Building on last year’s startup mission to Singapore, the Hsinchu County Government organised another overseas business mission in 2026. On 9 September, the County Government held a major industry matchmaking event at Common Ground Bukit Bintang, one of Malaysia’s leading innovation hubs. The event brought a delegation of 10 leading startups from the Hsinchu AIoT Accelerator, Hsinchu Startup Hub and Hsinchu Social Innovation Hub together with government agencies, multinational companies, venture capital firms and startup ecosystem representatives in Malaysia for in-depth face-to-face exchanges. More than 100 industry experts and investors attended. Through live pitches, booth showcases and business meetings, the startups demonstrated Hsinchu’s technological strengths and commercial potential in Southeast Asia, generating several initial expressions of interest on the first day and laying the groundwork for entry into ASEAN markets.

The delegation highlighted the depth of the Greater Hsinchu technology corridor in industrial digital transformation and smart upgrading. In industrial AIoT and smart data, StreamActivate addressed a key manufacturing data-engineering challenge by reducing multi-protocol OT/IT machine data integration from months to about two weeks and building dedicated AI data hubs for mid-sized and large manufacturers. Roots Innovation presented its Synstream AI automation platform, which uses a globally leading edge vision recognition model to help financial institutions and government agencies integrate AI applications without replacing existing infrastructure. Eslitec showcased an AI-driven CRM ecosystem designed to make customer management more accessible for SMEs, while HTI drew on its expertise in semiconductor and optoelectronic equipment, components and consumables to provide responsive technical consulting services.

The delegation also presented forward-looking applications in smart care, medical education and sustainability. TakeItTech introduced smart asset tags combining offline multilingual voice AI and RFID to ease management workloads in healthcare facilities and smart factories. DigiBull showcased English-ready MedTalk AI emotion-aware virtual patients and XR/VR simulations that help healthcare educators measure communication training outcomes. In green technology and cross-border business, SimuGro presented modular environmental monitoring and control solutions for agriculture, aquaculture and energy management; AMC / Advanced Materials promoted the replacement of plastics with natural, carbon-negative bamboo fibre supported by AI-based carbon accounting; addLess used data technology to build circular operations for fashion brands; and ILIFA connected premium coffee and honey producers in Africa with markets in Asia, creating a new Africa–Asia business corridor.

Hsinchu County Magistrate Yang Wen-ke said that amid the rapid growth of generative AI, the net-zero transition and global supply chain restructuring, the keys to helping technologies move beyond the laboratory and startups enter overseas markets are clearly defined market needs, real-world validation opportunities, funding and business networks. Hsinchu is home to Taiwan’s most concentrated semiconductor supply chain and strong hardware research and development capabilities, while Malaysia is entering a strategic period of accelerated digital infrastructure development and industrial transformation. These complementary strengths create substantial room for cooperation in technology applications and market expansion.

Deputy Director Shen Jing-tao of the Hsinchu County Government Education Bureau added that the Kuala Lumpur mission was not simply an opportunity for Hsinchu startups to present their solutions, but was designed to uncover real market needs through in-depth dialogue. The in-person matchmaking event marked only the beginning of cross-border cooperation. Whether teams can rapidly refine their product positioning in response to local company feedback and continue business discussions will be critical to establishing their technologies in international markets.

For the latest information on startup programmes and support resources, please visit the Hsinchu Youth Startup website: https://hys.hsinchu.gov.tw/.