2023-08-11

Big Milestone, HYPE GVA Taiwan 10th Cycle Demo Day

The “2023 HYPE Global Virtual Accelerator (GVA) Taiwan 10th Cycle Demo Day”, organized by the Sports Administration (SA) of the Ministry of Education (MOE) and commissioned to National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU), took place on August 11th, 2023. The event welcomed three ASPN (APEC Sport Policy Network) member countries’ international accelerator representatives and over 30 industry, government, and academia delegates as judges. A total of 16 sports innovation teams from the UK, Thailand, India, Singapore, Malaysia, and Taiwan gathered at Taipei Syntrend to witness a significant milestone of the 10th cycle of the program.

The event also witnessed the signing of the MOU between the executing unit of NYCU, IAPS (Center of Industry Accelerator and Patent Strategy), and global cultivation partners, Malaysia’s BEYOND4 and Singapore’s BlackStorm Consulting, along with discussions on Southeast Asian sports technology trends. This was followed by the competition among outstanding sports innovation startups from Southeast Asia and Taiwan. More than 10 startups showcased their achievements, highlighting the potential of Taiwan’s sports technology.

Supported by the SA, MOE, the HYPE GVA Taiwan program continues to facilitate international exchanges in the sports industry. It actively collaborates with various sports technology accelerator startups in Southeast Asia. In addition to signing cooperation agreements with BEYOND4 and BlackStorm Consulting, the event also featured discussions on Southeast Asia’s sports technology development and trends. This forum involved BEYOND4 CEO Rubaneswaran S T, BlackStorm Consulting’s Jeslin Bay, and Sarah Jane Fabito, Partnerships Manager at the Philippines’ QBO Innovation Hub, discussing insights from market size and international resources sharing. Furthermore, the recommended sports innovation teams from BEYOND4 and BlackStorm Consulting, including Fokuz.GK from Malaysia and Vibefam from Singapore, engaged in an sports innovation Global Demo Show against HYPE GVA Taiwan’s alumni – CREST from the 7th cycle, which received the Sports Administration award, and Ness Wellness from the 8th cycle, also a Sports Administration award recipient. Four startups delivered excellent presentations and finally, CREST and Ness Wellness won this battle for Team Taiwan.

Following this, the panel discussion in afternoon was led by Volker Heistermann, Managing Director of Mosaic Venture Lab, featuring exceptional HYPE GVA Taiwan alumni, including Space Capsule with intelligent sensor clothing, 3T Magic with smart table tennis rackets, and AQUIVIO with innovation beverage. The conversation revolved around sharing their competitive advantages in the international arena and opportunities for future collaboration.

HYPE GVA Taiwan has successfully coached 104 sports innovation startups from 22 countries in 2018 and assisted in fundraising nearly 28 million USD. In this 10th cycle, the startups presented a diverse range of products, including VR sports experiences, AI-assisted training, innovative nutrition products, and sports equipment rental platforms. Through online and offline scoring by judges from the fields of investment, sports industry, business high-level management, and media, Taiwan startups, Naked and Funique won the Sports Administration Award, while One Hundred from the UK and AIFIT from Taiwan received the IAPS Award. Pajo from Taiwan and Fantopy from Thailand were honored with the HYPE Award. HYPE GVA Taiwan’s 10th cycle Demo Day concluded with the strong support of numerous sports industry professionals and innovative startups. It is hoped that Taiwan’s sports technology innovation startups will continue to make their mark on the international stage, showcasing their innovative power and enhancing opportunities for international collaboration.