ABOUT US | Startup Island TAIWAN

ORIGIN &
BACKGROUND

Startup Island TAIWAN, the national startup brand of Taiwan, lowers barriers for Taiwan’s startups to enter global markets. Through our extensive network and partnerships across Japan, Korea, Singapore, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the United States, we bridge Taiwan’s startups to partners and communities that matter for boosting their global business, creating a platform for globalized innovation.

In the past decade, Taiwan’s startup ecosystem has been on an upward trajectory, gaining international recognition and achieving remarkable success. With this backdrop, the National Development Council (NDC) wanted to create a unified identity system to represent the overall image of Taiwan's startup ecosystem.

To find the foundations of Taiwan's innovation and entrepreneurship DNA, the NDC held meetings and workshops with startup communities, key opinion leaders, and other government agencies. After rounds of discussions with stakeholders across the startup ecosystem, the NDC and the community co-created the national startup brand, Startup Island TAIWAN.

ABOUT THE
NATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
COUNCIL

The National Development Council (NDC) is the top policy-making body of the Taiwan government, responsible for planning and coordinating the nation’s overall development. As the primary architect of Taiwan’s economic strategy, the NDC plays a pivotal role in fostering Taiwan’s world-class startup ecosystem. The National Development Council has launched several key initiatives to support both local and international entrepreneurs, including:

- National Branding: Launching Startup Island TAIWAN as the unified national startup brand to represent the island’s innovation on the global stage.

- Policy Coordination: Drafting regulations to improve the fundraising environment and ease talent acquisition.

- Talent Attraction: Implementing the Taiwan Employment Gold Card program to simplify work and residency for high-level foreign professionals.

- Financial Support: Managing the National Development Fund (NDF) to invest in promising startups and venture capital firms.

The NDC co-created Startup Island TAIWAN with the startup community to bridge the gap between Taiwan’s tech-heavy industrial past and its innovation-driven future. By centralizing resources and creating a unified identity, the NDC ensures that Taiwanese startups have the institutional backing and global visibility needed to expand beyond domestic borders.

Taiwan is a society of diversity, tolerance, and freedom. Taiwan has long been an important partner in the global hi-tech industries, and many entrepreneurs have built their business empires on the island from scratch. With innovative and creative ideas taking root on the island, Taiwanese startups will continue to excel from zero to one and turn new challenges into tremendous opportunities and possibilities.

Startup Island TAIWAN symbolizes a journey from a startup island to the international arena. It demonstrates to the world the strong ambition and capabilities of Taiwan startup companies as well as their intention and ability to contribute to other startup ecosystems around the world. In partnership with the community, Startup Island TAIWAN is shaping Taiwan into the innovation and entrepreneurship destination for innovation for startups all over the world, and also a launchpad to expand globally.

The logo of Startup Island TAIWAN is of abstract mountains reflected in the ocean. The image also symbolizes infinity and DNA, which reflect the unlimited dynamism that Taiwan startups possess and the entrepreneurship that exists in the genes of Taiwan’s people. As for the auxiliary designs which correspond to the four colors of the logo, the images of mountains and the ocean depict Taiwan’s rugged terrain, representing leading edge technology and the adventurous spirit of Taiwanese entrepreneurs, respectively. The dancing butterfly represents Taiwan's cultural diversity, while the light bulb stands for Taiwan's endless creativity.