In the rapidly changing business world, data-driven strategies have become crucial to how companies can increase revenue. Digital marketing tools that play an instrumental role in data-driven strategies are also rapidly evolving.AccuHit, committed to MarTech solutions, offers three MarTech platforms including AccuNIX, AccuCDP, and Accu3DM. It has recently introduced AccuFLOW.ai, developed on the foundation of its AI strength. According to AccuHit's associate technical director Bing-Jin Lin, featuring no-code AI, AccuFLOW.ai provides tools that enable companies to build their own generative AI platforms for a diversity of use scenarios with no need for specific expertise. Developing AI-enabled MarTech innovations, AccuHit provides three major platformsAccording to Lin, AI is making giant strides and the launch of ChatGPT at year-end 2022 has spurred a wave of generative AI developments. This has profoundly impacted MarTech.The business world is now paying attention to how to incorporate generative AI into their marketing strategies to thereby make their marketing channels and models more intelligent and boost overall productivity and performance. Moreover, businesses have been making efforts to slash the costs of developing applications in recent years. This has also been driving them to increasingly adopt AI.AccuHit has developed three core products to meet MarTech's demand. AccuCDP is a multi-channel customer data platform that collects and consolidates data from various sources. It processes both structured and non-structured data and thereby tracks each user's interactions across different channels to provide companies with complete insights into the traces of users' activities, therefore enabling companies to create highly personalized user experiences.Accu3DM is a data-driven decision engine combining a URL-shortening tool and AI-based analysis. Not only does Accu3DM quickly generate and manage short URLs, but it also uses short URLs for in-depth analysis of user behavior. Its target URL management model integrates multiple short URL data generated by a batch of target web pages to provide companies with a global view of marketing effect analysis.AccuNIX is an all-encompassing conversational commerce platform featuring chatbot support on multiple social media networks and seamless integration with CRM systems to boost management efficiency. It also provides a wealth of marketing tools that effectively increase user engagement and brand stickiness. Companies can also use their data analysis capability and labeling system to precisely divide customers into target groups and create highly personalized marketing campaigns.AccuHit's latest AI solution AccuFLOW.ai. Credit: AccuHitLeveraging generative AI to raise MarTech application performanceIn early 2023, AccuHit formed a dedicated AI team that developed AccuFLOW.ai, following its three core MarTech platforms. Lin pointed out that AccuFLOW.ai focuses on generative AI applications and works with AccuNIX and AccuCDP to bring greater benefits. It empowers AccuNIX for marketing through social media networks. AccuCDP collects and analyzes user data from various channels and conducts user profiling. AccuFLOW.ai then uses the user profile data from AccuCDP to generate customized marketing content.AccuFLOW.ai supports a diversity of corporate use scenarios. For example, customer service departments can use AccuFLOW.ai to build an AI chatbot that responds to product inquiries and redirects customers to human agents when appropriate. It can also help backend support agents quickly find answers to customers' questions. AccuHit's platforms together form an end-to-end smart system that enables companies to collect and analyze data, perform precision marketing, and provide smart customer service. With AccuHit's platforms, companies can increase their marketing effectiveness and raise customer satisfaction. AccuHit's AccuFLOW.ai is being used in a wide range of applications. For example, a leading automaker uses AccuFLOW.ai for employee training, automobile sales, and maintenance services to optimize its internal processes. There are also companies in the finance and insurance sector as well as cosmetics retailers that use AccuFLOW.ai to process data traffic and use AI chatbots for customer service and product sales.AccuHit expands overseas at a steady pace, said Lin. By joining forces with customers and partners abroad, AccuHit has made contact with companies in Indonesia, Singapore, and Japan to gradually introduce its products to foreign markets.Since its establishment in 2018, AccuHit has been enjoying rapid growth in both the applications of its products and the revenue it generates. The growth is a result of the fact that AccuHit's products and their quality meet companies' marketing needs. More importantly, Taiwan's startup environment and TTA's support also play a critical role.Lin noted that the government ramping up subsidies and knowledge-sharing programs has greatly benefited startup teams. Furthermore, TTA offering workshops and venue spaces also helped AccuHit strengthen its operation and management skills and increase its product visibility. Lin therefore hopes the government will extend and expand its policies to provide even more powerful support for Taiwan-based startups.Going forward, although AI will be the center of market attention, following cutting-edge technologies will not be AccuHit's only focus. Lin emphasized that AccuHit develops products to solve real-world problems. It endeavors to help companies raise operation efficiency and competitiveness in the digital era using the most suitable solutions.

Many consumers find it difficult to navigate through today's flourishing e-commerce landscape and have trouble comparing prices across shopping websites. BigGo's price comparison search engine allows users to quickly find and compare over 3 billion price listings and discounts, delivering best-of-breed, high-performance, and valuable shopping assistant services that help consumers easily compare offerings across major e-commerce platforms and make smart purchase decisions. According to BigGo CEO Dewei Yen, BigGo's intelligent search capabilities enable a diversity of applications to help both B2C and B2B service operators deliver premium user experience end to end.Yen founded BigGo in 2016, when Taiwan's e-commerce landscape underwent significant changes with foreign e-commerce operators expanding into Taiwan one after another. At that time, consumers had to switch between different online shopping platforms to compare prices. Yen developed a price comparison system for his own use when shopping for his family.Seeing how his system could also make online shopping more efficient for other consumers and this could be a good business opportunity, Yen decided to commercialize it by launching the BigGo price comparison website. Online price comparison was exactly what Taiwan's e-commerce market needed at the time so BigGo was enthusiastically embraced. Its single-month active users exceeded one million within just one year after launch. Leveraging comprehensive price comparison services, BigGo expands its footprintYen noted that BigGo is much more than a price comparison website. It is an all-encompassing shopping assistant offering cross-platform price comparisons, BIRSE image search, social media comment checks, price monitoring, and product description generators. For price comparison, users can quickly compare prices of goods on major e-commerce platforms, whether it's B2C or C2C. Its image search engine is based on advanced technologies similar to LLM-based AI systems.Instead of simply comparing images by colors and shapes, BigGo's image search engine accurately captures the images' content and style so it is particularly good at conducting searches for merchandise not easily described in words. Furthermore, BigGo incorporates searches for social media posts and short videos so that users can check unboxing videos before they decide to place an order. With these features, BigGo services cover the entire shopping process from start to finish.It was found that users generally compare prices on BigGo five minutes before they decide to make a purchase, added Yen. BigGo hopes to expand its footprint and play a more vital role in users' shopping process, starting with initial information gathering, mid-stage price comparison, and final purchase decision-making. On BigGo, users can search for goods using texts or images, check social media posts, compare prices and discounts across different platforms, and finally go to the platform of his or her choice to complete the transaction.As to the business model, BigGo generates revenue from advertisements and commissions. For example, it gets paid for the Google AdSense banners on its website. It also gets paid by e-commerce operators when consumers directed from BigGo make a purchase on their platform.Apart from the two revenue sources, BigGo continues to actively expand its service offerings. In 2021, it began to develop price monitoring services that help e-commerce operators keep an eye on their prices against those of their competitors. With such services, e-commerce operators can stay aware of market changes and remain agile with their pricing strategies.Boasting comprehensive services, BigGo enjoys an 80% share of Taiwan's price comparison website market. It is also making active efforts toward overseas expansion with a focus on Southeast Asia. It is the No.1 price comparison website in Thailand and Indonesia while operating online services in the US and Japan.According to Yen, built on a uniform platform design, BigGo provides services in different languages to meet local market needs. Among the world's very few cross-border price comparison websites, BigGo will endeavor to provide even more comprehensive services.BigGo home page and short video interface. Credit: BigGoA positive startup environment nurtures BigGo while TTA and Orbit Startups provide valuable supportYen thinks the support from Orbit Startups and TTA plays an instrumental role in driving the successful commercialization of his search engine and helping BigGo gain a foothold in the fiercely competitive market. Orbit Startups' Lifetime Program is aimed at not only initial-stage funding but also long-term partnerships. Orbit Startups keeps watching BigGo's progress and helps find business opportunities whenever BigGo introduces new services.TTA gave BigGo assistance when it was first established. For example, TTA offered a promotional platform for business partnerships, a venue for BigGo to hold product/service launch events, the use of office space, and especially opportunities to participate in all types of events and presentations. These have greatly benefited BigGo and other online service providers.In sum, Yen thinks Taiwan's startup scene is developing in a positive cycle. He hopes that industry-government-academia collaborations will continue to improve Taiwan's startup environment and invigorate Taiwan's e-commerce and technology development.Going forward, BigGo will continue to endeavor toward big data analytics and machine learning algorithms and strengthen its leadership in the price comparison website as well as e-commerce markets. It will stay committed to creating more intelligent and convenient shopping experiences for consumers.

Driver behavior management is a key part of logistics company operation. Unsafe driver behavior not only threatens road safety but also damages the company's reputation, and worse yet, it might incur large legal expenses.OmniEyes provides a total, flexible, and cost-effective fleet management solution built on Edge AI technologies to help logistics companies create a next-generation fleet system by optimizing their resource allocation and intelligently raising their management efficiency.OmniEyes was founded in 2019 by Chun-Ting Chou, Ai-Chun Pang, and Shou-De Lin, three professors at the College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, National Taiwan University. The startup was established with the support of a project jointly promoted by the Ministry of Education and the National Science and Technology Council to encourage scholars to commercialize their research achievements and vitalize Taiwan's startup scene.According to CEO Chun-Ting Chou, OmniEyes was founded to use AI-based image recognition for real-time analyses of images captured by dashboard cameras. The team then progressed to focusing on commercial fleet management solutions built on Edge AI technologies for instant detection of driver misconduct such as running a red light and parking illegally to help fleet owners stay on top of driver behavior management.MyFleet Web Portal featuring an interactive driver-coaching platform. Photo: OmniEyesBoasting software and hardware strengths, MyFleet enables three fleet management advantagesBuilt on both software and hardware strengths, OmniEyes' fleet management solution MyFleet runs on an AI Box PC, featuring a Qualcomm chipset, LTE, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth communication modules, and Android OS. The device supports front and rear cameras and a variety of sensors to deliver all-round monitoring capabilities.In terms of software features, MyFleet is equipped with OmniEyes' in-house developed AI image recognition system that processes video data at the edge in real-time and then sends the event-triggered information to the cloud platform for users to access through a web browser.Chou noted that OmniEyes' MyFleet enables three major advantages. First, by detecting images of driver behavior and vehicle surroundings, reminding the driver to stop before passing through an intersection, and alerting the driver of a red light ahead, the solution provides not only warnings beforehand but also analytics afterward. Fleet owners have access to complete data, allowing them to enhance fleet management efficiency and performance.Second, by equipping the in-vehicle device with Edge AI image processing capabilities, MyFleet significantly reduces data transmission costs. Third, built with a software-centric design, MyFleet supports Over-The-Air (OTA) updates and upgrades, thereby reducing the need for hardware replacements. Furthermore, OmniEyes also provides customized design services to help fleet owners create a fleet management platform suited to their requirements.MyFleet is available in two business models. Customers can make a one-time purchase of the AI box and then pay a monthly fee for using the SaaS MyFleet web portal. Alternatively, they can pay a monthly fee for the use of the hardware and software. Customers have the flexibility to choose a model based on their capex and opex.OmniEyes' solutions have been adopted by well-known third-party logistics companies such as Taiwan Pelican Express and Ally Transport, first-party logistics such as Youbike (Giant Group) as well as taxi and rehabilitation bus fleets to optimize their management efficiency. Customer feedback indicates a 75% reduction in traffic accidents and a 70% reduction in traffic tickets and liability expenses since their adoption of MyFleet. This proves that not only does MyFleet improve fleet management efficiency but it also effectively lowers operation risks, bringing substantial benefits to logistics companies and commercial fleets.In terms of overseas expansion, OmniEyes has made significant progress thanks to its differentiation strategies. Its MyFleet platform has been adopted by the India branch of an international logistics fleet for its fleet of 370 trucks. Validation projects with potential customers in Japan and the U.S. are underway. OmniEyes expects definite results in the near future.A positive startup environment nurtures OmniEyes while TTA boosts its visibilityFor the successful real-world applications of OmniEyes' technologies, Chou gave thanks to the OmniEyes team for their effort. He also identified Taiwan's growingly complete startup environment and TTA's support as key contributing factors. Taiwan has an increasing number of startup accelerators and incubators that guide startup founders on everything including business operation, customer development, fundraising, and organization management.The startups also form an ecosystem where they share experiences and learn from one another. With TTA's support, OmniEyes can increase the visibility of its technologies and products and reach out to more potential investors and customers. Chou emphasized that the increased visibility is critical to the company's early-stage growth. He concluded by noting that Taiwan's startup scene is developing in a positive cycle. He hopes that industry-government-academia collaborations will continue to improve Taiwan's startup environment and invigorate Taiwan's economy.

Not only does generative AI spark revolutionary changes with applications growingly spanning across all industries, but it has also become the first solution that companies choose to build up their competitiveness.Startups that drive global business transformation are increasingly utilizing generative AI to develop new products or services as a way to grab the attention of angel investors and enterprise users. To allow more enterprises to see what Taiwan-based startups have accomplished with generative AI, DIGITIMES and Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA), a flagship startup program funded by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), held Enterprise Connect - Generative AI Startup Pitch Day on July 23, 2024, with technical support from Amazon Web Services (AWS).The event gathered promising startups to present their generative AI solutions and attracted a great number of corporate venture capital and new business development specialists who hoped to connect with the startups through the one-to-one matchmaking activity and thereby build a solid foundation for their companies' long-term development.According to Yi-Bin Chen, Director, Integrated Marketing Department, DIGITIMES, startups are playing a growingly important role in the global marketplace. Because of this, CES has an exhibition area specially designed for startups to demonstrate their promising potential. TTA led 96 startup teams to participate at CES 2024 and organized the TTA Taiwan Pavilion, where the teams showcased their innovations and successfully grabbed the attention of venture capitalists from all over the world.Today everyone is talking about AI. AWS is among the few cloud computing pioneers that are capable of providing total AI solutions. AWS has been supporting and helping startups achieve great achievements over the long run.Andrea Hsu, Director General, Department of Academia-Industry Collaboration and Science Park Affairs, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), noted that by establishing TTA in 2018, NSTC aims to bridge Taiwan-based startups with the international community to thereby drive innovations and developments across many industries. As of today, TTA works with close to ten accelerators to bring resources and technologies to support startups' early-stage development.More than 900 startup teams have flourished thanks to TTA. Today, AI has become the engine that drives digital transformation for global industries. At CES 2024, AWS invited the teams for a visit to the Amazon fulfillment center to witness how AI was used to process shipments. That was very inspiring to the teams that use generative AI to develop innovative services. It is hoped that bridging startups with enterprises will build positive momentum for Taiwan's industry upgrade.Chester Hsieh, Head of Taiwan Sales, Head of Strategic Programs, Hong Kong and Taiwan, AWS, commented that AWS has been working with startups for years. AWS is adopted by more than 80% of the unicorns in the world including Netflix, Airbnb, and Uber as well as Taiwan-based KKBOX and 91APP. Among those that endeavor in AI, 96% have chosen AWS. Since 2000, Amazon has been utilizing AI technologies.AWS offers a wide range of high-performing foundation models (FM) from leading AI companies for startups to choose from based on their products and services. AWS was pleased to support TTA and DIGITIMES in holding the event connecting startups with enterprises.Moreover, in recent years, Amazon has been actively utilizing generative AI to enable new services. For example, it is used to collect and sort customer comments at Amazon's online bookstore to help consumers make purchase decisions. Furthermore, generative AI is also used for Alexa, the voice assistant that many people are familiar with, and for shipment schedule prediction and package arrival notices for orders placed on Amazon Pharmacy. All of the aforementioned innovative services rely on the robust computing power and advanced machine learning technologies provided by AWS.Eye-catching generative AI solutions from startupsNine startup teams supported by TTA and AWS Joint Innovation Center (JIC) participated in Enterprise Connect - Generative AI Startup Pitch Day. Based on their products or services, they were divided into different categories including audio tech, RPA software, energy, no-code AI, cyber security, martech, and law tech.In the cyber security category, Cymetrics, a subsidiary of OneDegree Global, provides a complete range of cyber security assessment and inspection products and services. For example, its LLM-based cyber security inspection service helps users improve the visibility of vulnerabilities and manage risks with more agility and flexibility.Authme is an authentication solution built on AI and machine learning to enable security, convenience, and regulatory compliance for corporations. Authme has developed authentication, face recognition, and biometric liveness detection systems that safeguard against identity frauds and Deepfake attacks while reducing inspection costs and enhancing user experience.Amid the rising popularity of robotic process automation (RPA) software, IsCoolLab with years of experience in professional software development introduced Robotiive. The patented AI-enabled solution integrates and modularizes a variety of automation capabilities to allow users with no coding experience to easily automate their process in any use scenario.In support of energy efficiency initiatives, PurismEV developed a proprietary AI-based solution that increases EV range by 40% and extends battery life 2.3 times to address EV owners' range anxiety. The solution is being used in delivery trucks, ride-sharing electric motorcycles, off-road electric bikes, and race cars.With user experience being a top priority, DeepWave, in the audio tech category, is committed to AI-enabled voice recognition solution development and application. It provides customers with an all-in-one digital audio processing solution for voiceprint recognition, active noise reduction, noise cancellation, and voiceprint comparison.Its solution has been used in smart manufacturing, digital content processing, music entertainment, and education. In the law tech category, Legal Tech, founded by a group of lawyers, presented a one-stop contract lifecycle management solution, LegalSign.ai, based on generative AI. Encompassing contract lifecycle management, electronic signing, and AI legal assistant, the solution improves efficiency and minimizes risks for corporate legal teams, allowing them to deliver greater business value.To help circumvent the current AI talent shortage, many companies have developed no-code AI solutions to lower the barrier to AI adoption. Chimes AI introduced Tukey, a solution that allows factory workers to extract data and build AI models using the automatic model packaging function and connect with enterprise information services in a snap.Tricuss presented an enterprise-level LLM-based solution to improve efficiency for operations such as document integration, automated sorting, and data entry as well as knowledge management and consolidation. Featuring a simple user interface and guaranteed accuracy, the solution boosts productivity for all kinds of corporate functions.BigGo, a star that shines brilliantly in the martech sector, operates the biggest e-commerce product search and price comparison website in Southeast Asia and Taiwan. It debuted two new AI tools in 2024. One is BIRSE, an image search engine that searches for products based on images. The other is the BigGo Description Generator, which generates accurate product descriptions using AI.The final section of the event was a one-to-one matchmaking activity aimed at connecting startups with prospective partners who can help them with fundraising, market expansion, and technology development. The activity marked a perfect ending to the Enterprise Connect - Generative AI Startup Pitch Day.DIGITIMES, TTA, and AWS representatives at Enterprise Connect - Generative AI Startup Pitch Day. Credit: DIGITIMES

Targeting one of the most complex and sensitive parts of the human body, any minor error during a spinal surgery could lead to severe consequences such as infection, nerve damage, or spinal cord injury. This makes spinal surgery a high-risk surgical procedure.To overcome the challenges, Point Robotics MedTech created a minimally invasive spine surgery robot platform by combining medical expertise and state-of-the-art technologies such as robotic arms, optical positioning, and algorithms. The platform can help surgeons perform complex spinal surgeries with high precision and optimize the patient's medical experience.Point Robotics' surgical robotics technology is inherited from a professor at Imperial College London with over 30 years of experience. The company was founded in 2016 with support from the National Science Council's Germination Program. It aims to leverage the technical prowess of Taiwan's medical and mechanical industries to develop a spinal surgery robot that assists surgeons in enhancing surgical precision and reducing risks.Minimally Invasive Spine Surgical Robot with Precision and ReliabilityAccording to Brad Lin, Chief Marketing Officer of Point Robotics, there are two main challenges in existing spine surgeries. First, surgical precision requirements from medical institutions and patients are increasing, especially in minimally invasive surgeries.Traditional surgeries rely on surgeons' experience and tactile sensation, but this approach has limitations, particularly in tasks like bone grinding, where achieving high precision is more challenging. Moreover, surgeons performing spine surgeries over a long period are prone to wrist and eye fatigue, which can adversely affect surgical quality and career longevity.The second challenge lies in the increasing expectations of patients regarding surgical outcomes and post-operative recovery periods. Improving surgical efficiency and post-operative recovery outcomes have become significant missions for medical institutions. Not only to achieve precision, surgeries today also aim to minimize incisions and recovery time as much as possible.While technologies and equipment for spinal surgery have advanced rapidly, there is still room for improvement to meet all those demands. Particularly in the realm of robotic surgery equipment, existing systems are mostly focused on soft tissue surgeries, with fewer applications for hard tissue surgeries. Point Robotics' minimally invasive spine surgery robot and navigation system are perfect for addressing clinical needs today.Michael Lo, Head of Corporate Strategy of Point Robotics, explained the architecture of their product, which integrates a six-motored robotic end-effector with navigation systems and control technology, combining precision and flexibility. The company's surgical robot uses a robotic end-effector to compensate for deviations from the planned path, enabling real-time tracking of patient movement during surgery. This allows surgeons to perform precise and stable surgeries.By precisely controlling the robotic end-effector, the surgical robot has expanded its functionality to decompression capabilities. The precision of bone grinding can reach mere paper-thin thickness. During surgery, the force feedback system detects changes in bone density and dynamically adjusts grinding force, depth, and path accordingly to ensure surgical precision and safety.Point Robotics' Detail-focused Product Development Builds a ReputationAccording to Lo, for a medical device to gain industry recognition and successfully commercialize, it needs to overcome technical challenges and undergo lengthy clinical validation. "Robotic technologies are categorized as the high-precision, cutting-edge field, and the medical products are closely related to human safety," he emphasized. Thus, every prototype of a medical device must undergo rigorous validation and continuous communication with clinical physicians to ensure that the product design meets medical needs.In practical application, variations in each patient's bone density and other external factors can also impact the surgery process and outcomes, presenting challenges from theory to clinical practice and commercialization. Point Robotics' products have undergone iterative modifications and validation to achieve the clinical benefits doctors expect.Point Robotics' navigation system has been in clinical use since 2023. As of now, it has been utilized in 150 surgeries. The first-generation navigation system and robotic-assisted surgical system were cleared by the U.S. FDA and certificated by Taiwan FDA between 2022 and 2023.Regarding the product marketing plan, Lo mentioned that because the medical industry is typically cautious about new products, they will initially focus on the navigation system, which has higher market acceptance. Next, the company will develop a decompression surgery robot capable of performing various functions such as bone grinding, assisting surgeons in conducting more spine surgeries and improving surgical efficiency.According to Lo and Lin, the success of Point Robotics' technology in transferring from concept to product is due not only to the full commitment of the team members but also to the continuously improving ecosystem for startups in Taiwan. For example, while Point Robotics was looking for clinical resources, BE Accelerator – a TTA accelerator partner, helped the company connect with suitable physicians, enabled product testing, and received feedback on suggestions and feasible directions.The locally enthusiastic startup atmosphere and policy support have also attracted many young overseas Taiwanese entrepreneurs to return home. These entrepreneurs bring back global perspectives and innovative thinking. When combined with Taiwan's technology, medical and manufacturing industries, a virtuous cycle begins.Looking ahead, Taiwan's startup ecosystem is expected to mature further and be more internationalized. Point Robotics also looks forward to interacting and collaborating with other companies, expanding Taiwan's influence in the global medical technology field.(Editor's note: The original article was published in TTA Magazine Issue 14. Read more startup stories in TTA Magazines.)Point Robotics’ robotic-assisted surgical system and navigation system can help surgeons perform complex minimally invasive surgeries with high precision.

Cerebrovascular Accidents (CVAs), or stroke, are the top cause of disability and the second leading cause of death worldwide, posing significant threats to human health.Unfortunately, many individuals only become aware of their condition after experiencing a stroke, missing the optimal window for early intervention and treatment.Carotid Artery Stenosis (CAS) has been identified as a crucial factor contributing to strokes, serving as an early indicator. Therefore, early detection and treatment of carotid artery stenosis are vital measures for stroke prevention.However, traditional methods for detecting carotid artery stenosis are limited by expensive equipment, heavy reliance on specialized medical personnel for operation and interpretation, lengthy testing procedures, and high costs, preventing widespread early detection of risk for stroke.Through collaboration with a team of professionals from National Taiwan University, Pulxion Medical Technology has developed a non-invasive AI imaging technology for rapid screening of the risk of carotid artery stenosis, PulStroke, which breaks through traditional testing limitations.With rapidity, standardization, and high cost-effectiveness features, the technology can significantly reduce the need for medical manpower and resources. It is poised to enhance the accessibility of early stroke screening greatly.The limitations of traditional methods make early stroke detection challengingPulxion was founded by Professor Hao-Ming Hsiao from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at National Taiwan University. The co-founder is Dr. Hsien-Li Kao, a Professor in the Medicine School at the National Taiwan University and Chairman of the Cardiology Division at the National Taiwan University Hospital. Their long-term collaboration started in 2014, dedicated to addressing numerous challenges in early stroke detection, and they officially established Pulxion in 2020.According to Professor Hsiao, the main reason for choosing the carotid artery as the topic of their research is that there are over 12 million new cases of stroke worldwide every year, which means one new case occurs every 3 seconds. It is not only a threat to human health but also significantly impacts healthcare and societal costs. There's an estimation that by 2030, the global economic burden of stroke, including post-care, will exceed one trillion US dollars.Carotid artery stenosis serves as a critical early indicator of stroke. Existing common diagnostic methods for carotid artery stenosis include carotid artery ultrasound, Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA), and Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA). However, due to issues such as expensive equipment and complex operations, early screening is challenging to implement widely.The carotid artery is the closest blood vessel to the body's surface, making it easier to observe the pulsation characteristics. Therefore, Pulxion starts with carotid artery stenosis assessment and utilizes non-invasive AI imaging technology to evaluate the risk of stroke.Unique Screening Method: Rapid, Accurate, and Easy-to-UseBy analyzing subtle pulsation variations on the subject's skin surface, Pulxion's PulStroke can differentiate between the pulsation patterns of normal individuals and those with carotid artery stenosis. The device projects visible light onto the subject's neck and then performs the video motion analysis with AI algorithms to highlight skin surface pulsations.Comparing these pulsations with features associated with carotid artery stenosis, a risk assessment report is generated to evaluate the subject's risk of carotid artery stenosis. The entire process is completed within 1 minute, with reports available within 5 minutes.PulStroke possesses several key advantages. First, compared to traditional methods like carotid artery ultrasound, CTA, and MRA, the technology is non-invasive, offering a non-invasive and radiation-free screening approach for subjects.Second, it's portable and user-friendly, with a compact size and no need for specialized operators, making it suitable for placement in small to medium-sized clinics, health examination centers, and potentially homecare and community service in the future. Third, utilizing AI algorithms and big data analysis supported by PulStroke, clinical trials have demonstrated an accuracy of nearly 90% when compared to ultrasound.Regarding the business model, Joy Chen, CEO of Pulxion, said that PulStroke includes both hardware device and cloud platform. The hardware device can be set up in medical facilities with buyout or leasing options. The analysis reports generated on the cloud platform are billed separately and also come with several options for users.For marketing, Pulxion will first work with health examination centers and large hospitals, with plans to participate in government disease prevention programs. The next step is to enter the community clinics with the ultimate vision of making the technology accessible to the general public and integrating it into home healthcare and nationwide health services to increase stroke screening rates and ultimately reduce stroke incidence.Pulxion has completed its angel round funding and plans to sign an MOU with internationally renowned medical device companies this year. Pulxion also plans to file the medical device regulatory submission to the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) this year and is preparing to apply for the Breakthrough Devices Program of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Chen said that Taiwan will be the first launch market for Pulxion, and the company will subsequently begin preparations for regulatory submission in the United States.PulStroke enables rapid and accurate assessment of stroke risk. The company immediately attracted attention from the medical industry upon its release. Professor Hsiao believes the key driving force behind the successful commercialization of Pulxion technology is the Startup Value Creation Program promoted by the National Science and Technology Council. As he mentioned, the program activates the value of academic research by providing resources, regulatory ease, and policy support to allow professors to play significant roles in startups. It also encourages various forms of innovation matchmaking.Pulxion has participated in the acceleration program of Mosaic Venture Lab – a TTA accelerator partner as well. The program not only organizes various activities to increase interaction opportunities with investors but also helps startups to expand their exposure. All the support for Pulxion has transformed into its competitiveness. The company will do its best to broaden the applications of its technology to other diseases, creating a healthy society in the future and fulfilling its vision of preventive medicine and home healthcare.(Editor's note: The original article was published in TTA Magazine Issue 14. Read more startup stories in TTA Magazines.)Pulxion PulStrokePhoto: Pulxion

Endoscopes play an instrumental role in minimally invasive surgeries.They allow doctors to perform inspection and treatment procedures inside the body using smaller surgical cuts or even without cuts while increasing surgical precision. EndoSemio's single-use endoscope developed on the foundation of miniature imaging devices and high biocompatibility tubing materials boosts surgical safety, drives technological innovations, and satisfies special healthcare needs. With EndoSemio's single-use endoscope, hospitals will be able to improve patient experience.Leveraging technological and medical strengths, EndoSemio overcomes the shortcomings of traditional endoscopesTing-Xuan Chen and Chih-Peng Lin co-founded EndoSemio. Chen worked for the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) in charge of helping medical research organizations turn clinical needs into products.Lin is an attending physician and director of the Division of Pain Management, Department of Anesthesiology, National Taiwan University Hospital. Their decade-long partnership has brought multiple healthcare products into reality.Following his return to Taiwan after completing advanced study at Stanford University, Lin found Taiwan's healthcare sector, despite being among the world's front runners, still has needs that were not addressed due to the lack of cross-industry collaborations. Such needs can be fulfilled through rapid prototyping and technological R&D to thereby improve healthcare quality and efficiency. This prompted Chen and Lin to establish EndoSemio, focusing on special-purpose single-use endoscopes to solve the many pain points of traditional endoscopes and address a small portion of clinical needs. According to Chen, an endoscope reprocessing guide easily goes over 100 pages and contains more than 150 procedures. In reality, as high as 45% of the important cleaning steps are skipped as they are too complicated.In particular, the steps of brushing the accessible channels and forced air drying are often carried out for no longer than 50% of the specified duration. Furthermore, not only is it costly and labor-intensive to maintain traditional endoscopes, but improper cleaning may also lead to cross infections. All the time and effort for disinfection and preparation also hinder patient flow and undermine hospital operation efficiency. The slew of limitations with traditional endoscopes give rise to tremendous opportunities for single-use endoscopes. FDA has approved multiple single-use endoscopes in recent years as part of the efforts to promote such products.As opposed to traditional endoscopes with a long history, single-use endoscopes are still in early-stage development. Those currently available on the market generally target large usage applications, rather than special-purpose small-quantity needs. In view of this, EndoSemio decided to start with tracheostomy endoscopes, neonatal catheters, and flexible ureteroscopes.EndoSemio introduces three single-use endoscope products to meet clinical needs According to Lin, a traditional tracheostomy requires two teams of medical professionals, one monitoring the bronchoscopy while the other performing the tracheostomy. Things could go wrong when surgeons have to perform tracheostomy without bronchoscopic images.Without an imaging system on the tracheal tube, surgeons can only rely on experiences and feel the way through. Now with EndoSemio's innovative endoscope imaging tracheostomy kit, featuring the world's first tracheal tubes integrated with endoscopes, medical professionals can avoid complications and mitigate the risk of incorrect placement in false lumen, improving tracheostomy efficiency and ensuring patient safety.The product has won the 20th National Innovation Award. Neonatal respiratory imaging devices are generally miniaturized.Their level of precision is critical to neonatal respiratory care. EndoSemio's neonatal and pediatric respiratory imaging catheters help physicians correctly identify delicate infant airways and examine the conditions therein to effectively lower the risks of hypoxia or complications.The flexible ureteroscopes that EndoSemio provides combine miniature imaging modules with tubes made of advanced materials to enable visibility. The solution reduces chances of infection and cross-infection and therefore is an ideal choice for stone removal in a laser lithotripsy.Lin pointed out EndoSemio's advantages in a few aspects. First, the EndoSemio team interviewed 20-some physicians and designed the products based on their comments and feedback to ensure the products addressed their needs. As such, the resulting products feature a user-friendly interface and simple structure design, requiring no learning curve for users to effortlessly operate. Moreover, their digital imaging and navigation functions with enhanced navigation precision and optimized operation flow are also highly praised by medical professionals.Second, the EndoSemio engineering team has a decade-long experience developing endoscopes. Integrated with patented designs including medical-grade high-resolution miniature CMOS image sensors, color calibration, and silicon endoscope tubing, EndoSemio's products boast superior performance and reliability. Last but not least, EndoSemio has grasped critical manufacturing know-how for miniature front-end camera modules and tubing so it has full control over its product quality and performance. It is also able to keep costs at bay through vertical integration efforts.EndoSemio has submitted applications for FDA approval. It expects to obtain FDA approval by year-end 2024, allowing it to launch the products in 2025. Everything is proceeding according to schedule, noted Chen.For the smooth progress, EndoSemio gives credit to not only team efforts but also Taiwan's startup environment fostered by industry-government-academia-research collaborations. Lin spoke candidly that physicians or scholars involved in startup ventures were considered impractical but things are different today.Taiwan's startup scene, especially in the healthcare sector, has exhibited significant changes in the recent decade. The National Science and Technology Council and the Ministry of Economic Affairs support multiple projects aimed at cultivating an environment that appeals to entrepreneurs and effectively accelerates startup development. Going forward, EndoSemio has set goals for each development stage and will continue to endeavor on medical imaging solutions for special-purpose applications to help medical institutions create premium patient experiences.(Editor's note: The original article was published in TTA Magazine Issue 14. Read more startup stories in TTA Magazines.)Innovative endoscope imaging tracheostomy kitPhoto: EndoSemioNeonatal and pediatric respiratory imaging cathetersPhoto: EndoSemioEndoSemio's neonatal and pediatric respiratory imaging catheters on display at a medical technology exhibitionPhoto: EndoSemio

Consumers' growing favor for stylish clothing has given rise to a rapid increase in fast fashion brands over the recent decade.However, low-quality fast fashion apparel has also made consumers demand more from fashion brands. Especially in developed countries where birth rates are declining, parents are inclined to spend more on the clothes they put on their children to ensure comfort and safety. According to market research reports, the global organic cotton children's apparel market is set to grow at a CAGR of 9.4% from US$4.4 billion in 2022 to US$8.8 billion in 2030. For their outstanding quality, Taiwan-based fashion startup Baby Baby Cool's products are carried in French department store Printemps.It is the only local brand available at the Bellavita Shopping Center in Taiwan. Better yet, it has signed agreements with Japan's Hankyu Department Store and Isetan Department Store to sell Baby Baby CoolBaby Baby CoolBaby Baby CoolBaby Baby CoolBaby Baby CoolBaby Baby Cool apparel in their stores starting in the second quarter of 2024.Erin Wei, founder and director of Baby Baby Cool, remarked that she established the company to help children develop a sense of taste and style at a young age by providing chic fashion for children as opposed to common kids' wear with cartoon illustrations on the market. When selecting fabrics with manufacturers, she found most of them are produced using chemicals in the process which children may absorb through their skin, harming their health and the environment. To protect the health of infants and kids, Wei decided to use organic cotton to make safe and stylish fashion for children.Premium organic cotton combined with fashion design and craftsmanshipFounded in 2016 on the core concept of love and aesthetics, Baby Baby Cool aims to foster children's sense of taste and style through fashion design while safeguarding their health starting with the clothes they wear every day. The company insists on using GOTS-certified premium organic cotton and proven non-toxic metal accessories to produce pure, soft, and comfortable clothes that kids can confidently put on.Applying the techniques and craftsmanship used for adult fashion to design children's wear, the Baby Baby Cool team goes beyond the boundaries of kids' apparel and creates a Taiwan-based fashion brand boasting both style and health. Featuring originality, the Baby Baby Cool team comprises professional advertisement stylists, prominent fashion designers, skilled pattern makers, and experienced seamstresses who work together to produce clothing entirely in-house.Making use of proportions, structures, cuttings, simple yet vivid colors, and patching techniques to create interesting and innovative aesthetics, the team makes children's clothing featuring sleek lines, chic style, and simple colors. Their products with the unique style allow the world to see Taiwan's strength in children's clothing design.Wei noted that there are kids' fashion brands on the market that highlight the use of organic cotton but they often lack design elements that appeal to consumers. Despite being a startup company, Baby Baby Cool uses special 3D tailoring generally used only for luxury fashion to deliver a more three-dimensional look through cutting, folding, shrinking, grabbing, and pinning techniques.3D tailoring is a technique that leading international fashion brands have growingly adopted in recent years. Although everything about 3D tailoring is more costly and challenging from design to manufacturing compared to conventional practices, it can make clothes that better fit the body contour and structure. This is why Baby Baby Cool is enthusiastically embraced by the market.Leveraging TTA's diverse services, Baby Baby Cool forays into worldwide markets Adhering to the principles of making healthy and stylish clothing, in 2017, a Baby Baby Cool store opened at the Bellavita Shopping Center, a high-end department store in Taiwan, followed by another one in the French department store Printemps in 2018. It began to expand into overseas markets including Hong Kong and China in 2019.However, after the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, Baby Baby Cool shifted its focus back home and started to make efforts toward an e-commerce platform, reaching out to potential customers via multiple channels. After it was introduced to Sparklabs Taiwan, a Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) accelerator partner, it received guidance that significantly helped it improve operation efficiency and rethink its management and marketing strategies.According to Wei, when Baby Baby Cool was first founded, a decision was made to tackle the most difficult sales channel. It took a while to get in touch with Bellavita but Baby Baby Cool was able to prove that their product quality is on par with hundred-year-old brands'.From the first presentation to the final product introduction conducted in a way similar to museum exhibits, Baby Baby Cool successfully convinced Bellavita to carry its brand. This helped considerably in Baby Baby Cool's subsequent business development.The startup faced the same challenge in 2023 again when it engaged in talks with Japan's Hankyu Department Store and Isetan Department Store. Wei was happy to win recognition from the two Japanese department stores. The availability of Baby Baby Cool clothes at their stores starting second-quarter 2024 will allow more visibility on Taiwan-based brands.Undertaking all-out efforts toward overseas market expansion starting this year, aside from Japan, Baby Baby Cool will shift focus back to France again in 2025. As part of the efforts, it will more actively participate in TTA's events in hopes of leveraging TTA's global visibility and network to find more partners and investors that will enable Taiwan-based brands to keep shining on the global stage.(Editor's note: The original article was published in TTA Magazine Issue 14. Read more startup stories in TTA Magazines.)Baby Baby Cool founder and director Erin Wei

Passive infrared (PIR) sensors have been around for years and are widely used in various devices including smart lamps, automotive radar, and monitoring systems.They are instrumental and indispensable to the modern world. However, their lower sensitivity and smaller range also limit the capability of the smart devices that use PIR sensors.Millimeter wave (mmWave) radar sensors that are widely used in smart cars are now getting increasingly adopted in smart devices including monitoring and smart cockpit systems after manufacturers started to provide non-automotive mmWave radar chips a few years ago at more economical pricing. Millilab, with a robust R&D capability and technological strength, wowed visitors at CES 2023. It has engaged in close partnerships with multiple international monitoring system suppliers. Having raised NT$50 million in March 2024, Millilab is poised to capture the immense opportunities in the global smart vehicle market.According to Millilab's founder and CEO - Bibben Lin, mmWaves are shorter in wavelengths. Sensors based on mmWave radar technology provide higher resolution and accuracy so they are embraced by smart cars with high safety standards.Infineon used to dominate the mmWave radar chip market, making them expensive and hardly used in monitoring systems sold at lower prices compared to smart cars. When Texas Instruments (TI) introduced low-cost mmWave radar chips, it spurred a rapid increase in mmWave radar sensor adoptions in non-automotive applications. Today, almost all mid-range and high-end monitoring systems priced at US$200 or higher use mmWave radar sensors.Recognized by Japan-based Socionext, Millilab targets the global market with technological strengthEyeing mmWave radar sensors' high accuracy and high-resolution characteristics and the opportunities arising from decreasing costs, Lin with abundant experience in developing communication devices decided to found Millilab with his business partners in 2019. Millilab's mmWave radar solutions are being used in monitoring systems for infants and seniors, child presence detection (CPD) systems, and driver monitoring systems (DMS).When the company was first founded, the Millilab team focused on developing algorithms based on TI mmWave radar sensors for a variety of applications. Millilab's robust R&D capability soon caught the attention of Socionext, a Japan-based mmWave radar chip supplier.Each boasting unique technologies in their own field, the two companies decided to join forces and have together developed total solutions and reference designs for a diversity of application scenarios that are embraced by customers across different sectors. Millilab has become one of the most trusted partners of Socionext and now independently develops algorithms based on Socionext chips. It is also the company that many global brands turn to for mmWave radar solutions.Lin noted that during the company's early development, the competition was fierce in the automotive mmWave radar sensor market. European and American brands dominated 80% to 90% of the market and the rest was divided between two China-based vendors.In comparison, at that time almost every monitoring system was based on the PIR technology. This presented tremendous opportunities for Millilab. Not only did Millilab become Socionext's partner for its R&D strength but it also secured a deal with Europe's largest car seat brand Maxi-Cosi to jointly develop a crib (baby) monitoring system. The result impressed Maxi-Cosi and more importantly, gave Millilab global visibility.Millilab and partners expand into the smart cockpit market with authorities mandating CPD starting 2025With the assistance from TTA and flyingVest Ventures, Millilab attended CES in 2023 and 2024 as well as London Tech Week in the U.K. and VivaTech in France. The participation at these events helped Millilab reach customers from different corners of the world.For example, a Europe-based automatic door manufacturer was impressed by Millilab's algorithm and therefore plans to collaborate with the company. Multiple Asia-based corporations have also engaged in partnerships with Millilab to provide mmWave radar solutions for their products targeting overseas markets. These projects significantly fueled Millilab's revenue growth.Going forward, Millilab will undertake a three-way strategy, said Lin. First, it will continue to attend tech exhibitions and work with TTA and flyingVest Ventures to increase its global visibility. Second, to win more customers across different sectors, Millilab plans to implement the algorithm developed for Socionext chips on TI chips, ensuring the same level of performance and reliability. Last, the EU mandating CPD starting in 2025 is set to spur the demand for CPD systems so Millilab will work with partners to capture preemptive opportunities in this market segment.On average, about 40 children die each year in Europe after being left alone in a car. To address this problem, Euro NCAP will award safety rating points for CPD in new passenger vehicle designs from 2025.In response, manufacturers are actively developing smart cockpit solutions. This presents a great opportunity for Millilab, boasting strong algorithm R&D capability, to penetrate the market segment. It plans to introduce a standard smart cockpit solution in April 2024 for automakers' PoC testing, followed by customized designs according to their requirements. Millilab expects this to contribute to strong revenue growth in the coming years.(Editor's note: The original article was published in TTA Magazine Issue 14. Read more startup stories in TTA Magazines.)Millilab founder and CEO Bibben LinPhoto: MillilabSchematic diagram of Millilab's CPD systemPhoto: Millilab

The global healthcare sector was amazed when a little girl with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia was cured after being treated with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies (CAR-T) in 2012.Dr. Kuo-Hsiang Chuang, who just started his job at the Graduate Institute of Pharmacognosy, Taipei Medical University (TMU) at that time, thought CAR-T would help doctors and patients successfully fight cancer. However, CAR-T, mostly based on retrovirus gene delivery, leaves a lot of room for improvement. Dr. Chuang therefore developed the unique "Armed-T" technology and founded CytoArm in 2020, which now offers five T cell products against different cancers based on the Armed-T cell platform. CAR-T delivers effective results but has room for improvementAccording to a WHO report released on February 1, 2024, there were close to 20 million new cases of cancer in the year 2022 alongside 9.7 million deaths from cancer. It is not an exaggeration to call cancer the biggest threat to human health. This is also why the world including the healthcare sector is paying attention to CAR-T following the successful treatment of the little girl with leukemia in 2012.According to Dr. Chuang, CAR-T makes use of genetic engineering technologies to change the patient's immune cells called T cells, and enable them to effectively attack the cancer. T cells are collected from the patient and re-engineered in the laboratory to produce proteins on their surface called Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CAR) using retrovirus gene delivery.The genetically reengineered CAR-T cells can precisely identify tumor-specific antigens. When deployed back in the patient's body, CAR-T cells can specifically bind to cancer cells and destroy them.FDA approved the first CAR-T therapy in 2017, which has been proven to deliver promising results for blood cancers and impressive survival outcomes. However, Dr. Chuang pointed out the risks of CAR-T. First of all, it uses retrovirus vectors for gene delivery into T cells, which might elicit an unexpected immune response or cause T cell mutation.Furthermore, CAR-T costs will remain high as the processes of collecting, reengineering, and readministering T cells require a highly specialized team of professionals and expensive lab equipment. The gene (or virus) reengineering and cell culturing processes are also very challenging. Last but not least, CAR-T patents are owned by a small group of big pharma players, barring the entry of newcomers with formidable licensing fees or potential infringement lawsuits.Armed-T fights cancer even more effectivelyCytoArm's Armed-T technology addresses all of the above issues. According to Dr. Chuang, with Armed-T therapy, specific molecules are attached to the surface of the patient's T cell, much like putting armor on the T cell like Iron Man, described by Dr. Chuang.The armed T cells are then equipped to identify and destroy cancer cells. As opposed to CAR-T therapies that need 30 days for virus culture or reengineering, it only takes 10 days to produce high-purity cancer-fighting Armed-T cells and the therapeutic results are significantly more promising. To top it off, as no retrovirus gene delivery or genome editing technique is used, Armed-T cells are free of cancerization or mutation risks, making Armed-T a safer treatment choice for patients.In general, it is not easy for genetic reengineering techniques to achieve a high purity. CytoArm's Armed-T technology generates cancer-fighting cells at an impressive 90%+ purity. As to costs, without the need for retrovirus gene delivery, CytoArm can offer Armed-T technology at more affordable prices, allowing more patients to receive the treatment.Armed-T technology has another advantage, noted Dr. Chuang. The molecules that are attached to the surface of the T cell can be customized to allow the T cell to target and kill a specific type of cancer cell.CytoArm has developed five Armed-T products — CTA-01, CTA-02, CTA-03, CTA-04 and CTA-06. Experiments on lab mice with human B-cell leukemia indicate that CTA-01 can rapidly target and effectively destroy B-cell leukemia cancer cells with no obvious signs of recurrence. CTA-03 is for treating prostate cancer and CTA-04 is for treating metastatic breast carcinoma.CytoArm's first Armed-T product, CTA-02, is for treating incurable colorectal cancer associated with mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene or its downstream effectors. In the first half of 2024, CytoArm is set to submit applications for CTA-02 clinical trials in Taiwan, Singapore, and the US.Poised to become a powerful weapon against cancer, CytoArm's Armed-T technology received worldwide attention following its introduction. Dr. Chuang named Taiwan's maturing startup ecosystem a key contributor to CytoArm's success.As a TMU-incubated startup, CytoArm developed a patent plan with TMU's guidance right when it was first founded. It also reached out to a U.S. IP firm for advice and confirmation that Armed-T does not infringe upon big pharma players' CAR-T patents, allowing the company to steer clear of obstacles that might hinder its research.The industry, government, and academia are stepping up efforts to support innovations and startups. Since CytoArm's establishment in 2020, capital investment, professional guidance, and market-driven strategies have all fueled the company's growth. Going forward, Dr. Chuang suggests that the government strengthen research grant and talent incubation policies and drive the commercialization of academic research to keep Taiwan's industry reinvigorated.CytoArm's Armed-T products. The first product, CTA-02, is for treating incurable colorectal cancer associated with mutations in the EGFR gene or its downstream effectors. Phase I clinical trials are scheduled to begin in 2024. It can be used to treat pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, TNBC and other types of cancer in the future.