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Neo Star 2025: AI and Biotech Startups Lead Taiwan’s Next Innovation Wave
The annual Meet Neo Star list, one of the most influential spotlights in Taiwan’s startup community, has officially been announced for 2025. This year’s selection offers a clear reflection of industry momentum. AI is no longer just a vision for the future. It is already here, shaping products and services across sectors. In digital health, innovation is moving from isolated breakthroughs toward more meaningful clinical integration.
From a pool of more than 230 teams, 30 startups were chosen to compete for a total prize of NT$600,000 (approximately 18,500 USD). The 2025 Neo Star Demo Show kicked off on November 20 with two semifinal pitch rounds held during the first day of Meet Taipei. These sessions narrowed the field to 10 finalists, who are now set to compete in the final pitch round on November 21.
The 10 startup teams that advanced to the finals are: Deeli AI, Aira Corporation, RVi, Fortune AI, R2C2 Robotics, Valtec, mesoView, MDTK, VitalSigns, and Pulxion. Their innovations span five major sectors.
As a key benchmark in Taiwan’s startup ecosystem, the competition concluded after several intense rounds with Valtec taking home the top prize.
mesoView and Pulxion followed as second and third place winners, respectively, and all three were named to the 2025 Startup of the Year list.
“In the past 15 years, we’ve selected over 400 teams, including many that have gone on to become publicly listed companies,” said John Wang, General Manager and Editor-in-Chief of Business Next. “Our goal is to help bring Taiwan’s startups onto a bigger stage.”
Valtec Wins Top Prize at Neo Star 2025 as Healthcare Startups Lead the Way
This recognition goes beyond just a title, it brings real opportunities for growth. The top three teams selected by the jury at the Meet Neo Star Demo Show receive cash prizes of NT$300,000 (USD 9,300), NT$200,000 (USD 6,200), and NT$100,000 (USD 3,100) respectively. In addition, they earn a chance to advance directly to the final interview round for the 15th cohort of the AAMA Taipei Cradle Plan. The winners also gain full-year access to Meet Startup’s networking events and receive marketing support through Business Next and Meet’s media channels.
In addition to the jury prizes, the industry-sponsored Corporate Special Awards provide startup teams with valuable resources to accelerate their growth. The AWS AI Special Award was given to Valtec, MedicalTek, and VitalSigns. Each of the three startups will receive AI or strategic project credits worth USD 10,000, along with hands-on support from both AWS and its partners to help develop and deploy their AI projects. They will also gain priority access to the 2026 AWS Joint Innovation Center, along with opportunities for business matchmaking, investor connections, and increased visibility through promotional events.
Aira Corporation and Valtec were awarded the CDIB Innovation Accelerator Special Award, which includes a letter of intent for future investment from the accelerator.
Pulxion received the Deloitte Taiwan Special Award, which grants the team a spot in the firm’s DEEP training program focused on tax and accounting, along with eight hours of free consulting services.
mesoView won the PwC Startup Special Award, earning a spot in the PwC 2026 Accelerator Program.
MedicalTek received the KPMG Special Award, which includes admission to the KPMG Energize Program’s case-based workshop, eight hours of complimentary consulting services, and priority access to KPMG’s 2026 Meet & Match and Boot Camp programs.
Aira Corporation won the Chunghwa Telecom Special Award, which includes 300,000 credits for Hicloud cloud services, direct admission to Chunghwa Telecom’s accelerator program, opportunities for business matchmaking and investor meetings, and access to resources at the 5G Demo Park located at the Chunghwa Telecom Academy.
Valtec received the Constellation GPU Computing Special Award, which comes with GPU cloud computing credits valued at NT$200,000 (around USD 6,200). This is equivalent to approximately 6,000 hours of computing power, offering the startup significant resources to support its AI development and training needs.
R2C2 Robotics received the CIC Japan Innovation Passport, which grants the team three months of complimentary coworking space access and membership benefits at one of CIC’s locations in Tokyo, Fukuoka, or Osaka.
Commenting on the final results, Peter Pan, Senior Investment Director at Wistron CVC, emphasized that Taiwanese startups must expand globally. He encouraged the founders in the room to continue embracing innovative thinking.
Capital and Policy as Dual Engines: The AI Ecosystem Behind Taiwan’s Surging Startup Investment
This year’s award winners and finalist teams all point to a powerful long-term trend. AI technology, especially in biotech and healthcare applications, has emerged as the most significant driver of momentum within Taiwan’s startup ecosystem.
This observation is backed by data from the 2025 Taiwan Startup Ecosystem Report, published by the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER). “I think everyone can feel that the ecosystem is shifting in a new direction,” said Ping-Hang Fan, Deputy Director of Division VI at TIER, as he opened the discussion.
The report reveals that, as of October 2025, Taiwan is home to over 10,000 startups. In 2024, total investment reached a record high of 3.3 billion US dollars. Ping-Hang Fan highlighted a particularly striking insight: “Compared to the global trend, Taiwan is experiencing growth against the tide.” Among the most favored sectors are aerospace manufacturing and healthcare.
The rise of AI is undeniably the driving force behind this momentum. It is not only reshaping industries but also changing how capital flows. Fan noted that AI is pushing startups to become smaller and more agile, which in turn is transforming traditional fundraising models. “One major shift we’re seeing is the evolving role of major cloud service providers. They are no longer just investors — they’re building their own AI ecosystems,” he explained.
He pointed out that many corporations are now offering critical computing resources through accelerator programs, deepening their roles as strategic partners in the startup landscape.
The data also reflects strong investor confidence in the future of AI in Taiwan. Over the past five years, there have been 601 investments in AI startups, with most of them concentrated in the early stages before Series A. At the same time, government support has grown increasingly diverse. From the National Development Fund’s NT$10 billion (about USD 310 million) Thematic Investment Initiative to the Startup Island Alliance Bloom Program and various market-validated accelerator programs, these efforts are injecting critical momentum into Taiwan’s startup ecosystem.
When we see government, academia, and industry all committing resources, the goal is no longer just the future of individual companies. It is about laying the foundation for the next generation of industries in Taiwan.
Whether it is Valtec, this year’s top prize winner, or mesoView and Pulxion, two teams advancing smart healthcare, they reflect a new generation of Taiwanese founders — more technically grounded, internationally focused, and driven to solve real-world challenges across industries.
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