The "We Innovators Partners and Funds" initiative announced two new investors, namely Inventec and AUO, both known as ICT icons, in addition to three financial holding groups. Kuo-yi Yeh, founder of Inventec, and Frank Ko, president of AUO, participated in the National Innovation Award 2023 awarding ceremony on 27 December with their commitment to forging biomedical entrepreneurship, innovation and globalisation.

Time and money that matter the most

Kuo-yi Yeh (left), founder of Inventec, joined We Innovators Partners and Funds

  Frank Ko (left), president of AUO, joined We Innovators Partners and Funds 

Pan-chyr Yang, convenor of the National Innovation Award Committee, said at the ceremony that the challenge for startups has always been time to market, which can typically take more than a decade, especially for those focusing on pharmaceuticals. And that is what the initiative aims to address by channelling funding sources into the development and scaleup of biomedical startups.

We Innovators Partners and Funds initiative is set to fund the R&D and business expansion that startups look to expedite but often stagnate under financial strain. As of 1 December, the first call to join the initiative was answered by Cathay Financial Holding Co. Ltd., Fubon Financial Holding Co., Taishin Holdings, and Realtek Semiconductor Corp., and Inventec and AUO have now responded, Yang added.

Over 2,500 cases evaluated, of which 172 are now in business

And three missions of the 2024 National Innovation Award were articulated during the ceremony, pertaining 1) widening the pool of applicants, 2) creating a biomedical investor matching platform, and 3) delivering the value of Demo Day.

The award ceremony honoured 193 teams representing corporates, startups, R&D institutes, hospitals, and academia.

Award winners