Taiwan Signs the gAsia Pass Digital Entrepreneur Card Initiative Framework with Six Asia-Pacific Markets
Taiwan Linkou Startup Terrace to Serve as a Startup Base for Entrepreneurs in APAC
TAIPEI, Taiwan, Oct. 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The "gAsia Pass Digital Entrepreneur Card" is a first-ever startup resource sharing initiative for APAC entrepreneurs. Taiwan Association of Young Entrepreneurs (NAYE), and the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) have proposed the initiative, which is supported by six GEN Asia markets, including Taiwan, India, Indonesia, Thailand, New Zealand and South Korea.
The gAsia Pass embodies Taiwan's "Southbound Policy" to co-develop the APAC region with other Asian markets. Linkou's Startup Terrace, an initiative by the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration (SMEA) of the "Ministry of Economic Affairs" (MOEA) to transform the 2017 Taipei Summer Universiade Athlete's Village into an international startup campus, will serve as the "living lab" for Asian entrepreneurs.
The managing directors of the six GEN Asia members signed the gAsia Pass initiative cooperation framework, which was witnessed by authoritative organization representatives. In addition, Taiwan and India, represented by NAYE and the GEN Asia Executive Committee, signed the first agreement for sharing resource for startups, indicating the first international entrepreneurial platform for APEC entrepreneurs was formally established in Taiwan.
Jonathan Ortmans, President of GEN; Eugene Cornelius Jr., Senior Advisor to the Office of International Trade, US Small Business Administration (SBA); Anna Roy, NITI Aayog Consultant; Ming-Hsin Kung, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs; Dr. Ming-Ji Wu, Director General of the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration (SMEA), and MOEA; H.C.Hsu, Chairman of Board of NAYE, were also on hand to express their support.
Jonathan Ortmans, Chairman of GEN, believes that the development of a new, international ecosystem will play a very important role in the future of Taiwan, and will become the most innovative and influential platform in the Asia-Pacific region. Its purpose is to integrate and exchange talent, resources and funds among cooperating nations in the Asia-Pacific region.
The MOEA has affirmed that Taiwan authorities are fully committed to fostering startups and small and medium-sized enterprises. The MOEA hopes to use the gAsia Pass's cross-border cooperation mechanism to create new R&D energy and excitement to develop new industries, including the AI + IoT digital economy.
The positive cycle of entrepreneurial resources, talent and opportunities is designed to lead Taiwanese SMEs to escalate their innovation and transformation, raising foreign and domestic investment of NT$30 billion, with a goal of 1,500 international startups.
H.C.Hsu, Chaiman of the Board of NAYE -- the organization that won the sponsorship rights to GEC+ Taipei 2018 -- noted that his association will play the role of gAsia Pass Executive Secretary in the future, which should help smooth the flow of visas, funds, resources and talent among entrepreneurs in participating markets.
Taiwan has always been known for its ICT value chain and its strength in integrating hardware and software. The Linkou Startup Terrace, combines office space, accommodations, rental incentives, and other subsidies to select domestic and international accelerators and startups, and provides one-stop service to assist new entrepreneurs in handling administrative procedures such as visas and company registration. It will be home to the first startup living lab in Asia.
The gAsia Pass initiative is a successful model of public and private partnership. Specifically, the initiative originates from the civil sector, and receives support from the local authorities and the industry. The initiative will not only create multilateral cross-border cooperation with a pioneering spirit of co-creating the Asia-Pacific entrepreneurial ecosystem, but will also strengthen the entire regional economy.
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