Sparknify to Produce “Founders After Hours: Taiwan Innovation Meets Capital” During TechCrunch Disrupt Week
Official TechCrunch Side Event will bring 15 Taiwanese startups to San Francisco to meet Silicon Valley investors, corporate venture teams, and strategic partners
October 1, 2026 | SAN FRANCISCO, California: Sparknify will produce Founders After Hours: Taiwan Innovation Meets Capital, an Official TechCrunch Side Event bringing 15 emerging Taiwanese technology companies to San Francisco during TechCrunch Disrupt week.
The event is hosted by Taiwan’s Small and Medium Enterprise and Startup Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs (SMESA), Startup Terrace, Innovation to Industry (i2i), Innoventure, and Sustainable Impact Capital, with Sparknify serving as the event producer and Silicon Valley ecosystem partner.
Taking place on October 13, 2026, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at 760 Market Street in San Francisco, the event will give Silicon Valley investors and technology leaders a direct look at Taiwan’s next generation of startups and the founders building them.
At the center of the evening will be the IP² Scale Out Founders Pitch Night, where 15 companies will present technologies spanning artificial intelligence, digital platforms, MedTech, digital health, biotechnology, digital twins, space technology, defense, secure communications, energy, sustainability, advanced displays, and spatial computing.
The technologies being presented range from AI powered laboratory automation and virtual healthcare to satellite intelligence, secure drone communications, surgical training, fertility technology, renewable energy infrastructure, advanced three dimensional displays, and intelligent digital platforms. The companies represent the breadth of Taiwan’s expanding startup ecosystem and its growing ambition to bring technologies developed in Taiwan to international markets.
For venture capital firms, corporate venture teams, technology executives, and strategic investors, the event is designed to be more than a traditional pitch night. It will create an opportunity to meet founders directly, evaluate technologies at an early stage, explore investment opportunities, and identify potential partnerships between Taiwan and Silicon Valley.
“Taiwan has an extraordinary concentration of engineering, technology, and entrepreneurial talent, but the most valuable connections happen when founders and investors can actually sit down together,” said John Huang, Partner of Sparknify. “Our goal is to create the kind of environment Silicon Valley does best, where a pitch can turn into a conversation, a conversation can turn into a partnership, and a partnership can become a global opportunity.”
The event reflects a broader effort by Taiwan’s startup ecosystem to connect promising companies with international capital, customers, mentors, and strategic partners. SME Administration supports programs covering startup development, investment, financing, and social innovation, while Startup Terrace provides programs including international pilots, soft landing support, proof of concept opportunities, and startup consulting.
Innovation to Industry i2i also works with startups through incubation, international market development, funding resources, business matchmaking, and connections to industry networks. Its activities are focused on helping technology companies grow beyond Taiwan and access international opportunities.
For Sparknify, the event continues its work bringing together founders, investors, corporate leaders, technologists, and international innovation ecosystems through programs built around meaningful conversations and high value connections.
Rather than presenting Taiwan only as one of the world’s most important technology manufacturing centers, Founders After Hours: Taiwan Innovation Meets Capital will put the spotlight on the founders and emerging companies creating technologies that could become Taiwan’s next generation of global businesses.
Event Information
Founders After Hours: Taiwan Innovation Meets Capital
IP² Scale Out Founders Pitch NightOfficial TechCrunch Side Event
Date: October 13, 2026
Time: 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Location: 760 Market Street, San Francisco, California
Hosted by: Taiwan Small and Medium Enterprise and Startup Administration, Startup Terrace, Innovation to Industry, Innoventure, and Sustainable Impact Capital
Event information and registration:
About Sparknify
Sparknify is a Silicon Valley technology and innovation platform producing events, media, live shows, and programs that connect founders, investors, corporate leaders, technologists, and global innovation communities. Its programs are designed to turn conversations into relationships, partnerships, investment opportunities, and meaningful collaboration. https://sparknify.com
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