On August 23 (PST, August 22), Taoyuan Mayor Chang San-Cheng led a delegation to visit the world’s largest venture accelerator, Plug and Play. The company’s CEO and founder, Saeed Amidi, personally welcomed them and invited Mayor Chang to leave a message on the international celebrity wall. Following the visit, both parties jointly signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), aiming to leverage Plug and Play’s connection with Silicon Valley’s innovation energy to help Taoyuan startups expand into overseas markets, promote new technological advancements, drive internal corporate R&D transformation, and support the development of Taoyuan as Asia’s new Silicon Valley.
Mayor Chang led a delegation to the United States, aiming to promote Taoyuan’s investment environment internationally. During the exchange with Plug and Play, Mayor Chang also provided an overview of Taoyuan’s industrial dynamics and investment climate. This included transportation infrastructure, industrial supply chains, skilled workforce, streamlined one-stop investment services, as well as the Aerotropolis and the Asia Silicon Valley projects. These initiatives position Taoyuan as the first choice for foreign companies seeking to establish their Asia-Pacific headquarters, and offer favorable opportunities for investment cooperation in various domains, including talent and industries. With the signing of the MOU, Taoyuan also becomes the first city to directly sign an MOU with the founder of Plug and Play. This underscores the company’s recognition of Taoyuan’s development potential.
Mayor Chang emphasized that Taoyuan City Government aims to lay the foundation for cooperation to harness the innovation energy of Silicon Valley through signing the MOU with Plug and Play, the world’s largest venture accelerator. In the future, Taoyuan City Government, in partnership with Plug and Play, will help Taoyuan startups expand into overseas markets, promote new technological advancements, drive internal corporate R&D transformation, and foster a wider range of multinational and cross-disciplinary cooperation opportunities. This exchange not only facilitates more investment opportunities, but also enhances Taoyuan’s international competitiveness.
Saeed Amidi, CEO of Plug and Play, stated that since its founding in 2006, Plug and Play has worked with over 50,000 startups, facilitated more than 1,500 investments, and nurtured over 30 unicorns, including renowned companies such as Dropbox, PayPal, Lending Club, N26, and Honey. Saeed Amidi emphasized the intention to share Plug and Play’s successful experiences, case studies, and exchange of ideas, aiming to assist and support the vision of establishing Taoyuan as the Asia Silicon Valley.
The municipal investment delegation and Plug and Play discussed smart cities, the values of open innovation, as well as the challenges that governments face in fostering startup ecosystems, economic development, and youth education policies. In particular, Plug and Play showcased its successful experiences in smart cities, the Internet of Things (IoT), and aerospace domains. The Department of Economic Development and the Department of Youth introduced Taoyuan’s investment environment and policy direction, hoping that Plug and Play could facilitate investment and technology cooperation for Taoyuan, establish R&D centers, and further cooperate with local enterprises to build an innovative ecosystem on the basis of the MOU.