Taiwan continues to climb the ladder of success. The country has moved up one place in the Index and moved into the top 25 nations in the world. Taiwan and Norway are tied for first place in the overall rankings. Taiwan remains in 7th place in the Asia-Pacific region. Taipei, ranked 47th, remains one of the top 50 cities in the world despite its downward trend. The Hardware & IoT sector in Taipei has good news, rising to seventh place globally. In the highly competitive Asia-Pacific, Taipei is the 15th-ranked ecosystem.
Taiwan’s rise in the rankings can be attributed to many second- and third-tier Taiwanese ecosystems, all of which experienced significant improvements in their rankings, in addition to the loss of Brazil.
The existence of all these ecosystems demonstrates that Taiwan’s startup landscape is not limited to Taipei.
Taiwan has a reputation for innovation; before China opened its doors to the global economy, Taiwan produced a large share of the world’s manufactured goods. Thanks to global demand for IT exports and Taiwan’s wise restraint measures, the nation maintained its growth trajectory during the COVID-19 epidemic. With so many amazingly large tech companies in Taiwan, such as Foxconn and Asus, the ecosystem has a distinct advantage in all things hardware. The staggering TSMC, the world’s most valuable semiconductor company, is the most strategically important Taiwanese corporation.
Taiwan’s shift towards startups is yielding positive results, in line with the country’s historical success with international companies.
Major government agencies, such as the Taiwan Tech Arena, are making significant investments to create and promote the country’s start-up environment through programs such as the Entrepreneur Visa and the Employment Gold Card, which seek to attract foreign talent.
Since Taiwan’s domestic market is too small for companies to focus on, it focuses on global integration with other startup ecosystems. Unlike nations with huge populations such as China and India, which focus entirely on domestic solutions. In 2021, after going public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Appier became Taiwan’s first digital unicorn and experienced its first IPO. More companies have since achieved unicorn status, including 91App, Just Kitchen and Gogoro. Global tech industry giants such as Google and Microsoft have established data and research centers in Taiwan.
One of the difficulties currently facing Taiwan is moving from a hardware-based economy to being a knowledge and information hub. Although we anticipate that as the nation adopts more measures to support entrepreneurship, more people will choose entrepreneurship over secure employment. As more Taiwanese entrepreneurs succeed, attitudes will change to produce a critical mass of thriving startups that will choose to scale and internationalize. Prominent Taiwan-based tech personalities such as Ben Thompson of Stratechery and Steve Chen, co-founder of YouTube, are a good sign of the nation’s attractiveness.
Taipei, Taiwan
KKday is a Taiwanese travel and experience platform that connects travelers with authentic local tours and activities. The company was founded in 2014 by Cindy Yeh and Oliver Wang, and is headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. KKday has more than 1,000 employees and operates in more than 20 countries. In 2022, KKday generated $100 million in revenue, a 100% increase over the previous year. The company’s growth is being driven by the increasing demand for authentic and unique travel experiences, as well as the expanding middle class in Asia.
KKday’s target customers are millennials and Generation Z travelers looking for authentic and unique travel experiences. The company’s customers tend to be young, tech-savvy and value experiences over material possessions. KKday’s main competitors are other online travel platforms, such as Klook, Viator and GetYourGuide. These companies offer similar products and services to KKday and compete on price, selection and customer service.
KKday’s growth strategy is to expand its product offering, enter new markets and attract new customers. KKday is one of Asia’s leading online travel platforms. The company is well positioned for further growth in the coming years as more and more people turn to online platforms to book travel experiences.
Taipei, Taiwan
Vpon is a Taiwanese big data company that provides mobile advertising solutions to businesses across Asia. The company was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. Vpon has more than 500 employees and operates in more than 10 countries, generating $100 million in revenue in 2022, a 100% increase over the previous year.
Vpon’s clients include some of the world’s leading brands, such as McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and American Express. The company’s clients are typically companies that want to reach a mobile audience in Asia, which is a fast-growing market. In 2022, the mobile advertising market in Asia was worth $100 billion, and is expected to grow to $200 billion by 2025. The company’s main competitors are other big data companies, such as Appier, InMobi and Opera Mediaworks. These companies offer similar products and services to Vpon, and compete on price, technology and customer service. Vpon is well positioned to compete with these companies, as it has a strong growth track record, a large customer base and a solid technology platform.”
Vpon’s growth strategy is to expand its product offering, enter new markets and attract new customers. The company is also investing in technology to improve its products and services. This growth strategy will help Vpon continue to grow its business and become a leading big data company in Asia.
Taipei City
M17 Entertainment is a leading digital entertainment provider in Asia. Joseph Phua founded the company in 2014. It offers a wide range of products and services:
- a mobile gaming environment
- a talent management company
- a production company
M17 Entertainment is a distribution platform with offices in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines with a special focus on Southeast Asia. The company, which employs more than 200 people, is backed by investors such as Sequoia Capital and SoftBank.
The revenue streams that comprise M17 Entertainment’s business strategy include:
- Advertising
- App Store Purchases
- Licenses
- Content distribution
The Company’s primary source of revenue is its mobile gaming platform. The gaming platform offers a wide range of games, including social, casual and hyper-casual games. In addition, M17 Entertainment derives revenue from licensing, content distribution and in-app purchases.
Southeast Asian youth are M17 Entertainment’s main target audience. The company creates games and material with this audience in mind. To reach its target audience, M17 Entertainment also collaborates with regional companies.
M17 Entertainment’s marketing plan focuses on Internet platforms such as social media and search engine optimization. To advertise its games and content, the company also collaborates with regional influencers. M17 Entertainment has succeeded in establishing a strong brand and attracting a sizeable user base.
As a privately held company, M17 Entertainment’s financial results are not made public. However, the company has expanded rapidly and is expected to continue to do so in the coming years.
Other Asian digital entertainment providers, such as Garena and Tencent, compete with M17 Entertainment. However, M17 Entertainment has a number of advantages that enable it to differentiate itself from its competitors. These advantages consist of:
- Emphasis on Southeast Asia
- Various games and content options
- A strong brand
- A productive marketing plan
M17 Entertainment has plenty of room for expansion. The company can increase its customer base in Southeast Asia and in new markets such as China and India. M17 Entertainment can increase the variety of games and content it offers. M17 Entertainment is a leading digital entertainment provider in Asia. The company has a sound business concept, a defined target market and an effective marketing plan. M17 Entertainment is well positioned to grow in the coming years.
Lima, Peru
Crehana is an online learning platform that offers classes on various topics, such as business, marketing and design. Diego Piacentini and Miguel Carranza launched the company in Peru in 2013. Since then, Crehana has grown to include Taiwan, Mexico and Colombia. The subscription model is the foundation of Crehana’s business strategy. For a monthly or annual fee, users can join Crehana and access its library of more than 1,000 courses. To allow consumers to test the platform before subscribing, Crehana also offers a free trial.
The Internet channels used by Crehana for marketing, including social networks and SEO, are its main focus. To promote its courses, the company also collaborates with universities and other institutions. Crehana has succeeded in creating a powerful brand and attracting a considerable user base. As a private company, Crehana’s financial results are not made public. However, the company has expanded rapidly and is expected to continue to do so in the coming years.
Other online learning sites such as Udemy and Coursera compete with Crehana. Crehana, on the other hand, offers a number of advantages that allow it to stand out from its competitors. These advantages consist of:
- A clear emphasis on Latin America
- A range of Spanish and English
- Affordable classes
- An accessible platform
The prospects for Crehana’s progress are numerous. The company can increase its user base in Latin America and penetrate other areas, such as the United States and Europe. Crehana can increase the scope of its offering by adding additional features and courses.
Crehana is the leading online education provider in Latin America. The company has a solid business concept, a defined target market and an effective marketing plan. In the coming years, Crehana is well positioned for sustained expansion.