Taoyuan City Mayor Chang Shan-Cheng attended the award ceremony for the first “THack Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition” on the afternoon of the 22nd. Mayor Chang stated that the first “THack Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition” in Taoyuan started in September of the previous year (2023), attracting 61 teams from across Taiwan to register. The list of winners was announced today, with a total of 10 teams receiving awards and sharing a total prize pool of over TWD 1 million. Mayor Chang pointed out that Taoyuan is the city with the most potential for developing youth entrepreneurship. After taking office, he actively coordinated with various departments to assist start-up teams guided by the Development of Youth Affairs. He took the lead in trying out innovative products and services. Creative energy has been injected into Taoyuan, and many cases are currently being tested in related fields, establishing close collaboration between the start-up industry and the government and further promoting the development of a smart city.
The first “THack Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition” with the theme “Technology Can Evolve the Future” not only collaborated with two multinational enterprises, AMD and HTC, to mentor the finalist teams but also created opportunities for cooperation between local Taiwanese start-up teams and multinational enterprises. It attracted active participation from start-up teams through innovative formats and substantial rewards. The event also integrated with the Taoyuan Youth Entrepreneurship Forum, themed “Broaden Perspectives, Expand the Future—Utilize Tools to Enter New Overseas Markets.” The forum invited international-level speakers and panelists, including Edgar Chiu, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of SparkLabs Taiwan, a startup accelerator, Anna Yen, CEO of Athemaster, a leading brand in data services, and Philippe Tzou, Commercial Representative of Wallonia and Brussels in the Belgian Office Taipei.