What are the main differences between incubators in Taiwan and in Europe? Technically? None, really! Similar incubation processes and services are delivered by enthusiastic practitioner in the EU as in Taiwan, to smart entrepreneurs, with smart ideas, which eventually (hopefully) will succeed in contributing to wealth generation and local development. No, not surprisingly the main differences do not lie in the technicalities which are very similar to the ones used in the EU. The main differences I saw while spending a full week visiting the Taiwanese incubation system can be identified with the high level of recognition and support provided by the public sector and in the business models adopted by the incubators.
Taiwan is a small island populated by 23 million people. One third of Italy, one fourth of Germany and of the UK, one twentieth of the overall European population. A country with a 4,33% unemployment rate, a level to which European Governments can hardly even dream of, a country which has made entrepreneurship the main ingredient of its growth. Beside the 4% unemployment rate which made me shiver when I heard about it, there is another number that gave me the goose bumps: Taiwanese entrepreneurs can rely on 130 incubators, as also described in the spotlight articel “Eastern Promise” in issue 1 of this magazine, to find support and all of these incubators receive some public support (up to more or less 30% of their business model depends on public funding).
To read the full, original article click on this link: New Incubation Business Models – Made in Taiwan | The Business Incubator
