2019 Global Entrepreneurship Week celebrates innovation across Taiwan

A wide array of events were held during the 2019 Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) to celebrate innovation and entrepreneurship across Taiwan. Know-how and success stories were shared as aspiring entrepreneurs in Taiwan joined other participants worldwide to build a global entrepreneurial ecosystem.

With the support of 61 government agencies and institutions—including 22 startup incubators, 13 central government agencies, seven local government departments, 10 college and university partners, and nine institutions—a total of 55 entrepreneurship-related events took place across the island from November 18 to 24. The Small and Medium Enterprise Administration (SMEA) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs hosted SBIR Program Information Events, the SME Leadership and Business Succession Summit, SME Innovation and Digital Transformation, the Entrepreneurship Academy, the APEC Financial Opportunities Fair for Women-led MSMEs, and a lecture and counseling session in Kinmen County.

GEW is an international initiative launched by the Kauffman Foundation in 2008. It connects participants with entrepreneurial opportunities and encourages them to work together and brainstorm innovative ideas that provide solutions to existing problems. A total of 250,000 people have taken part in over 300 entrepreneurship-related events and activities hosted by the government and the private sector in Taiwan since we joined the initiative in 2010.

Kicking off the series of events on November 18 was a lecture entitled “Lessons from Failure: Things to Learn from Failed Startups.” The speaker shared the eight essential characteristics of a successful entrepreneur and discussed tests that can help people identify the type of entrepreneurs they are, so as to lower the failure rate. On November 19 and 20, representatives from ASEAN countries participated in the SME Leadership and Business Succession Summit. Well-known speakers from different fields were invited by the organizer and the American Institute in Taiwan to share with SMEs in Taiwan ways to embrace transformation and AI-based digitization and take advantage of available opportunities.

This year’s GEW focused on encouraging and accelerating female entrepreneurship, as this could have the same positive effect that the entry of women into the labor force had during the previous century. On November 20, a micro-entrepreneurship workshop was held for women, older people and residents from offshore islands who plan to create micro enterprises. Attendees learned about free entrepreneurship-related courses and counseling sessions as well as subsidies available to assist them in embarking on a successful entrepreneurship journey. This year, the SMEA also joined forces with Russia to organize the APEC Financial Opportunities Fair for Women-led MSMEs. By accessing capacity building platforms, female entrepreneurs can acquire financial resources, strategies and experience, and expand their networks to connect with international opportunities.

Useful workshops and lectures were held to train aspiring entrepreneurs. On November 21, the SMEA’s Entrepreneurship Academy held a lecture on entrepreneurship knowledge and skills to help startup teams or enterprises grow at a faster pace. The aim was to encourage people who have managerial responsibilities but lack business and management backgrounds to gain management knowledge and skills and thereby enhance company efficiency and productivity.

Those living in rural communities also had ample opportunities to realize their dreams of becoming an entrepreneur. On November 22, the Executive Yuan’s Startup Hub collaborated with the Kinmen County government, Kinmen Startup Hub, Taiwan Business Bank and Commerce Development Research Institute to host a lecture and counseling session in Kinmen to help local startups access available government resources.

The 2019 Maker Festival, held at the National Taiwan Science Education Center on November 23, featured a competition, an award ceremony, lectures, workshops, and other interesting activities, enabling visitors to experience the joy of being a maker. The 15 projects selected were displayed at a special exhibition.

On November 24, the GEW concluded with the IoT Innovative Application Annual Summit. This year’s summit, held in the form of a panel discussion, focused on information and communication security in the wake of the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT). The event introduced the basic concepts of web-based authentication, various types of benchmark applications, and ways to establish comprehensive information security mechanisms, allowing participants to acquire a better understanding of the importance of information security in the era of IoT.

Many other lectures, workshops and events were held during the GEW, with participants giving positive feedback. For those who missed this year’s event, be ready to participate in the 2020 GEW, which will be held from November 16 to 22, 2020. For more information, visit https://sme.moeasmea.gov.tw/startup/.