Taiwan’s technology industry is a leader in the telecom space as a major manufacturing hub for 5G chipsets, supplying global industry leaders such as Qualcomm, Samsung, and Apple. Added to that, 5G adoption in Taiwan represents over 30 per cent of the market and is gaining stronger momentum.
With the 5G market maturing fast, there is a need to bridge the gaps and meet the rising industrial demand for innovative solutions.
2022 is a crucial year for 5G as widespread availability begins to eradicate barriers to access, bandwidth, performance, and latency on connectivity. However, to deliver on its potential to enable revolutionary new applications and business models, the 5G journey will require intelligent solutions at every step.
With Taiwan actively seeking cooperation with foreign companies through projects like the Asia Pacific Telecom (APT) 5G Challenge Accelerator Programme, there are lots of opportunities for startups to collaborate with Taiwanese telecom hardware suppliers as the 5G solutions market develops.
The Asia Pacific Telecom 5G Accelerator 2022
The Asia Pacific Telecom 5G Accelerator programme (APT 5G) returns this year to expand international recruitment and bring entrepreneurs closer to industry needs.
The goals of the accelerator are simple: connecting foreign Telecoms to domestic startups and introducing outstanding foreign startups to Taiwan. The programme is expected to attract a strong roster of global startups that can help catalyse the future of 5G in the Asia Pacific region.
Also read: Three leading B2B digital disruptors win 2021 Fast Forward with HPE
Asia Pacific Telecom (APT) is a wireless telecom leader and the first telco to bring 5G services to Taiwan. Organised in partnership with the Philippines’ largest telco, PLDT, and Singapore based venture capital firms, Qualgro and KKFund, the APT 5G Accelerator 2022 aims to promote innovation and international exchange of ideas as well as inject creative talent into the industry.
The programme will make venture investments and match businesses with the goal of applying new ideas by incubating startup ventures that tap new 5G business opportunities.
A launchpad for startups creating solutions for the 5G era
APT believes that the era of telecom network competition has passed with the advent of 5G technology. The 5G era will be an era of application services competition, which will require cross-industry alliances and collaboration to introduce new services and capabilities across industries.
In order to facilitate the future development of Taiwan’s 5G infrastructure and associated applications, the APT 5G Accelerator is focused on strengthening startup acceleration and creating successful partnerships with enterprises.
By introducing venture capital funds and resources to outstanding entrepreneurial teams the accelerator is an ideal launchpad for deeptech startups creating 5G solutions using technologies such as VR, IoT, AI, Cloud and Big data. It also opens up opportunities for the startups to demonstrate their 5G solutions and undertake proof-of-concept testing and verification using infrastructures provided by APT and its foreign telecom partners.
Selected startups will receive guidance in establishing international partnerships and market expansion initiatives. With 5G+AIoT as the central theme, the programme is looking for teams innovating in sectors including but not limited to entertainment, medical care, and transportation.
Also read: In the age of e-commerce, complete and accurate data analytics is key
Further criteria for participating startups are to incorporate an entity in Taiwan within 2 months upon selection into the programme. Startups are required to meet the criteria as a Taiwan SME and register as a corporate. Startups are recommended to set up base in the new Linkou Venture Park and take advantage of the entrepreneurial environment.
With application registration closing last 25 April, applicants are subjected to the following selection criteria:
- Innovation and market feasibility of 5G products and services [40%]
- Startup company strategy and marketing strategy [20%]
- Professional and executive ability of startups [30%]
- New venture company economics, financial planning, and risk management [10%]
What can participating startups expect?
Selected startups get the chance to showcase their product and pitch their solutions to a panel of judges that include the region’s top telco companies and investor – with the aim of having a minimum of 3 startups winning investment deals from participating partners.
Apart from that, winning startups stand to win as much as NT$250,000 as well as a slew of other benefits that include Taiwan expansion assistance, showcase opportunities at domestic and foreign exhibitions, and access to a 5G lab to further develop their solutions. A special telecommunications award is given to the highest scoring startup selected by foreign telecommunications companies.
APT 5G Accelerator: bringing innovations to the market
In the previous edition of the 5G accelerator, 15 startups were selected from about 300 applicants. Seven local teams and eight overseas startups from countries like Singapore and Indonesia made up the participants.
Minimo Tech, a Smart IoT-powered retail platform that offers brands and companies a merged online and offline solution, won the Special Award from APT.
Participating startups in previous years have brought to market highly innovative products that include:
Hyper Immersion Technology that provides VR 360 panoramic video production technology with a proprietary VR360 real-time stitching software.
Cheng Jie Technology which has invented the “Witspal Smart Pen” and “Witspal Smart Case” — devices that link up via IoT in helping address nearsightedness among children, by combining computer vision with speech.
InnovArt Design — Its product, CarWink is an interactive internet-on-vehicle (IoV) consumer electronic gadget designed to reduce road rage, improve communication between vehicles, reduce cable mess, and personalise vehicle styles.
Also read: B2B tips: Doing business with large enterprises
OSENSE whose world-leading indoor positioning technology leverages image processing, computer vision, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality to provide indoor positioning and navigation with no GPS signals.
GranDen, which developed the VR music game “I’m ready to Fly”, and AR and location-based services social mobile game, AliGala.
Lichen Ads, a company offering mobile out-of-home digital advertising services leveraging the gig economy.
Ficus Data — an AIoT powered handwashing analysis that aims to help hospitals, clinics, schools, and other medical institutions maintain consistent hygiene standards and decrease the risk of infection.
Fonebud IoT, a mobile sharing assistant that integrates with WiFi hotspots, language translators, power banks, and up-to-date travel information to address usual travellers’ challenges.
Fleetroot which is a platform that enables businesses to rapidly deploy last-mile logistics, mobility, and fleet management solutions at scale.
For more information on programme details, registration criteria, and requirements, visit the APT 5G Challenge website.
– –
Photo by Timo Volz
– –
This article is produced by the e27 team, sponsored by Asia IOA
We can share your story at e27, too. Engage the Southeast Asian tech ecosystem by bringing your story to the world. Visit us at e27.co/advertise to get started.
The post 5G tech? All eyes on Taiwan appeared first on e27.