Note: this event is available both as a physical event (hosted at Room W209, W Block at Ara Institute of Canterbury in Christchurch) and an online webinar (hosted via Zoom).

If you are a growing NZ tech startup (seed to series B stage) wanting to expand internationally, Ministry of Awesome is hosting an exclusive event at Te Ōhaka alongside Garage+ which will introduce you to the Taiwanese market and the opportunity made available by their Startup Global Programme (SGP). Taiwan has an incredibly well-developed tech scene, a large pool of available talent, and excellent networks with neighbouring markets. This makes Taiwan the perfect entry portal to the Asian market.

In 2021, Garage+ is offering a number of New Zealand startups the opportunity to visit Taiwan for 10 days, during which you will be introduced to potential business partners, investors, and display your product at the well known Computex Expo. All travel and accomodations for these lucky startups will be paid by Garage+ as part of their Startup Global Programme initiative.

This is a wonderful opportunity to expand your network overseas and learn what the Taiwanese startup scene has to offer. Space is limited, so make sure you reserve your spot now.

Event Information

Agenda

• 5 min Opening remarks (Ministry of Awesome)
• 10 min Introduction of Garage+ & Taiwan as a Startup Destination (Garage+)
• 5 min Video Clip about Business Environment in Taiwan (Garage+)
• 20 min Introduction of Startup Global Programme (Garage+)
• 20 min Taiwan Experience Panel - 3 to 5 guests (Ministry of Awesome)
• 30 min Q & A + Networking (Ministry of Awesome)

Panel Speakers

• Chris Bacon, CEO of Komodo (a NZ-based startup), who attended SPIN Accelerator in Taiwan
• Mark Mai, CEO of Gigvvy, who attended AppWorks Accelerator in Taiwan and just relocated back to NZ
• Richard Lovell, Head of Web Development at Yoobee, who did a startup in Taiwan
• Kenny Lau, Investment Manager at NZTE, who was previously in charge of the Greater China region
• Jeffrey Ling, Head of Startups at Ministry of Awesome, who attended AppWorks Accelerator in Taiwan and later the VP Operation at Taiwan Startup Stadium in charge of 130 startups and 400 investors

Additional information

Why Taiwan?

(as a market, innovation center, and entry portal to Asia)

• Heavy reliance on tech/innovation, very open to foreign products and services - best testing ground.
• Cheaper to start/run business compared to neighbouring hubs.
• World class engineers.
• Excellent infrastructure and hardware quality.
• Strong ties to neighbouring markets - centrally positioned as a starting point for expanding into other parts of Asia.
• A foreign-entrepreneur-friendly government policy, including the entrepreneur visa programme.

About Startup Global Programme

Since 2015, SGP has invited 162 startups to Taiwan. A third of them have attracted buyers, partners, and investors through SGP's strong industrial connections. Below are the selected startups benefits from the 10-day programme:

• Excellent booth location at COMPUTEX, one of the world’s most renowned ICT trade shows with 40,000+ international buyers from 167 countries;
• 1-on-1 meetings with top-level decision makers from key players in the global supply chain;
• Site visits to explore partners in manufacturing, market development, and investment;
• Free round-trip flight tickets and accommodation for 2 persons.

The next batch will take place in June 2021. Application deadline is 24th Feb. Apply here.

About Garage+

Garage+ is a zero-equity incubator supported by Epoch Foundation. Epoch is a non-profit organization founded by 20 leading Taiwan companies such as Philips Taiwan, TSMC, Delta Electronics, Acer, etc. Website Link

About Ministry of Awesome

Ministry of Awesome is the starting point for innovators, entrepreneurs and startups. We support early-stage entrepreneurs with ideas for projects, start-ups, social enterprises and more; to turn their ideas into reality. We do this through capability training, events and coworking. Website Link

About Te Ōhaka Incubation Programme

Christchurch’s home for early-stage startup founders and entrepreneurs with global ambition. We're a partnership between Ministry of Awesome, Ara Institute of Canterbury and ChristchurchNZ. Website Link