Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

On October 12, Mayor Ko Wen-je spoke before the young audience at the Taiwan Junior Chamber’s Youth Forum, which took place at the National Taipei University of Technology’s Hong Yue Technology Building. He talked about Taipei’s resources for innovations and startups.
 
The subject of the forum is The Prospects for Taiwanese Youths. Other dignitaries attending the event include Legislator Chiu Chen-yuan and entrepreneurship consultant Li Lei. The guests shared their advices on launching one’s own business and careers. By connecting with the United Nations’ SDGS Goal 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth, the speakers assisted the young men and women to prepare themselves during school for a professional career after graduation.
 
During his speech, Ko pointed out that given its challenging foreign affairs environment, the only way for Taiwan to survive is through innovation. To him, this is the primary reason to implement numerous policies related to youth entrepreneurship.

Examples include the establishment of StartUP@Taipei Office to connect young people with startup resources; the support for enterprises in applying for city-backed subsidies, incentives, and loans; and the organization of training and education programs for learning.
 
The city government also works diligently on creating an ideal environment for nurturing talents by drawing up plans for 23 incubation centers – 10 of which have already opened, with 5 more expected to be operating by the end of the year. These policies are efforts to boost Taipei’s entrepreneurship energy, enabling young people to achieve their dreams here.
 
The forum saw much interaction among participants and created an opportunity for those from different backgrounds to learn and exchange experiences with each other. The city government reminds young people that StartUP@Taipei offers a hotline for those who have questions about starting their own business (TEL: 02-2720-8889, ext. 6498 or 1431). They can also visit the office during work hours (Address: 1F, North Wing, No. 1, City Hall Road, Xinyi District).