Investment in Taiwan’s start-ups is expected to hit a new record for last year and this year, surpassing NT$100.2 billion (US$3.17 billion) in 2024 primarily in the healthcare, biotechnology and electronics hardware sectors, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.
The NT$100.2 billion investment was the highest in about 10 years, indicating that the growth momentum in the nation’s start-up ecosystem continues to expand, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Ho Chin-tsang (何晉滄) told a news conference about a white paper on start-up development.
Taiwan’s start-up sector has continued to expand in scale and investment, while export performance has also improved significantly, the ministry said in the white paper.
Photo: CNA
Exports from start-ups last year were expected to exceed 2024 levels and would continue to grow this year, supported by strong performance in major overseas markets, Small and Medium Enterprise Startup Administration Director-General Lee Guann-jyh (李冠志) said.
Start-up exports expanded 29.3 percent year-on-year to NT$147.9 billion last year, with Southeast Asia recording the strongest growth at 125.48 percent, followed by Japan at 46.73 percent, while exports to the US rose 11.75 percent, the ministry said.
Taiwan’s export orders totaled US$743.73 billion last year, leaving substantial opportunities for start-ups, particularly in the US, Lee said.
Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, North America and Europe would also remain key regions for the government’s promotion of start-up exports, he said.
Local start-ups last year expanded their reach to international markets through electronic components, materials, communications systems, servers, and system integration and related equipment, he said.
By sector, local start-ups are shifting their focus to the green transformation and digital applications from hardware manufacturing, Ho said.
Those companies showed strong interest in energy, sustainability, financial services and artificial intelligence, underscoring local start-ups’ move toward high-tech, high-value-added development, he said.
Funding measures included the National Development Fund’s Angel Investment Program, Loans for Startup Funding for Young Entrepreneurs and the Small Business Innovation Research program, he added.
This year, the ministry is to expand research and development subsidies for small enterprises and start-ups, while also strengthening support for local start-up incubators and innovation institutions — particularly in smart manufacturing, healthcare and renewable energy, Ho said.
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