The Small and Medium Enterprise and Startup Administration (SMESA) stated that, in order to cultivate women-led startups with international competitiveness, the Taiwan Women Entrepreneurship Academy, a program specially designed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs for women entrepreneurs, is now accepting applications until 5:00 p.m. on April 8. The Academy aims to help women business owners overcome entrepreneurial growth bottlenecks, strengthen their business strategies and fundraising capabilities, and accelerate their expansion into international markets. Women representatives of startups established within the past eight years are encouraged to apply, particularly those focused on application areas such as artificial intelligence, health and medical technology, and green sustainability technology, or those with strong potential for innovative technology-based business models.
SMESA further explained that the Taiwan Women Entrepreneurship Academy offers a six-month acceleration program, including a three-day intensive boot camp and one-on-one in-depth mentoring sessions, to assist participating companies in refining their business models and operational strategies. Through its “Leading Geese Mentor Program”, the Academy invites women entrepreneurs with international business experience to share practical insights and strategic advice, helping participants better understand market trends. In addition, by leveraging the support of financial experts and international accelerators, the program helps connect companies with global capital and strategic partners, enabling them to seize overseas business opportunities.
Since its launch in 2021, the Taiwan Women Entrepreneurship Academy has supported more than 265 women-led businesses in expanding into international markets, covering diverse sectors such as biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, digital services, and green sustainability, and has delivered tangible results. For example, Aeiotech strengthened its business strategy through the Academy’s training and mentoring, successfully completed a Pre-A funding round worth several hundred million New Taiwan dollars, and secured a strategic investment from Pegatron Corporation. Cenemint Bioscience, meanwhile, leveraged the Academy’s support to connect with the global biomedical supply chain and won second place in the MedTech category of SelectUSA Tech. Another participant shared that, during a critical stage of business expansion, she experienced major life transitions including pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting, and once considered putting her business plans on hold under the pressure of multiple roles. However, through the women entrepreneur community established by the Academy, she received experience sharing and support from fellow participants, as well as practical advice and emotional encouragement at a crucial moment. She has since expanded her products into international markets such as Singapore.
For registration details, please refer to the event webpage:https://startup.sme.gov.tw/home/modules/calendar/detail/?sId=7886
