La French Tech Taiwan Newsletter #6
Deepening Deep Tech: Connecting Innovation, Industry & Capital
Taiwan–France collaboration continues to expand, bringing together deep-tech entrepreneurs, industrial partners and international investors.
At La French Tech Taiwan, we are deepening our engagement in this evolving ecosystem, with a growing focus on semiconductors, quantum technologies and the relationships that help innovation grow.
These connections span an increasingly broad spectrum: from startups exploring new partnerships to companies backed by Taiwanese investment that have gone on to IPO, alongside major European private equity players engaging with Taiwan’s ecosystem.
In this edition, discover:
🔹 Highlights from SEMICON Taiwan and Silicon Night
🔹 Conversations with Qolumbus, Pasqal and Eurazeo
🔹 Initiatives led by our board members and community
🔹 An update on Taiwan’s startup investment landscape
SEMICON Taiwan & Silicon Night
The French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Taiwan inaugurated the Choose France pavilion at SEMICON Taiwan, drawing a large crowd to the opening. Taiwan’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, François Wu, spoke about the strength of France-Taiwan relations and the role France can play in the global semiconductor industry. Frédéric Laplanche, the new Director of the French Office in Taipei, praised the quality and diversity of the French companies on show. This is the third consecutive year the Chamber has organized the pavilion, and it is the biggest yet, with ten French participants: Veolia Asia, CEA-Leti, SiPearl, Inventec Performance Chemicals, Technic Inc., Quobly, STMicroelectronics, ECM Greentech (ECM Group), Ion Beam Services and Qolumbus. The Chamber launched the pavilion after noticing that France was missing from a trade fair where many other countries exhibited together. It was meant as a meeting point to showcase French know-how, bring French companies together and build concrete links with one of the world’s key semiconductor ecosystems. The post closes by stressing that the two sides have much to offer each other and by thanking the exhibitors, partners and attendees.
French Silicon Night
On September 1st, La French Tech Taiwan and the French Office in Taipei organized the French Silicon Nigh, held on the eve of SEMICON Taiwan.
The evening highlighted the French presence in Taiwan’s semiconductor sector with remarks from Frédéric Laplanche, the newly appointed Director of the French Office in Taipei.
Karen Yu, President of ITIC, then gives a keynote on joint France-Taiwan semiconductor investments, following the announcement of a €50 million joint fund with Bpifrance.
A panel discussion on Europe-France-Taiwan cooperation followed, featuring Pierre Chastanet of the European Commission, Bruno Paing of CEA-Leti, Philippe Notton of SiPearl, and Stephen Su of ITRI, moderated by Victoria Grellety, Economic Attaché.
The program closed with a startup pitch session featuring French companies Aniah, DIAMFAB and Nellow, and Taiwan’s IIST, covering areas such as chip verification software, diamond-based power semiconductors, low-energy AI chips, and hardware security.
Overall, this event strengthened dialogue, showcased existing cooperation, and opened the door to new partnerships across the semiconductor value chain.
👉 Our event page : https://www.frenchtechtaiwan.com/french-tech-night-2026/
The Bpifrance × ITIC Fund : Building a France Taiwan Deep-Tech Corridor
What happens when French deep-tech innovation meets Taiwan’s world-class industrial expertise?
A new investment partnership between Bpifrance and ITIC aims to bring these two ecosystems closer together to create new opportunities for startups, investors and industrial players on both sides.
From innovation to industrial scale
France and Taiwan bring different strengths to the table. France has a strong ecosystem in research, engineering, microelectronics, mathematics and high-performance computing, with a growing community of deep-tech startups.
Taiwan, meanwhile, has built one of the world’s most advanced technology and manufacturing ecosystems, particularly in semiconductors, electronics and precision engineering.
The ambition behind the Bpifrance × ITIC partnership is to connect these complementary capabilities and make it easier for innovative technologies to move from research and development to industrialization and international markets.
More than just funding
For Karen Yu, the value of the initiative goes beyond simply providing capital.
The partnership can serve as a bridge between two ecosystems, connecting French startups and researchers with Taiwanese investors, technology companies and manufacturers.
The approach is built around three key ideas:
Co-invest: bringing French and Taiwanese investment capabilities together to support promising deep-tech companies.
Co-create: connecting French technological innovation with Taiwan’s industrial and manufacturing expertise.
Co-scale: helping companies expand beyond their home markets, creating opportunities in both Europe and Asia.
This combination is particularly relevant for deep tech, where companies often need significant investment, specialized industrial capabilities and international partners before they can bring their technologies to market at scale.
Why Taiwan?
For French startups, Taiwan offers more than access to capital.
It is home to a highly integrated technology ecosystem, with expertise spanning semiconductors, electronics, hardware development and manufacturing. Building relationships with Taiwanese companies can therefore provide French innovators with potential partners for testing, production and scaling.
At the same time, stronger links with France can give Taiwanese companies and investors access to European research, innovation and markets.
The opportunity is therefore two-way: connecting Taiwan’s industrial capabilities with France’s research and entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Building a France–Taiwan deep-tech corridor
The broader ambition is to move from individual partnerships toward a more connected France–Taiwan deep-tech corridor.
For startups, this could mean new routes to investment, industrial partnerships and international expansion. For investors and corporations, it creates opportunities to identify technologies and partners across two highly complementary ecosystems.
As deep-tech increasingly depends on international collaboration, initiatives such as Bpifrance × ITIC can play a role in bringing together the capital, technology and industrial expertise needed to turn innovation into global solutions.
Deep-Tech Insights:
How can emerging technologies connect with Taiwan’s industrial strengths? What does it take to turn initial exchanges into practical collaboration? And how do investors build the trust that supports long-term partnerships?
Qolumbus | Exploring Taiwan–France Partnerships in Quantum Computing
How can a French quantum startup work with Taiwan’s semiconductor ecosystem?
Martin Gissat of La French Tech Taiwan spoke with Raphaël Bijaoui, Strategic Partnership & Business Developer at Qolumbus, following the company’s first visit to SEMICON Taiwan.
Qolumbus is developing a hybrid quantum computing architecture combining silicon spin qubits with superconducting circuits.
👉 Read the full interview here
Pasqal | From Quantum Science to Industrial Collaboration
What does a quantum computer look like up close and where could Taiwan’s industrial expertise fit in?
During a visit to French quantum computing company Pasqal, our board member Emilia Chen encountered a precise arrangement of lenses, lasers and mirrors. The optics-intensive hardware prompted a broader question: how can frontier science become scalable industrial capability?
Her reflection explores potential connections between Europe’s quantum ecosystem and Taiwan’s strengths in precision manufacturing, photonics, control electronics and systems integration. It considers how scientific exchanges could develop into industrial partnerships through concrete technical requirements and focused pilot projects.
👉 Read the full interview here
Eurazeo | Building Trust Through Industrial Partnerships and Founder Relationships
How can Taiwan’s industrial strengths connect with European investment strategies and how do those connections develop into lasting partnerships?
This time, Emilia spoke with Ernest Xue, Managing Director in Eurazeo’s Future Industries team, about the perspective of a major European private-market investment platform.
The conversation explores existing links between Taiwanese suppliers and Eurazeo’s portfolio companies, and how concrete industrial needs can open opportunities for commercial partnerships and co-investment. It also examines trust between investors and founders, from navigating difficult moments to preparing for an eventual exit.
A central takeaway: cross-border relationships deepen through practical collaboration, shared experience and commitments fulfilled over time.
👉 Read the full interview here
From Our Board & Community
Formosa Impact Circle | Building Taiwan–Europe Connections During SEMICON Week
Formosa Impact Circle, founded by Emilia Chen, hosted the Global Semiconductor Investors Forum in Taipei on September 3, with support from La French Tech Taiwan.
The closed-door forum brought together investors, industry leaders, researchers and international representatives to explore semiconductor security, Taiwan–Europe investment and resilience technologies. Discussions highlighted the importance of trust, shared accountability and cross-sector collaboration.
Alongside the forum, Formosa Impact Circle hosted an informal gathering at Taipei 101, welcoming international investors and founders through conversation and Taiwanese hospitality.
These gatherings created space for both strategic dialogue and the personal connections that sustain long-term collaboration.
👉 Read the full stories: https://lnkd.in/p/ggKnA9KK
ADALS 2026: Connecting Innovation and Inclusion Across Borders
On September 18, the inaugural APAC Digital Inclusion & Accessibility Leadership Summit (ADALS 2026) took place in Taipei, bringing together international experts, industry leaders, and advocates to explore accessibility, inclusive design, and innovation.
Organized by the APAC Authentic Inclusion Association (APAC AIA), with TechMoi as co-organizer and La French Tech Taiwan as an event partner, the summit fostered cross-border dialogue on how technology can create more inclusive experiences.
Among the featured speakers was Sawako Nagai, Country Manager and Representative of FACIL’iti Japan and Board Member of La French Tech Tokyo, who shared her insights on accessibility and inclusion, highlighting the importance of connecting innovation ecosystems across Asia.
The discussions reinforced a key message: accessibility is not just about compliance—it is an opportunity to drive innovation, reach broader markets, and create meaningful social impact.
ADALS 2026 marked an important step toward strengthening collaboration between accessibility professionals, businesses, and startup communities across the Asia-Pacific region.
Together, we can build a future where innovation works for everyone.
Day-1 Coworking space
Last month, La French Tech Taiwan team had the chance to meet with Yann Boquillod, a serial entrepreneur in Taipei. Yann created his first company, Air Visuals, in 2016. It was a solution to determine the air quality, which helped millions of people to protect themselves from air pollution. After a successful exit, Yan created Ship24, a global platform for package tracking and logistics visibility founded in 2018. Furthermore, Yann co-manages a running club in Taipei, named Hey Running!, with the objective to bring people together and progress in their sport objectives.
Recently, Yann and other entrepreneurs launched a new project in Taipei. Day-1 is a coworking space and community in Taipei for founders, freelancers, creatives and remote workers who are building things.
Located in Da’an District, Taipei, the promise of this project is not to just offer just a desk and Wi-Fi. It’s a place to meet people you wouldn’t have met otherwise and get real work done.
The floor is open and bright, with hot desks, a pantry, a lounge with couches, meeting rooms and phone booths, and quiet areas for when you need to focus. The place was built by entrepreneurs who have started and exited companies, and who are still building.
What members get
- Mentorship: You can bring practical problems such as setting up a company, fundraising, finding first customers or hiring in Taiwan.
- Community: The values are peer accountability, advice specific enough to act on.
- Good basics: Coffee is included, and there are nine meeting rooms and phone booths.
Events
Day 1 hosts a regular schedule of community events, many of them open to the public. This month’s include a CocoaHeads Taipei meetup for Apple developers, a networking evening, a gentle mixer for people who dislike traditional networking, and “What Are You Building?”, where five people show a project in progress to a curious, non-judgmental room.
Hire the space
You can also rent Day 1 for your own event. The open floor holds up to 80 people for talks, workshops and launches, and the red meeting room seats up to 12.
Follow the link to check their membership plans and register for their coming events : https://day1taipei.com/
Ecosystem News
Taiwan Broadens Access to Its Startup Investment Programme
Taiwan is expanding the scope of its AI and digital economy startup investment programme to include eligible offshore-registered companies with substantive connections to Taiwan.
The development is relevant to internationally structured startups that maintain significant R&D, employment or business activity in Taiwan. For our community, it is an update worth following as cross-border teams explore how to build and grow their presence in the market.
👉 Read the full article on Taiwan News:
https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/6452122
What’s Next
📩 Stay connected with La French Tech Taiwan as we continue to promote Taiwan-France innovation exchange and link global innovation networks.
Stay tuned for our upcoming events:
La French Tech Taiwan Team