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【Applications Closed】2025 Academy for Women Entrepreneurs

Created：2025-05-15
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In 2019, the U.S. government launched the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative to help enhance women's economic and political empowerment. To advance the W-GDP Initiative, the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs introduced the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) program to empower women to successfully launch and own businesses, ensuring their participation in the global economy.

In 2021, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) introduced the AWE program to Taiwan for the first time, collaborating with the Small and Medium Enterprise and Startup Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs, to establish AWE Taiwan. It organizes related courses, networking, visits, competitions, and more, having successfully cultivated 243 Taiwanese women entrepreneurs to date.

To discover and cultivate the potential and capabilities of Taiwanese women entrepreneurs and support their entry into the international market, the Small and Medium Enterprise and Startup Administration and AIT have joined forces to run AWE Taiwan. It integrates resources from the government, corporations, and non-profit organizations to select Taiwanese women entrepreneurs with English proficiency. Through training mechanisms like the DreamBuilder online curriculum, a 3-day/2-night training camp, and one-on-one mentorship, it helps them build an international expansion mindset, connect with industry networks, and strengthen their fundraising skills and abilities. In addition to training activities, this year's program will also include business or investment matchmaking sessions to connect Taiwanese women entrepreneurs with investors and senior industry executives, enhancing opportunities for collaboration.

Entrepreneurial Incubation Mechanism

This year, AWE Taiwan expects to select 30 participants and arrange the following entrepreneurial support activities and courses:

Training Courses

2025 AWE Taiwan Launch and Networking Event

The official launch of the 2025 AWE Taiwan program, introducing this year's event plan to new participants, and facilitating interaction and networking among participants and between participants and mentors.

DreamBuilder Online Entrepreneurship Course (Participants must complete the course and obtain a certificate by September)

DreamBuilder is a free online entrepreneurship program developed by the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University in partnership with Freeport-McMoRan, a global copper mining company. The platform is operated entirely in English and consists of 13 courses, each taking about 30 minutes to complete. The DreamBuilder course website is: https://dreambuilder.org/awe.

DreamBuilder Course Online Guided Reading and Extended Topic Discussions (Attendance in at least 2 sessions required)

Two online guided reading sessions for the DreamBuilder course will be arranged, led by outstanding AWE Taiwan alumni who have completed the training, to share their experiences and help participants enhance their learning effectiveness. Additionally, one online lecture related to overseas expansion will be arranged to provide participants with necessary information for entering the international market.

Business Networking Events

Business networking events will be held, including business lectures, sharing sessions with elite enterprises, or company visits, to provide participants with knowledge for market expansion and business development, and to gain a deeper understanding of the operational methods and business strategies of mature enterprises for more inspiration.

3-Day/2-Night Training Camp (Tentatively scheduled for July 23 - July 25)

A 3-day/2-night training camp will be arranged to train participants in practical entrepreneurial skills, helping to strengthen their business strategy, resource utilization, and brand-building capabilities. Through sharing successful overseas entrepreneurship experiences, it will provide participants with first-hand insights for expanding abroad.

One-on-One Mentorship

Participants will be matched with mentors based on their business development stage and needs for one-on-one counseling. Mentors will diagnose the current status and future development of the participant's enterprise and provide recommendations.

Business or Investment Matchmaking Session

A business or investment matchmaking session will be held to connect participants with investors (including angel investors, venture capitalists, or corporate venture capitalists) or senior industry executives for one-on-one meetings, creating a platform for engagement.

Demo Day and AWE Taiwan Graduation Ceremony

Participants will deliver business presentations entirely in English in a competition format. Representatives from domestic and international venture capital firms will be invited to listen to the presentations, creating matchmaking opportunities. Following the Demo Day, a graduation ceremony will be held, inviting mentors and alumni to further strengthen the community ties of AWE Taiwan participants, alumni, and mentors.

Eligibility

Each enterprise may nominate one female representative to participate, who must meet the following qualifications:

• The applying enterprise must be a domestic company established under the Company Act, meet the standards for a small and medium-sized enterprise, and have at least 2 full-time employees (including the founder or co-founder).
• The enterprise must be a startup established within the last 8 years, founded on or after March 31, 2017.
• The representative must have English communication skills and be the person in charge, (co-)founder, or a director of the company. If not holding one of these titles but is in a senior leadership position (e.g., CEO, COO) with substantial decision-making power, a statement from the company must be provided as proof.
• The focus is on industries such as Artificial Intelligence, Healthcare, and Green Technology, or other enterprises with technological or business model innovation.

Application Information and Schedule

• Application Period: From now until 17:00 on Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
• Application Link: https://forms.gle/MrVqYsCFWEGatfPB7

Required Documents for Application:

  1. Proof of company registration.
  2. Proof of employment, including but not limited to labor and health insurance records, salary payment proofs for January and February 2025, or a company manpower statement with official company seals.
  3. An English presentation of up to 15 pages (including cover and back pages). The format is not restricted, but Appendix 4 of this brochure can be used as a reference. The presentation should include the following content:
    Key Point Content Reference
    Company Status & Management Team 1. Company background, scale, product/service introduction, and operational status.
    2. Background and advantages of the representative and management team.
    3. Motivation and purpose for participating.
    Market Competitiveness & Development Potential 1. Innovativeness and completeness of the product, service, and business model.
    2. Competitive advantages, including differentiation from competitors, brand management, technology, or patents.
    3. Current market expansion status and future plans and strategies.
    4. Short, medium, and long-term planning, including evaluation of business goal execution, development or capital increase plans, and estimated return on investment.
    International Market Potential 1. Current overseas expansion status and plans for the next three years.
    2. Overseas expansion potential, including market assessment, validation results, and competitive analysis.
    Financial Indicators 1. Operating results (including revenue, gross profit, net profit, and domestic/international revenue ratio).
    2. Financial planning (including financing plans) and financial risk assessment.
    Bonus Items 1. Participation in domestic or international entrepreneurship competitions, product or service awards, etc.
  4. Supporting documents for bonus points (if any), such as award records from domestic/international competitions and press releases.
  5. Affidavit: Please use the format in Appendix 1 of this brochure, with official company seals.
  6. Informed Consent for Personal Data Collection: Please use the format in Appendix 2, submitted by the representative with company seals.
  7. Declaration: Please use the format in Appendix 3, submitted by the representative with company seals.
  8. One headshot photo file of the applicant: Please provide in JPG or PNG format, not exceeding 100KB.
  9. Company Logo: Please provide in JPG or PNG format, not exceeding 100KB.

Attachment Downloads

Application Brochure and Related Attachments Download
• Brochure Download Link: https://reurl.cc/5DZADM

Contact Window

• Contact Phone: Ms. Hsu (07)332-1068#24, Ms. Kuo (07)332-1068#21
• Contact Email: [email protected]
• Women Entrepreneurship Program Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/sysmewoman
• Women Entrepreneurship Program Website: https://woman.sme.gov.tw/

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