For the first time, TAITRA and the Ministry of Science and Technology collaborate to work on the InnoVEX Forum and matchmaking event at this year’s show
InnoVEX 2019 centers the spotlight on the complete industry chain, diverse tech applications and polished, commercial-ready products. The special exhibit area, developed to highlight the most innovative products and services at COMPUTEX Taipei, provides the ideal environment for tech startups, global investors, manufacturers, and buyers, to build the close relationships crucial for startup success.
Running from May 29 to May 31 at Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition, Hall 1, the startup platform is set to feature a record high of 467 startups from 24 countries, representing a 20% increase over last year, according to the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), a primary organizer of COMPUTEX. In addition to the exhibition, open daily from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM, InnoVEX offers startup demos, forum sessions, one-on-one business matchmaking, pitch contests with US$420,000 in prize money and an after-dark networking party.
Eyeing current trends, InnoVEX 2019 focuses on AI and IoT applications. Rather than feature preliminary concepts and inventions, the exhibition spotlights diverse, market-ready products and services.
“COMPUTEX is one of the world’s most important platforms for the high-tech industry. Since its establishment in 2016, InnoVEX has attracted startups at the forefront of technological disruption to come to Taiwan from all over the world. As more startups showcase their cutting-edge services and products at InnoVEX every year and capture the attention of venture capitalists and corporate investors, the show has blossomed into a benchmark event for innovation in Asia. We are committed to building a more robust, vibrant startup ecosystem through COMPUTEX,” TAITRA President and CEO Walter Yeh said.
Leading innovators from the upstream sector have been invited to InnoVEX to offer a comprehensive view of the industry value chain, including AI chip startup ArchiTek, 3D sensing technology company Acconeer, IoT network operator UnaBiz, and blockchain technology providers COBINHOOD and Cartesi.
From the midstream sector of the value chain, mixed-reality vision-tracking module maker Ganzin Technology, “social brain” creator Hoomano, and digital encryption firm Chelpis, are also set to exhibit, alongside downstream application integration startups such as NextDrive, which is collaborating with the Tokyo Electric Power Co. and Ambi Climate, which is working with Alexa.
Global perspectives on Forum agenda
This year’s InnoVEX Forum theme is “Connecting Global Startups with Taiwan’s Advantage.” Speakers from more than 10 countries set to share their insights include enterprises, accelerators, and venture capitalists. Among the speakers are John Jorritsma, mayor of Eindhoven, “the Silicon Valley of the Netherlands”; and Wayra, a venture capitalist from Telefónica, the world’s largest telecom. Foreign startup environments will be discussed, as well as how Taiwan, an international innovation hub, leverages innovation and international connectivity.
Ministry shapes meetup event
InnoVEX links the entire value chain to support a complete ecosystem for the startup community. In a first, TAITRA and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) collaborated to organize the InnoVEX Forum and matchmaking event this year. Investors and businesses including Samsung NEXT, LINE, Mucker Capital, Cherubic Ventures, Delta Electronics, Zhongguancun, China Trust and SinoPac Holdings have been invited to participate in discussions to create opportunities for collaboration. Also, Taiwan Tech Arena, Startup Terrace, Taiwania Capital and Qualcomm each have established special prizes to encourage outstanding teams and to tap Taiwan’s innovative capacity.
