Newsletter – August 6, 2025
10 startups from Taiwan pitched at Taiwan Demo Day in Menlo Park on July 24, drawing over 300 attendees for an afternoon of startup pitches, investor networking, and spirited discussion on the future of technology and innovation. Five of the startups just completed SkyDeck’s three-month Innovation Partner Program (IPP) in Berkeley.
A highlight of the event was a thought-provoking panel on the future of AI and deep tech, moderated by SkyDeck General Manager Sibyl Chen. Panelists included Natural Language Processing pioneer and Stanford professor Christopher Manning, serial entrepreneur and bestselling author Jerry Kaplan, and SkyDeck advisor and VC Michelle Kiang, whose sharp insights drew from hard-earned experience building and backing companies at the intersection of sustainability and deep tech. The discussion covered the intensifying global AI talent competition, the U.S. AI Action Plan, and the evolving U.S.-China chip policy – offering critical insight for founders, researchers, and policymakers alike.
The day closed with dynamic pitches from the Taiwanese startups. Featured SkyDeck IPP startups included:
- AESOP Technology: Harnessing AI to pioneer a unique Clinical Diagnostic Reasoning Network model, elevating the precision and speed of clinical decision-making.
- Anfibrosia: Advancing a novel nucleic acid-based therapy that targets the root causes of pulmonary fibrosis, offering hope for a disease with limited treatment options.
- iFoodmap: Modernizing the food supply chain with a smart, data-driven platform that simplifies sourcing and procurement for restaurants and suppliers.
- mesoView: Delivering a rapid, slide-free digital pathology solution that enables real-time intraoperative tissue assessment, improving surgical outcomes.
- MetAI: Exploring the frontier of physical AI with simulation-driven tools and digital twins that accelerate development in complex real-world systems.
Their significant progress in just three months underscores the power of international collaboration and SkyDeck’s mission to advance global entrepreneurship through mentorship, community, and opportunity.
