Tell HN: Taipei Meetup

[taipeiHN]

We have our 4th meetup on Monday, March 20th. 2 light talks on Zero Knowledge Proof (cryptography), in English.

A bit earlier (usually every 3 months) because the cryptographers happened to be in town, and we thought it could be a great topic for HNers.

RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/576753273567

Hope to see Taiwan's folks there!

[senttoschool]

If I have any advice for Taiwan tech people, build something that actually benefits society and is useful instead of trying to pull off the next scam.

[throwawaysalome → senttoschool]

instead of trying to pull off the next scam.

To clarify, my guy intended this as a general admonition unconditioned on nationality.

[senttoschool → throwawaysalome]

Actually, this is specifically for Taiwan's software tech scene. I've been following it, lived in it for a few years. It's mostly crypto startups trying to pull off the next crypto scam/rug pull.

It's a terrible waste of Taiwan's tech talent.

[AlchemistCamp → senttoschool]

There are some crypto startups but more are in SaaS, IOT, and several other categories. For some sense of the scene, look at Taiwan Startup Stadium's tags: https://www.startupstadium.tw/startups

What startup were you working on here?

[senttoschool → AlchemistCamp]

Taiwan's number of crypto startups relative to total number of tech startups is much higher than Silicon Valley's.

Also, I wouldn't use one. accelerator's lineup as an example because this accelerator might not accept crypto or as many crypto startups.

[throwawaysalome → senttoschool]

Taiwan's number of crypto startups relative to total is much higher

Such a statement can't be robust or meaningful. Nationwide measures see what they want to see.

But for argument's sake, what if crypto were replaced with any other mechanism for zero-sum wealth transfer including casino gaming, stock brokerage, or even video games? Many would exclude video games since they ostensibly entertain, but so does gambling and financial speculation.

[AlchemistCamp → senttoschool]

Any source for your claim?

[senttoschool → AlchemistCamp]

Anecdote evidence while traversing through Taiwan's startup scene for a few years.

[AlchemistCamp → senttoschool]

Ah, interesting. The reason I ask is because I’ve spent most of the past 7 years doing the same, and my perception has been very different.

I know many of the accelerators, most my friends are startup founders or early employees and only one is focused on anything crypto-related at work (and even then, it’s tangential).

[senttoschool → AlchemistCamp]

I'm first and foremost, from Silicon Valley. I've worked in SV for many years. I understand the startups here and the types of startups here.

The number of crypto startups relative to non-crypto startups in SV is much smaller than in Taiwan. That's how my perception is shaped.

[AlchemistCamp → senttoschool]

I was in SF/MV from 2012-2015 and then back in California for most of 2022, so I also spent a lot of time in both places.

It must come down to timing and who we each met over the past decade. YC certainly hasn’t been adverse to crypto startups: https://techcrunch.com/2022/09/07/y-combinator-crypto-invest...

[senttoschool → AlchemistCamp]

In 2021-2022, everyone was hyped about crypto. SV too. But even so, the crypto to non-crypto ratio is much lower in SV than in Taiwan (and Asia in general such as HK, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea).

In general, people in SV are far more skeptical of crypto.

Asia is/was doing a lot of crypto because the people and governments there perceive it as an opportunity to build their own tech communities, like Silicon Valley. They can't catch SV in traditional tech companies, so they want to jump onto the next "big thing". What the governments don't understand is how crypto is only used for exploitations. And crypto companies are notorious for overselling the use cases and "technology" of blockchain since that's how they make money: marketing before building.

This is why I encourage Taiwan's tech scene to not waste talent on blockchain/crypto.