The COMPUTEX exhibition for startups this year features global collaborations with the first-ever Taiwan-Israel Innovation Summit, as well as pavilions from France, South Korea, the Netherlands and the EBRD
Every year, COMPUTEX showcases the latest innovations from not only the biggest names in tech, but also small teams just getting their start. InnoVEX, the trade show’s exhibit dedicated to startups, has since 2016 been the leading space for creators from around the globe to meet investors, markets and partners, and to get noticed.
After a year put on hold due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) is proud to return stronger than ever with #COMPUTEXVirtual and #InnoVEXVirtual, smart platforms that allow exhibitors and visitors to connect safely online.
This year, #InnoVEXVirtual is welcoming 79 startups from 24 countries in areas ranging from security and IoT to healthcare and EdTech. France, South Korea and the Netherlands are back with national pavilions, joined for the first time by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
In this globalized spirit, the InnoVEX Forum highlighted international collaborations, led by the first-ever Taiwan-Israel Innovation Summit.
“Israel and Taiwan are quite similar in their approach to technology and quality, but very much different in the way each country exercises this,” said Shany Kfir, business development manager of the Taiwan Trade & Innovation Center in Tel Aviv. “This creates complimentary synergies between the countries.”
For instance, Taiwan’s strength in manufacturing fits perfectly with Israel’s strength in innovation. Nowhere is this clearer than with Winbond, which has, since setting up an R&D center in Israel in 2013, created a series of industry-leading security products through the kind of “out-of-the-box thinking” and market sense that characterizes Israeli engineering, vice chairman and deputy CEO Chan Tung-yi said.
The InnoVEX national pavilions are also bursting with big ideas, even for the smallest of technologies. At the French Tech Pavilion, organized by Business France Taiwan and La French Tech, one company is showcasing its advances in quantum computing that are already being used to solve real-world problems. The 100-qubit quantum processing units (QPUs) developed by PASQAL are being used by French utility EDF to optimize electric vehicle charging, while the firm plans to make the technology widely available to users through the cloud starting from next year.
Over at the Korea Pavilion, a diverse array of innovative products are on display, including customized cosmetics and Q&A optimization through AI. Giving full play to South Korea’s strengths in technology and design is GeniRobot, which creates an all-in-one educational robot called GENIBOT that teaches kids of all ages coding concepts with cards, making virtual concepts tactile and fun.
Dutch startup Dimenco is also working to make the digital world more tangible. Users of the firm’s simulated reality display module can view any 3D content without wearables, and can even manipulate onscreen items through hand gestures. The startup joins six other innovative companies at the Netherlands Startup Pavilion organized by the Netherlands Office Taipei and Netherlands Enterprise Agency, which bring a show-leading cohort to InnoVEX every year.
The EBRD has come out strong for its first InnoVEX pavilion, featuring 18 startups from seven countries. One of these startups is offering a timely solution to sanitation challenges faced by businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic with its autonomous robot that emits UV light. With the robot designed by Agora Robotics, businesses and hospitals can fully disinfect their premises when no one is present, keeping their customers, employees and patients safe.
Taiwanese incubators Taiwan Accelerator Plus (TAcc+) also showcased promising global startups through their respective international programs.
Sponsored by Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs, the TAcc+ International Program provides startups entry into Asian markets through support services and soft-landing subsidies. Its InnoVEX pavilion this year features 23 startups offering a range of IoT and healthcare products. Particularly impressive is GyroGear, which creates a gyroscope-equipped glove that aims to restore independence to people with tremors by stabilizing their hands.
Besides #InnoVEXVirtual, twenty-four of the startups selected through the Garage+ Startup Global Program are included in the incubator’s 46 Must-See Startups Pavilion at #COMPUTEXVirtual along with big corporate pavilion to directly infuse innovation into the industry, categorized into rooms for IoT/energy, AI/big data and digital health/EdTech. One AI standout is Singaporean startup CYFIRMA, which provides the world’s first predictive cyberintelligence platform that has already caught the eye of Goldman Sachs, Zodius Capital and Z3 Partners.
Interested investors and partners are invited to visit these startups and more through the #COMPUTEXVirtual platform, available until June 30!
