Organizer: Small and Medium Enterprise and Startup Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA)

Execution Team: FINDIT Team, Research Division VI, Taiwan Institute of Economic Research

Event Partners: Business Incubation Center, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology; Executive Operation Office for Industry-Academia Cooperation, Chung Yuan Christian University; CardinalRain Inc.; KPMG Startups and Innovation Group; Taipei Computer Association (TCA)

Date & Time: Wednesday, November 6, 2024, 1:20 PM–5:00 PM (Registration starts at 1 PM)

Venue: Meeting Rooms 3-5, 2nd Floor, Taipei World Trade Center Hall 1 (2F, No. 5, Section 5, Xinyi Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City)

Event Highlight Video: https://to.findit.org.tw/6vnlt9

Target Invitees: Individual angel investors (with recent investment in startups), angel investment institutions, venture capital firms (including bank-affiliated VCs), strategic investment institutions, private equity funds, management consulting firms, domestic and international accelerators (with the capacity to invest in startups)

Event Introduction

From 2015 to 2018, the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER) was commissioned by the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration, MOEA, to implement the “SME Value Innovation Program.” This was followed by the “Innovative Financing Intelligent Support Program” from 2019 to 2022. Since 2023, TIER has been executing the “Optimization of Early-Stage Investment Knowledge Sharing and Innovative Application Platform Program,” aimed at enhancing market transparency and improving information efficiency. Throughout these successive programs, the overarching goal has been to reduce entrepreneurial and investment risks caused by information asymmetry and to enhance the ability to identify opportunities in innovation and entrepreneurship. As part of these efforts, TIER launched the early-stage funding database “FINDIT” and has hosted a range of events, including matchmaking conferences, fundraising sharing sessions, and early-stage investment forums. These programs, combining online database and offline events, seek to strengthen the fundraising environment and stimulate the early-stage investment capital market.

From 2015 through the end of September 2024, the programs have achieved notable results, including 41 matchmaking events, with a total of 639 startup participations and 1,970 investor attendances. These events created 20,345 matchmaking opportunities and facilitated 179 deals. Of the 150 deals with disclosed deal amounts, total funding exceeded NT$4.27 billion. On average, one in every four participating startups secured investment, resulting in an overall success rate of approximately 30%, with 20% of the successful deals directly facilitated through the events or support provided by the programs.

This 2024 FINDIT Winter Matchmaking Conference served as a platform for connecting promising startups with investors. Incubators and their recommended startup teams were invited to present their businesses and fundraising plans. Investors were invited to participate, engage with startups, and foster valuable networking opportunities. The event was designed to align with the program’s mission of helping entrepreneurial teams secure essential funding for growth.

The event began with opening remarks from FINDIT team, outlining the goals and agenda. This was followed by presentations from five partnering organizations, including the Business Incubation Center of National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, the Executive Operation Office of Industry-Academia Cooperation at Chung Yuan Christian University, CardinalRain Inc., KPMG Startups and Innovation Group, and the Taipei Computer Association. Twelve outstanding startups then took the stage to pitch their products and fundraising plans, delivering a dynamic and content-rich session.