Last 19 to 24 June 2020, The Science & Technology Policy Research and Information Center (STPI), in partnership with 500 Startups, held the 2020 Vision Programme that gathered 25 tech teams in a rigorous boot camp that spanned four days. With 8 mentors, 6 guest speakers, and 8 workshops, the teams were exposed to practical training and mentorship sessions on pitch deck structure, storytelling, and shifts in the entrepreneurial mindset, among many others.
With a unique focus on navigating American laws, finance, marketing strategies, and a wide array of other related topics, the programme sought to gather startups that are equipped with stellar technical capabilities.
With the right set of teams undergoing rigorous training, the role of the Vision Programme is to ultimately help them garner new insights about working with different regions and prepare them to build connections globally.
The teams behind Vision Programme
STPI was created specifically as a support system for the Taiwan government’s technology-based policies. It is their mandate to help Taiwan address the growing demands of globalisation and the emerging knowledge economy.
In a nutshell, it functions as the main government think-tank for science and technology policy and the major platforms for incorporating Taiwan’s research communities whose primary mission is to empower Taiwan’s digital economy.
On the other hand, 500 Startups holds the reputation of being one of the most active global venture capital firms whose mission is to back the world’s most talented entrepreneurs and build thriving ecosystems worldwide.
As such, it is only fitting that the collaboration between the two institutions would result in what the Vision Programme attendees enthusiastically described to be “the best accelerator in Taiwan”.
What went down
“Taiwan does not have another programme like this. While others have classroom-style teaching formats that are theory-based, 500 Startups’ structure is very practical, hands-on, and fun,” shared the participating startups about their experience with the programme.
From a large pool of applicants that underwent a month-long intensive training under the programme, the number of tech teams was narrowed down to 25. These teams moved forward to the 4-day boot camp that happened in June.
From the 25, the programme selected 10 finalists from the pool of participants, 5 of which will be going to Singapore to work with e27, while the other 5 are flying to Silicon Valley to garner more global exposure.
The programme also boasts a stellar line up of speakers and mentors that included Co-founder and CEO of Smarter Me, Ee Ling, Entrepreneur in Residence at 500 Startups, Kenneth Low, and APAC Head of Innovation and Partnerships for 500 Startups, Thomas Jeng.
Also read: What a time to be in Taiwan!
Not only were the teams exposed to learning sessions spearheaded by industry experts, they were also engaged in one-on-one mentoring sessions. Moreover, the programme’s interactive and engaging forward allowed the budding tech teams to practice with each other and share constructive feedback from other teams.
This is a crucial element of the Vision Programme format: what ultimately sets it apart from other programmes in Taiwan is its practical and hands-on approach to learning, allowing participants to get a real-world taste of what it’s like to engage with global networks and tap markets beyond the familiarity of Taiwan.
At least year’s programme, STPI Director General, Dr. Yuh-Jzer Joung, explained that “research commercialisation refers to the process through which ideas or research are transformed into marketable products, capital gains, income from licenses and/or revenue from the sale of a new product.”
Operating under the same core vision, this year’s Vision Programme focused on teaching young startups how to translate their entrepreneurial ideas into actual commercial viability that transcends across global markets. With this, the project aims to promote a healthier and globally competitive startup ecosystem for Taiwan, and by extension, to support the country’s digital economy.
The 2020 STPI Vision Programme is currently in its fourth year.
Key learnings from the programme
With topics ranging from “The Art of Pitching” where teams are taught how to craft compelling narratives and communicating effectively when it comes to selling their ideas, to “Winning Pitch Decks” that allow teams to take a closer look at how successful pitches are rendered visually through a persuasive deck, the participating startups were able to enjoy a learning experience that struck a balance between practical approaches and theorisation.
“[We] have attended Berkeley’s Skydeck / Techstars / Plug and Play’s accelerator. and 500 Startups’ programme has been the most valuable because it is the closest to actually solving our business needs using very practical and specific guidance,” remarked the programme participants, calcifying Vision Programme’s commitment to helping young startups achieve their goals through experience-based, pragmatic learnings.
One participant earnestly shared, “even if I do not get selected in the Pitch Practice, I feel like I have learned something valuable in the short 4 days that I can use in the future.”
With STPI leveraging on leading researches and partnerships with universities to support local startups by promoting an ecosystem that welcomes enterprises, international startups, and investors, STPI and 500 Startups hope that the participating teams will be able to take the value of their learnings from the Vision Programme and bring it to a larger global audience while being able to contribute to Taiwan’s vibrant tech ecosystem.
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This article is produced by the e27 team, sponsored by STPI.
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