Boston, October 31, 2019 – Bridge to MassChallenge Taiwan, an international startup competition that identifies and accelerates the top healthcare, high tech, clean tech, and social impact startups in the world, today announced the top three prize-winning startups of its 2019 program: Team 8 (France), Weav-Air (Canada), and Water (Taiwan).
The top three startups will now participate in MassChallenge’s in-person judging round for the 2020 accelerators in Boston or Israel:
Team 8: Makes a connectable watch for kids combining fun, health, education and security.
Weav-Air: Offers advanced sensors & predictive analytics solution to save energy & reduce costs of high value air distribution systems.
ID Water: Focuses on creating unmanned shrimp farms using AI and IOT, assisting farmers increase productivity and yield.
Bridge to MassChallenge (B2MC) Taiwan is a collaboration between MassChallenge and Startup Terrace Taiwan. The inaugural program began in March of 2019 when over 200 international startups applied to participate in the program. The top 14 applicants, representing teams from Taiwan, India, France and Canada were selected in April.
These startups participated in the B2MC Taiwan program at Startup Terrace an intensive bootcamp and four-month acceleration program in Taiwan, during which they received assistance including free accommodation, co-working space in Taiwan, mentoring from top local & international experts and access to Taiwanese ICT manufacturing, insurance-tech, healthcare and agri-food resources. The program culminated in a final, intensive week-long bootcamp at MassChallenge headquarters in Boston. In addition to the boot camp curriculum and mentorship, the startups also had the opportunity to network with experts, investors and startups from the Boston ecosystem at a networking reception hosted at Avison Young by Bill Crean, who serves as a Principal in their Consulting and Advisory division based in Boston.
Director Shih-Chien Lei of the Business Startup and Incubation Division at SMEA, MOEA, came to MassChallenge HQ to unveil the Startup Terrace plaque as a MassChallenge platinum partner.
“Startup Terrace aims to serve as an innovation base for global startups in Asia,” Director Lei said. “We are very pleased to partner with MassChallenge to support global entrepreneurs through B2MC Taiwan, as MassChallenge’s global network successfully helps us to attract startups with great talent, technology and innovation power.”
“MassChallenge’s partnership with Startup Terrace helps global startups leverage Taiwan’s well-known manufacturing industry, business resources, and talent to explore opportunities in Asia,” said Brittany McDonough Senior Director of Global Partnerships. “We look forward to working closely with the Finalists and are excited to help them make a big impact in the world!”
MassChallenge entered the partnership with Taiwan Startup Terrance, under the support of Taiwan’s Small and Medium Enterprise Administration (SMEA), Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), to support global entrepreneurs and launch the B2MC Taiwan program.
About Bridge to MassChallenge
Bridge to MassChallenge strengthens innovation ecosystems and drives the creation of high-quality jobs by supporting entrepreneurs and connecting them to MassChallenge’s global network. The program collaborates with local entities to understand the potential and strategic value of their unique ecosystem, empowers them to build their own innovation communities, and connects them to global markets.
About MassChallenge
MassChallenge is a global network of zero-equity startup accelerators. Headquartered in the United States with locations in Boston, Israel, Mexico, Rhode Island, Switzerland and Texas, MassChallenge is committed to strengthening the global innovation ecosystem by supporting high-potential startups across all industries, from anywhere in the world. To date, more than 2,300 MassChallenge alumni have raised more than $5 billion in funding, generated more than $2.7 billion in revenue and created more than 136,000 total jobs. Learn more about MassChallenge at masschallenge.org.
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