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

Hi everyone, I’m an Analyst that recently joined AppWorks and am currently working on AppWorks Accelerator.

Sandi Wu, Analyst (吳岱蓉/分析師)

負責 Accelerator 與投資。加入 AppWorks 前，任職於富邦產險電子商務部，負責線上投保平台的專案管理及 Email 行銷，喜愛探究數字背後的意義。曾前往芬蘭交換學生半年，期間走遍半個歐洲，喜歡寂靜的自然風景勝過繁華的現代都市。畢業於台大財金系，擔任系女排隊長，熱愛美食、排球、旅遊及挑戰新事物。

我從小就喜歡數字，也喜歡透過邏輯來解決各式各樣的問題，小時候和媽媽去買東西時，我總愛當個小算盤，搶著在買單時幫媽媽算錢。

高中時，因為不確定自己將來想做什麼，暫且先選擇讀三類組 (自然組)。意外考上台大財金系後，我心想一切可能是命中注定，所以決定給自己一個機會嘗試看看。

開始接觸會計學、統計學和投資學後，我發現這些看似艱澀的學問，其實與我們的工作和生活息息相關，因為幾乎每一種行業都需要透過數字與邏輯來記錄並解決問題，比方說，可以運用會計來記錄過去並預測未來，運用統計來分析並優化商業模式，運用投資來讓資產做更有效的分配，而這些都是我感興趣的。我很慶幸自己沒有錯過這個原本就很適合我的世界，一個由數字與邏輯組成的世界。

然而，在就讀財金系的四年中，我也了解到數字固然重要，但更重要的是人，人與人之間的交流和聯繫才是我熱愛的，若不能將這些數字應用在與人有關的事物上，一切都不再有意義。因此，當我踏出校園、開始找工作時，我沒有追隨大多數同儕的腳步，去投資銀行或傳統金融業當研究員，我想找一份可以運用我的財金背景，但是有實際產品，也有人情味的工作。

幾番尋覓下，我進入了富邦產險電子商務部。保險是一種金融商品，它是以人與人之間的互信和互助為基礎而誕生的產品，平常每個人貢獻一些，當有人需要幫助的時候，這筆累積起來的錢便能成為受困者的支柱。而在這個互助的機制中，保險公司會居中幫大家找尋適合的產品，並在保戶遇到困難的時候協助理賠、減輕他們的負擔。不僅實際販售產品，又可讓消費者在生活發生意外時有所依靠，完全符合了我自己對工作的期待和想像。

在富邦產險，我負責規劃線上投保網站及 EDM 行銷，透過一封封 EDM 與客戶溝通，試圖打動他們的心，也透過統計分析，為下一次的 EDM 進行優化。為了突破在網路上販賣保險的種種限制，增加網路上可販售的險種及宣傳管道，我們必須時常與政府機關協商，以期讓保險業有更快速的發展。

然而，礙於法規一時難有大幅修正，保險業在電子商務的發展空間並不大，舉例來說，不像電商可以刷他人的信用卡來進行購買，礙於道德風險，網路投保規定只能幫自己投保並且要刷本人的信用卡，也就是說，如果想在全家出遊時投保旅平險，因為上述規定，家長不能透過網路幫孩子投保，這對許多人來說是十分不方便的，也大幅降低了保險的功能和意義。於是，我開始思考是否要轉換跑道來尋求更寬廣、自由的舞台。最後，我決定告別金融業，投身網路圈，且在因緣際會之下，來到了 AppWorks。

在 AppWorks，每天都有新鮮的事物、想法在誕生，我認識了各式各樣的創業者，有的大膽、有的保守，有的不拘小節、有的小心翼翼，有的樂觀、有的悲觀。和他們相處的過程中，我很自然的感染了創業者的精神，學習從每一個成功與失敗中，不斷調整自己的步伐。

除了工作之外，排球和旅行也對我的人生產生了莫大影響。我從國中開始打排球，大學時加入系隊並擔任隊長，即使是離開校園的現在，我依舊自己組隊打社會組比賽，至今已足足打了 12 年，同時也擁有一群彼此信任的隊友。在排球場上，身為一個舉球員，我學會觀察、找出攻擊手最會打的球，並幫助攻擊手得分；身為一個隊長，我學會鼓勵隊友，並在困境中尋找方向、反敗為勝。

大學期間，我曾前往芬蘭當交換學生。異地求學的半年中，我利用課餘時間，走遍歐洲 16 個城市。我喜歡獨自旅行的清閒，也愛在旅途中與陌生人聊天；我享受大自然帶給我的震懾與寧靜，也熱愛與陌生人短暫卻充滿驚喜的交流片刻。

往後，在 AppWorks 的每一天，我會用對數字與邏輯的熱情，幫助創業者解決讓他們頭痛的數字問題，也為自己的人生開創另一個嶄新的舞台。

Natalie is an Analyst that joined AppWorks recently. She is working on AppWorks Accelerator and covering Greater Southeast Asia.

Natalie Lin, Analyst (林楓 / 分析師)

Natalie is an Analyst covering AppWorks Accelerator and Greater Southeast Asia. Before joining the team, she worked in the search engine marketing and email marketing teams at Zappos, America’s leading shoes and fashion online retailer, where she primarily focused on KPI management, campaign optimization, and project management. Born in Canada and raised in the Middle East, Natalie returned to Taiwan for high school before moving to the US for college and work. She received her Bachelors of Marketing at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Outside of work she likes to read, travel, and play video games.

 

“You can’t regret the life you didn’t lead.” —- Junot Diaz

As a video game enthusiast, I love to imagine life as a series of challenges and accomplishments that my character has to go through to level up. The cities I’ve lived in define the stages of my life: born in Vancouver, Canada, grew up in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, experienced middle school in Cairo, Egypt, survived high school in Taipei, Taiwan, evolved in college in Cleveland, Ohio, and adventured in Las Vegas, Nevada before returning to my roots in Taipei. While I can’t quite remember my experiences in Vancouver and Jeddah, some of my favorite childhood memories were from Cairo and some of my closest friends were made in high school and college.

I’m a firm believer that there are millions of paths you can take but ultimately your decisions define you and your life. Like many others, I had a hard time deciding which major to choose in college and eventually I chose marketing because I liked and respected the marketing professors at Case Western Reserve University. After graduating, I was lucky enough to land a marketing internship at Zappos.com, an Amazon subsidiary that also happens to be one of the largest shoe and clothing retailers in the US.

I had a really immersive experience at Zappos and it was a defining moment in my life. I had my fair share of challenges but it was worthwhile and I definitely felt myself “leveling up” during this period. When I started, I was working on product listing ads marketing with my manager, understanding how product feeds worked and how to optimize product ads on search engines. I also participated in a hackathon with a fellow intern and won first place— our idea was centered around personalized search and fashion machine learning.

In April of 2015, our CEO sent out a memo that contained his ideas around a flatter organization, and a severance package for those that weren’t quite ready for the change. My manager, her manager, and the VP of the marketing department decided to move on from the company. In a matter of weeks, I was reporting directly to the COO and in charge of one of the largest marketing channels in the company! This turned out to be one of the most stressful periods of my professional career, but an amazing learning opportunity nonetheless. Once things stabilized, I decided to try my hand at email marketing because I wanted a more holistic understanding of marketing. Aside from the testing and scientific approaches we took, email marketing was vastly different from search engine marketing. I learned to run multiple campaigns a week, coordinate with multiple teams and stakeholders, and learn the ins-and-outs of customer retention efforts.

After 3 stimulating years at Zappos, I realized I wanted to pursue something different, maybe a more technical side of marketing or something entirely new. When I moved back, I heard about AppWorks and thought it aligned perfectly with my personal and professional goals. I managed to land a job as an analyst…level up! Now at AppWorks, I will be focusing on AppWorks Accelerator and learning about VC funding as well as continuing my education in e-commerce. All in all, I’ve been proud of my choices and I’m excited to see what this next adventure will bring.

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.

Joseph Chan, Partner at AppWorks, the largest accelerator in Greater Southeast Asia (Taiwan + Southeast Asia), depicts his initial, almost chance encounter with AppWorks, while illustrating how the company’s accelerator program will help Taiwan mold a more sustainable economic future. He also details future regional plans for AppWorks’ venture capital arm, and how they ultimately plan on leveraging their planned US$ 100 million Fund III to help position themselves as a key player in the region’s startup landscape.

Serendipitous Beginnings

Despite a longstanding career evaluating and investing in hardware-related ventures, the internet space has always served as an undying passion for AppWorks Partner Joseph Chan.

Chan first came across AppWorks by what he would consider a stroke of serendipity. During his decade-long tenure at CID, one of the largest and fastest growing investment vehicles in Asia, a handful of market segments such as consumer beauty and biotechnology were pursued outside the traditional hardware verticals where the group built its core competencies. Software companies, however, never seemed to wet investors’ appetites quite as much.

This reluctance towards internet ventures stemmed from a myriad of reasons including a badly bruised ego following the dot-com crash, misalignment with incentives traditionally found in hardware investments, and an almost microscopic-sized market potential in the eyes of Taiwanese investors. As a point of reference, CID at the time was managing funds cumulatively exceeding USD 1 billion, visibly minimizing AppWorks’ first fund of USD 11 million.

Around 2012, a promising young visionary named Jamie Lin, AppWorks’ Founding Partner, knocked on the front door seeking capital to invest in Taiwan’s internet startups. Lukewarm at the idea, but certainly acknowledging Lin’s tenacity and wits, CID’s founding partners decided to take a chance and delegated this project to Chan who, as luck would have it, was the only team member at the time to have any experience—let alone interest—related to the internet space, which came as a result of his first job out of university working for NASDAQ-listed GigaMedia, what was then operating as a broadband ISP.

That bet soon paid off. AppWorks Fund I saw the successful IPOs of two portfolio companies, NetPublishing and KuoBrothers. Meanwhile, the company had already courted enough institutional support to launch its second fund of USD 50 million, enabling AppWorks to cast a much wider net and eventually invest in 40 of Taiwan’s and Southeast Asia’s most promising tech startups.

An Urgent Calling

Consequently, Chan saw transitioning over to AppWorks as a prime opportunity to apply his years of financial expertise and investor insight to a critically important purpose greater than himself—that being AppWorks’ mission to cultivate Taiwan’s innovative capabilities and encompassing ecosystem for internet entrepreneurs.

Although hardware manufacturing and semiconductors have largely supported Taiwan’s economy to date, Chan is adamant in suggesting that software will essentially serve as the country’s saving grace in the coming decade. “30 percent of all hardware-related companies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange will likely evaporate in the next 10 years,” he warns.

He specifically cites “one-trick ponies” or companies that only specialize in low-value, original manufacturing components as the ones at most risk of being in firing range. “These type of products can be easily vertically integrated into larger conglomerates, or even more likely, replicated by low-cost manufacturers in China,” exclaims Chan.

Creating a new generation of software-based blue chip stocks will not only help Taiwan ensure a sustainable economic future, but also re-capture value from current global blue chip leaders to prevent the country from paying what Chan refers to as a “Google tax” or “Facebook tax” in perpetuity.

“Given that Taiwan’s e-commerce market is currently valued at roughly USD 34 billion, and assuming startups are allocating on average 7 to 9 percent of their budgets to online marketing, we’re leaking out a significant chunk of value that ultimately benefits foreign platforms like Facebook, which currently serves as the dominant channel for online advertising in Taiwan,” Chan laments.

Back to Basics

AppWorks Accelerator was created to plug that gap. Pre-dating the venture arm, the company’s accelerator program was established in 2010 and aims to equip bold and ambitious entrepreneurs from all over Greater Southeast Asia (GSEA) with the necessary resources, mentorship, training, and connections to get their businesses off the ground. Operating in 6-month batches, AppWorks Accelerator has now graduated 15 batches, encompassing over 323 startups and 780 founders.

With nearly 15 years of experience in institutional investing, Chan advises on many matters, particularly pertaining to fundraising, finance, and legal—all pertinent areas for any founder in his or her own right. But Chan believes the most important aspect that their program can help cultivate, but certainly not instill, is drive.

“In Taiwan, many founders of course have dreams and ambitions, but do they have the insight or experience to see the broader picture—particularly one that expands beyond the borders of Taiwan—and be willing to do whatever it takes to get there?” postulates Chan. “We’re all ex-founders and operators, giving us experienced insight into what exactly founders need, and also what they will need, but perhaps aren’t yet aware of.”

And AppWorks has certainly proved its worth. Many former batch companies such as EZTABLE and Umbo CV have all gone on to receive additional rounds of financing after graduating from the program and execute steadfast expansion strategies into the region.

Looking Outward

Operating in a similar fashion to a startup, AppWorks itself is no different. Since the VC arm underpins the effective development and operation of the accelerator program, AppWorks has expanded the scope of their market to investments all across Greater Southeast East. They’ve now become of the most active early stage investors in the region, executing 10 – 15 deals per year. These efforts will be further accelerated through AppWorks Fund III, targeting a sum of USD 100 million upon completion of fundraising. The sizable fund will primarily focus on financing startups’ Series A and B rounds that fall under the themes of GSEA and AI.

However, with a track record that’s been so far primarily centered on Taiwan and Taiwanese entrepreneurs, how can AppWorks possibly be seen as a serious investor, let alone advisor, in any other country across the region?

Chan responds with a two-pronged approach: “First, fundamentally speaking, Taiwan is a fantastic market to launch an internet business, especially with such a digitally-savvy population and internet penetration rates reaching 87 percent—among the highest in the region. That alone gives us enough leverage to appeal to internet startups across Southeast Asia. Second, in hot markets such as Indonesia where we have yet to develop a proven track record, we will take on a more subordinate role in financing deals, partnering with local funds that have already established reputable expertise and insight.”

Southeast Asia is a vibrant region full of hopes and promises, with tech enthusiasts, investors, and entrepreneurs alike all peering in and waiting for the floodgates to open. Whether or not AppWorks, and in turn Taiwan, will be at the forefront of that impending wave—only time will tell. But, if the past few years have been even a sliver of indication for Chan, serendipity will likely continue serving as a fortuitous force moving forward.

We’re on a diehard mission to push Taiwan and Southeast Asia forward, and truly believe in the Internet’s ability to keep reinventing the world and make it a better place. If you’re also passionate about helping entrepreneurs and startups, and think you you’ve got the energy, attitude, and appetite for making a difference, join our team!

Yvonne Wu, Chief Editor (吳怡文 / 編輯長兼自媒體輔導長)

主導文字與編輯輔導。曾任 ⟪HERE! 台北情報共鳴誌⟫ 副總編輯，帶領團隊上山下海，報導永遠讓人開心的休閒資訊。而後進入天下文化，深入挖掘方塊字的魅力。 2014 年，轉往網路世界繼續挑戰自我，任新蛋全球生活網總編輯，努力讓消費者在優雅的氛圍中感受購物的愉悅。畢業於政大廣電，曾遊歷日本兩年，主修人生，副修日文。深信文字的力量，追求觸動人心的那一刻。

 

「你不認識它，就不知道要怎麼管它，所以要讓想創新的人先做做看，當越來越多人把自己放在那個情境裡，大家就會共同發現什麼好、什麼不好，然後就可以進一步尋求共同的遊戲規則。」
—–王琍瑩 (AppWorks 法務輔導長、Next & Nexus 明日科技法律事務所創辦人)

網路服務之所以迷人，就因它無時無刻不在改寫社會文明，然而，卻也因為它永遠跑在人類經驗之前，所以動不動就會踩到法規紅線，鬧得警鈴大作。當然，並不是這些商品或服務刻意要挑戰公權力，而是它們全球連動的速度實在太快，也太超乎想像，總是要等著一讀、二讀、三讀，外加突破各種政治角力後才能付諸實行的法律，很難及時同步。

難道要就此放棄？當然不，創新的本質就是顛覆過去，勾勒未來。那踩線的部分該如何解套？「你不認識它，就不知道要怎麼管它，所以要讓想創新的人先做做看，當越來越多人把自己放在那個情境裡，大家就會共同發現什麼好、什麼不好，然後就可以進一步尋求共同的遊戲規則。」Next & Nexus 明日科技法律事務所創辦人 Liying (王琍瑩) 用簡單幾句話，清楚表達她對這個議題的態度。

創業，對一名資深律師來說，似乎理所當然，2016 年，執業超過 10 年的 Liying，決定離開前東家 HTC 出來創業。但她走的不是屬於人生勝利組的舒適路線，而是一條人煙稀少，每天都要打仗、救火的革命路線。她試圖在重重的法律限制下，為網路新創產業開路，爭取更大的發展空間。

踏進網路新創圈，是偶然也是必然

擔任 HTC 資深法務經理時，Liying 便對手機這個承載著無數應用功能的產品非常著迷，她認為手機雖然被定義成硬體，實則為行動網路革命前緣。她在 HTC 如日中天時加入，近距離觀察一個跨國企業總部對全球營運的布局規劃和真實日常，也親身經歷了大眾將生活重心全盤轉移到行動網路的劃時代變革。

這個美好的經驗開啟了 Liying 對網路的興趣，她想更往網路靠攏，進一步探索其中的法律問題。正好此時，認識多年的 Jamie (AppWorks 創辦人林之晨) 跟她表示，在 AppWorks ，有許多團隊的營運模式都走在法律經驗之前，非常需要一位懂法律、又懂數位經濟商業模式的律師，為團隊提供建議。

這對 Liying 而言，自然是一個可深入接觸網路服務及電子商務平台的絕佳機會；對 AppWorks 來說，受過扎實、完整的法學訓練，有豐富的跨國實戰經驗，又瞭解科技產業的她也絕對是求之不得的人選，因此雙方很快就決定一起合作。

只是，Liying 並沒有原封不動地接受這份工作，她向 Jamie 提議，想透過創立一間心目中理想的法律事務所，加入 AppWorks 生態系，這家事務所將會一腳嵌入 AppWorks ，為新創團隊提供法律諮詢；一腳跨入商界，針對中大型科技企業的日常營運、重大交易或紛爭處理等提供協助。Liying 認為，兩邊的經驗可以互相借鏡，未來也有合作的機會。

AppWorks 一向鼓勵同仁內部創業，尤其是 Master Team (專業輔導團隊)。與財務輔導長 Jasmine (蔡金鳳) 五年來的合作，便是透過她創辦的日桓管顧嵌入 AppWorks 生態系的模式。有了這個成功的經驗，AppWorks 非常樂意的接受了 Liying 的提案。

雖然所有律師朋友都很難想像這樣的工作型態，但每次提到這件事，Liying 總是略帶得意的笑稱「我發明了自己的工作」，她說：「未來的工作真的不能單從我們現在所處的框框去想像，而是哪裡需要你，就往哪裡走，喜歡什麼就要勇敢去做。」總是笑臉迎人的她語間流露出一股微微的叛逆，這一點確實十分符合創業者的特質。

團隊的共同法務長，既安內又攘外

一般律師事務所的工作很容易想像，但進駐在一個創業加速器的律師又該如何定位？Liying 說：「我常常跟每個團隊說，在你們有自己的法務長之前，我就是你們的法務長。」一來，因為創業者多半年紀較輕，缺乏足夠的公司管理經驗，對相關法律知識也常常是一知半解。再者，在新產品、新服務開發、上市的過程中，必須克服許多舊有規範的約束，這個時候，相較於一個只談法律問題的外部律師，他們更需要一個熟悉產品、了解團隊的律師來提供意見。

但只是在團隊內部幫助他們遵循法規，往往會限制新服務的發展，乃至社會的進步。為了徹底打通台灣的任督二脈，讓更多新創團隊的創新不再有違法疑慮，加入 AppWorks 後，Liying 非常積極的參與政府的法規調適工作。事實上，這也正是她的另一個身份 TiEA (台灣網路暨電子商務產業發展協會) 副秘書長的主要任務。就在她進駐 AppWorks 的同時，Jamie 當選了 TiEA 的理事長，亟需一個懂法律的幫手，協助他一起幫助協會的近 200 多家會員，向政府溝通、要求管制鬆綁。擁有足夠的專業、對這方面又具有極高熱忱的 Liynig 當然是不二人選。

透過與 TiEA 會內、會外的交流，她聽到了全台灣網路與電商產業的聲音，知道當下的最新發展和大家面臨到的問題；而當她扮演副秘書長，代表協會和政府溝通時 ，她也會知道在數位經濟領域中有關法規調適的所有議題，了解產業現況跟現行法的差距。等她回到團隊律師的身份，又可以從一個展望的角度，幫團隊分析未來法規調適在台灣與國際間會如何發展，針對團隊的業務提出具體建議。

Liying 說，雖然 TiEA 的工作花去她一半以上的時間，但兩種角色相輔相成、雙管齊下，反而可以讓她更快達成幫助團隊的目標。

破舊才能創新，也才有更多選擇

相異於傳統律師會把大部分時間拿來鑽研法條、案例，Liying 努力認識新科技、新經濟，以及這些科技在業界應用的可能性。「如果沒有走進這個圈子，我可能也會從管制的架構來看待這些科技，但因為我接近產業了，所以我會比較樂觀的轉念設想，在法令上，如何在最低限度的限制下，給它們最大的發展空間，讓這些技術和應用可以為社會帶來更好的遠景，而不要侷限所有的可能性。」她認為，面對不可預知的未來，我們要讓自己有選擇的機會，而不是一開始就關起門來全盤拒絕，但選擇的前提是，你要有足夠的能力去了解它們，這樣你才能增加自己的選項。

以無人車為例，從生命、財產、安全的角度來看，它是非常敏感的，全面禁止或許是一個最「保險」的方法，但社會文明的發展也會就此止步。如果可以試著了解它的世界標準規範，自動駕駛的 Level 1 到 Level 5 這些等級代表的意義又是什麼，就能進一步思考更多可能，進而從中挑出一個對大部分人來說最有利的選項。

這個破舊、創新的過程，完全呼應了 Liying 成立明日科技法律事務所的初衷，「我很喜歡網路產業，如果我沒有創業，應該還是會留在 HTC，既然現在走出來了，我就希望自己可以為這個產業帶來更多正面影響」。

離開舒適圈的勇氣，來自對他人的感謝

身為一個女性，同時也是三個孩子的媽媽，對創業這件事，應該有著比一般男性更多的猶豫和考慮，是什麼原因讓 Liying 毅然決定自行創業？回想一年多前這個勇於離開舒適圈的決定，Liying 表示：「創業之前，我最大的猶豫確實是怕工作會影響家庭，但促使我跨出這一步的，也正是我的老公和孩子。」

Liying 笑稱自己從小她就不熱衷當英雄，不過卻很樂意站在背後幫助舞台上的明星發光發熱，在 HTC 擔任資深法務經理，既能發揮專業，又有餘力維持安穩的家庭生活，似乎是一個完美的選擇。但就因為老公的一句話：「妳老是說自己從小到大受到許多人幫忙，到底什麼時候妳才要當那個幫助別人的人？」這時 Liying 突然明白，自己不能只是一直在心裡說謝謝，真正的感謝應該是捲起袖子，盡己所能去當那個幫助別人的人。

許多父母心中最牽掛的永遠是自己的孩子是否吃飽、穿暖，是否可以在一個好的環境中長大，Liying 也一樣，但她更積極的將這樣的心情轉化成一份大愛。「身為三個孩子的媽媽，我知道自己現在過得好，不代表孩子未來也會過得好。創業提供我一個非常難得的機會，因為我的工作除了協助客戶進行個案的價值判斷，還包括協助產業及政府部門進行通案的法規調適。這樣一個『第三者』的立場，讓我可以保有客觀的思考，並且跳脫私利，發揮更大的影響力。」創業不是 Liying 的必要選項，卻幫她的人生找到新的意義。

雖然女性成功創業的個案越來越多，嚴格來說畢竟還算少數，特別是在新創圈，不斷挑戰未知的過程固然精彩刺激，高度的不確定性也讓許多女性怯步。針對這個問題，Liying 提出一個不一樣的思考角度，她認為，隨著數位經濟產業的發展，未來的職場更具備「work from anywhere」的優勢，想要在職涯中有所發揮的女性，反而更不必顧慮工作會影響家庭，真正開始創業後，一定可以找到一個適合自己的模式，同時又能關照身邊的每一個人，「就我自己的經驗，相對於一般職場為了升遷需要做出的犧牲，創業的自由和彈性，更能夠實現自我，並且兼顧工作與家庭。」

集結眾人智慧，期待擴大平台效應

既然身處網路新創產業，Liying 也入境隨俗的用新創團隊的標準來衡量自己：「我從 MVP [1] 出發，現在已經找到 Product-Market Fit，接下來要思考的就是如何規模化。」所以她的下一步便是接任台北律師公會智財及創新科技委員會副主委，希望透過這個職務，吸引更多同業關注數位產業，同時，在此她也要發出英雄帖、廣邀天下英才：Next & Nexus 明日科技法律事務所的團隊和合作夥伴神人很多，如果你也擅長網路產業策略營運、數位經濟法規調適、投資與併購等領域，非常歡迎你加入「網路新創律師」的行列。

「我相信數位經濟產業絕對會主導未來的世界經濟，我現在為這個產業多盡一份力，也等於是在為下一代創造一個更好的環境。所以，我非常願意在這個時候，朝著這樣的目標，和所有創業者一起努力。」在創業路上，Liying 藉由和 AppWorks 的合作，讓累積多年的法學素養得到最佳發揮，而團隊在創業中的各種法律需求，則給了 Liying 更多新的刺激，促使她去思考如何在法律的框架中，替社會的未來開闢更寬廣的路，實踐資源共享的精神。

一如 Liying 所言，網路產業是一個群策群力的生態系，並肩作戰、互相支援是創業者提高成功機會的重要方法。事實上，除了法務輔導長 Liying，AppWorks 還有財務、媒體、工程、編輯等專業輔導長，和 323 支活躍新創組成的校友網絡，以及 50 位資深創業者組成的 Mentor 陣容等著幫助所有創業者。AppWorks Accelerator #16 現正開放申請，歡迎加入。