeast Asia (TW+ SEA).

Today, I find myself interacting every day with passionate founders, while working with businesses and technologies that could very well impact the way roughly 600 million people go about living their daily lives–certainly a tantalizing proposition for any millennial worth their salt.

Above all else, I am incredibly excited to begin writing this new chapter of my life with AppWorks. Some of you might have read my posts. Some of you hopefully will do so in the near future. At any rate, don’t be shy. Leave me a comment. Give me a shout. Look forward to meeting all of you at some point!

My contact details below:
[email protected]
facebook.com/jwakabayashi
linkedin.com/in/jwakabayashi