One of the main staples of InnoVEX is the matchmaking sessions; held as a way to start or cement partnerships between startups and VCs or CVCs. On September 30, InnoVEX held the InnoVEX ONLINE 2021 matchmaking session that lasted the entire day together with Startup Terrace. The event was joined by startups and VCs from a combined total of 12 countries and regions. By joining the online matchmaking session, InnoVEX exhibitors can connect with VCs from outside their local region who might have interest, insight, or ideas that match their needs.
The VCs that joined included: Depo Ventures of Czech Republic; TBV Capital from Malaysia; Pegasus Tech Ventures and Mountain Pacific Venture from the US; Global Startup Centre based in Fukuoka, Japan; Cherubic Venture from both US & Taiwan, as well as Mosaic Venture Lab, Orion Venture, Hive Venture, WK Innovation, Advantech from Taiwan.
During the matchmaking event, the VCs matched with startups from around the world that participated in InnoVEX as well as Startup Terrace; including startups from Belgium, Hong Kong, Hungary, Israel, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and the UK. Participants were almost equally split between local and international teams and companies, making for an internationally diverse participation that managed to gather innovation with insights and investments.
In total, the event had 40 matches between the startups with VCs and CVCs. The matchmaking session was held behind closed doors to ensure the privacy of both parties.
The online only session provided two benefits at the same time: to comply with the government mandated limitations of physical public gatherings; as well as to help both VCs and startups to connect with potential partners from more diverse areas. At the same time, the online matchmaking session also brought several interesting takeaways.
Online Offers Options & Opportunities
Conducted through an online meeting platform, the matchmaking session offered opportunities for both startups and VCs to match with options never before thought possible. In the matchmaking session, one of the VCs who were focused on the Asia region can match with European startups that have interest to go into Asian markets.
The matchmaking session also provided opportunities for new ideas to be considered as the VCs might have offered new insights or the startups may provide a point for the VC to consider. From the meeting, startups who previously thought about only going public might now consider M&A for their exit strategy. New considerations may appear from the results of the meetings to achieve growth together.
Matchmaking sessions can be a way to discover the necessary adjustments needed to make sure both startups and VCs can thrive from the development. For example, whether a startup can consider joining a particular accelerator or startup hub. VCs who have experience in a particular region might also point out potential issues with the startups’ growth strategy and point out areas where the local regulations would be more accommodating for their particular business.
Untapped Potentials are Everywhere
Matchmaking events are more than just a conversation starter between startups and their potential investors. Often it can also include a brief, yet intense coaching session where important questions are asked, untapped resources are uncovered, and future potentials are discovered.
Examples of said resources and potentials would include the startup team members’ experience, personal & professional network, education, and more. Often these valuable yet underutilized resources are not realized early; so the utilization might not be as high as it should be. At the same time, it is also important to remember that VCs who join matchmaking sessions are not only potential investors. They can also provide mentorship, partnership, professional networking, and critical insight that are unexpected, yet valuable for startups’ growth.
Look forward to more updates from InnoVEX
InnoVEX ONLINE 2021 matchmaking may have ended, but this is far from the end of it. Operating for the whole year, the InnoVEX ONLINE platform is active 24/7 and visitors can check out the exhibitors at any time and even contact them directly through the PinChat function built into the platform. There will also be news from InnoVEX regularly that will be published and sent via the weekly InnoVEX Tech Startup News digital newsletter. The content will also include highlighted exhibitors, pavilions, and other features of InnoVEX ONLINE 2021. Subscribe to the InnoVEX Tech Startup News here and never miss an update from InnoVEX.
InnoVEX 2022 is now open for Registration
In addition to online platform, 2022 InnoVEX onsite exhibition will take place in Taipei, Taiwan from May,24-27,2022. Registration has started via online. For more info or registration details, please see here.
About Startup Terrace
Startup Terrace has established as a major international startup hub in Taiwan and is supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Startup Terrace provides offices, housing, co-working space, an exhibition center, and other state-of-the-art facilities that make it the ideal place for startups to grow and develop. About 200 companies (21 accelerators included) are based in Startup Terrace currently. Please feel free to visit our official website, FB fan page to know more about us!