The Taipei City Government’s Department of Economic Development invited foreigners wanting to set up a business in the city to participate in its entrepreneurship counseling program, whereby applicants can receive free counseling for their business plans.
Department Commissioner Lin Chong-chieh (林崇傑) said the program was initiated to create opportunities for foreigners based in Taipei to establish start-ups and help them gain a better understanding of the regulations.
The program, launched in August last year, was contracted to private counseling firm Enspyre and cost the city government NT$900,000, High Tech Promotion Center director Chuang Mei-hung (莊玫紅) said.
Enspyre chief executive officer Elias Ek said that although the city government started accepting applications in English, it is not receiving enough applications from foreigners.
Ek said the environment for entrepreneurs has changed dramatically over the 17 years he has been in Taiwan and Taipei now has a “super vibrant” start-up community and promised to make Taipei an “even better place to start a business.”
Ek has presided over a workshop, the second since the program was launched, attended by representatives from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Taipei and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry France Taiwan.
Chuang said that foreigners who sign up for the program can bring their questions to Enspyre, and that participants requiring help with legal procedures would be referred to the department.
Chuang said that about 10 applicants had registered for the program since its launch.
She said that one of the program’s purposes is to help foreign entrepreneurs obtain subsidies under a city bylaw of between NT$1 million and NT$5 million (US$29,761 and US$148,809).
Department division chief Hsu Yu-na (徐玉娜) said that a foreigner must be registered as a Taipei resident to be eligible for the subsidies.
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