Audi Innovation Award winner, Oomii, invited to visit the Audi headquarters in Germany as part of an initiative by Audi and Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) to promote Taiwan’s new ventures internationally
New mobile era redefines the relationship between people and cars, creating a new pulse in the city
In recent years, the Taiwanese government and Taiwanese enterprises have continued to promote the development of tech innovations and have launched multi-faceted cooperation with Taiwanese startups. These institutions do this to strengthen the linkage and resource integration of the startup ecosystem and help startups reach the next milestone. One of the most eye-catching initiatives is the second Audi Innovation Award (AIA) competition that has given creative teams the opportunity to step onto the international stage. Audi is indeed intricately connected with the startup community in Taiwan. For example, it co-sponsored Horuseye Tech (now known as Oomii Inc.), one of the AIA winning teams this year, to visit Audi headquarters in Germany with Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA).
In the 2019 Meet Taipei Innovation and Entrepreneurship Carnival, the international business partner forum held by TTA also invited Audi Taiwan and Taiwanese startup Horuseye Tech to share their experiences. The multilateral cooperation with Taiwan’s industry players, government, and new ventures helps expand the pattern of Taiwan’s new venture circle and promote new ventures internationally.
Audi inspires innovations to unleash potential and helps Taiwan’s industry transformation
Taiwan has cultivated its expertise in the semiconductor and ICT (information and communication technology) industries in the past. Not only has Taiwan become an important player in the global supply chain but the country also has attracted the attention of Audi’s headquarters in Germany in terms of technology applications and R&D. “Evolving technology, defining the future” has always been the core brand value of Audi. In the first AIA competition last year, which provided a stage for Taiwan’s new startups to showcase their exclusive technology and creativity, Audi used the event to propose specific solutions for the future application scenarios of smart mobility. This proposal was brought back to Audi’s headquarters in Germany.
Huang Nan-xuan, Senior manager of public affairs at Audi Taiwan
“Audi hopes to play a bridge role in Taiwan and help Taiwan’s new ventures stand on the international stage,” said Huang Nan-xuan, senior manager of public affairs at Audi Taiwan. Taiwan’s new ventures generally have a reputation for mature technical skills, consequently the most urgently needed resource is the development of an international outlook, not necessarily skills. In this regard, Audi hopes to gain specific insights into the needs of Taiwan’s startup teams and gradually develop a more mature startup coaching mechanism to assist startups in implementing more specific and in-depth cooperation projects.
Wan Zhi-an, Audi Taiwan Digital Business Specialist
Audi Taiwan Digital Business Specialist, Wan Zhi-an, also responded that Audi is quite open to innovation and encourages startups to join the Audi mobile industry ecosystem. Audi uses the AIA platform to help new startups strengthen their own advantages from many aspects, such as the previously held “AIA Accelerated Feedback Workshop”, listening to the challenges faced by startups in the entrepreneurial process. Also, Audi allowed the winning team of the AIA competition to visit its headquarters in Germany, creating potential cooperative business opportunities for the future.
It is worth noting that TTA provided key resource assistance this time to the startup teams visiting the Audi headquarters in Germany. Huang said that Audi and TTA’s bilateral common goal is to lead Taiwan’s new ventures to connect with the world; after more than a year of close cooperation, the two parties have facilitated TTA to strongly sponsor Horuseye Tech and launch international opportunities for development.
TTA creates an entrepreneurial environment, attracting new opportunities for the startup environment
Qiu Qiu-hui, Director of the Ministry of Science and Technology Industry, and the Education and Industrial Park Business Department, claims that the Ministry of Science and Technology established TTA last year to promote innovation policies and create an environment more suitable for entrepreneurship. The goal is to increase connections with international resources for the innovation circle. Since its establishment, more than 200 startup ventures have settled in, half of which are from international teams. At the same time, the TTA fundraising has raised as much as NT$1.67 billion this year, which shows the potential of Taiwan’s startups and the expectations they carry.
Qiu Qiu-hui, Director of the Ministry of Science and Technology Industry, and the Education and Industrial Park Business Department
“Taiwan’s innovative energy is quite sufficient,” Qiu explained. He added that in addition to introducing international startup accelerators, he also actively leads teams to participate in international exhibitions. This year, TTA led a delegation to participate in CES, the largest international consumer electronics show in the United States, including 80 Taiwanese startups participating in the exhibition, which is the largest presence ever for Taiwanese organizations. During the CES this time, Taiwan won a total of 8 innovation awards, second only to France. In the global national team, it is obvious that Taiwan’s technological energy has reached the international stage.
Qiu went on to say that Taiwan’s startups currently lack international commercial cooperation and need to work harder in their business linking capabilities. Therefore, TTA continues to encourage startup teams to establish interactive channels with multinational enterprises, and promote external innovation of large-scale enterprises through innovative creative solutions, such as the AIA event held by Audi in Taiwan, which is where Taiwan startups can participate.
In addition, Qiu believes that Taiwan’s new ventures should adopt the “small country strategy” model. This model encourages organizations with limited resources to have the courage to knock on the door of international industry leaders. When a startup can propose unique intelligent mobile solutions, it will have the opportunity to become a key part of Audi’s supply chain. Not only to develop technical cooperation but also to cultivate the international thinking needed of startups to open up the global business horizon.
Taiwan’s startup training programs for its global ambitions
Bill Tseng, Commercial Director of Horuseye Tech (now known as Oomii Inc.)
Bill Tseng, Commercial Director of Horuseye Tech (now known as Oomii Inc.), who won the Audi Taiwan Prize and AUDI AG Prize, stated that “AIA is a platform that is quite suitable for new ventures to participate. With the assistance of Audi, we can examine whether the internal business model is accepted by the market. It also allows the external supply chain aware of our potential. Various business dialogues and cooperation possibilities started after participating in AIA.”
In addition, Tseng believes that the biggest difference between the AIA competition and the follow-up coaching mechanism created by Audi and other accelerators is that Audi is willing to listen to the real ideas of startups and constantly try various new cooperation models. Moreover, Audi seeks to implement all the assistance promised prior to the competition, which not only effectively reduces the insecurities of startups, but also enables startups to integrate internal resources and make the most effective business blueprints.
In addition to the Pitch training and practical advice provided by the practitioner during the finals, Tseng also mentioned that the visit to the Audi headquarters in Germany also brought many specific benefits to Horuseye Tech. As Horuseye mastered the original optical technology, which can be applied to automobile holographic developments, the visit also made clear of Audi’s needs. Tseng was motivated to think about the application opportunities of Horuseye’s technology and planted the seeds of future cooperation with Audi. Finally, Tseng gave some suggestions to other startup teams: “Clarify your goals before participating in AIA. Regardless of whether the competition is named or not, it is a very valuable experience.”
Audi Taiwan is expected to start a closer resource integration plan with TTA next year. Audi Taiwan and TTA will continue to work together to lead and provide global resources to help Taiwanese startups move towards the international stage.
Source: https://www.thenewslens.com/feature/audi2019/127857
