Meet our 5 favorite Taiwan startups from AppWorks’ eighth batch

AppWorks, Taiwan’s four-year-old homegrown startup accelerator, held the Demo Day for its eighth graduating class of startups yesterday. A whopping 19 teams took the stage to present in front of an audience of local startup enthusiasts and tech industry insiders, in an event that served as the capstone to a three-month incubation program.

AppWorks stands out among its peers in Asia (namely SparkLabs and JFDI) in that it remains very much a grassroots operation. Founded by Jamie Lin, who returned to Taiwan to start AppWorks after completing an MBA at NYU Stern, the program provides workspace for emerging startups and mentorship from various banks and internet giants. AppWorks also manages a US$11 million fund which it uses to invest in selected program alumni.

Below are five startups from AppWork’s eighth batch that we’ll be keeping an eye on as Taiwan’s startup ecosystem develops.

1. FitMe

FitMe delivers nutritious and tasty Taiwan-style lunchboxes to working professionals who are too busy to prepare their own healthy meals at home. Lunchboxes come specially-made for customers’ personal fitness plans, with meals currently separated into categories for men, women, and weight-gainers.

2. Blink

Blink is a mobile wallet that lets users buy tickets for events all over Taiwan. The startup recently inked a deal with Viewshow Cinemas, the island’s best-known movie theater chain, to add listings and payment onto its app.

3. Traiwan

Traiwan is a room booking and POS system for bed-and-breakfasts. Over 63,000 bookings have been made on the software to date, and the company has partnerships with over 150 bed-and-breakfasts across the island.

4. Foundi

Foundi provides house hunters with up-to-date and comprehensive property listings around Taiwan.

5. Artbloom