TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Dutch startup Luxexcel on Wednesday (July 21) beat out five other Netherland-based competitors in an online pitch contest to win a slot in a soft-landing program, allowing it to explore potential business opportunities in Taipei.
The virtual competition, co-hosted by the Netherlands Office Taipei, Netherlands Enterprise Agency, and Taipei City Government, was organized as part of an online event that invited a Dutch delegation of startups to Taiwan’s InnoVex convention. More than 100 members from the Dutch and Taiwanese startup communities were present, according to a Netherlands Office Taipei press release.
The jury consisted of TK Chen (陳庭寬), CEO and co-founder of FunNow; Arthur Chen (陳彥諭), managing partner at BE Health Ventures; Yan Lee (李彥樞), founder and managing partner at Hive Ventures; Vincent Wang (王韋中), managing partner and chairman of Sunsino Venture Group; Noel Chan (陳聖賢), associate director of Drive Catalyst; and Ted Chang, CTO of Quanta Computer (張嘉淵).
During the event, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said cooperation between Taipei and the Netherlands has expanded to various fields with the help of multiple memorandums of understanding, especially in innovation and startup exchanges with Eindhoven.
Eindhoven Mayor John Jorritsma said that he has seen a lot of cooperation between Dutch and Taiwanese companies while leading delegations to the East Asian country. He highlighted the partnership between a Dutch startup specializing in chip-cooling technology and Taiwanese motherboard-manufacturing giant Gigabyte as a primary example.
Meanwhile, Netherlands Office Taipei head Guido Tielman said that he hoped this online event is a sign of future in-person exchanges.
Luxexcel, which produces the world’s first 3D-printed prescription lenses, was granted a spot in a Taipei soft-landing program by Commissioner Lin Chung-Chieh from the city's Department of Economic Development. This gives the lens startup a free shared working space at t-hub, the largest incubator in Taiwan, and provides opportunities for media features and events for funding and matchmaking, per the press release.
The five other competitors included Dimenco, manufacturer of the world’s first simulated reality and 3D display in 8K; SecuMailer, which provides GDPR-compliant email solutions; Absolute Audio Labs, which utilizes software to develop hearing enhancement technology; Roader Media, which produces cameras that automatically record 10 seconds of video prior and after being turned on; and Orange Quantum Systems, which creates custom software and hardware solutions for quantum physics and quantum technology research.
