Shut up and get paid! Taiwan’s Shark Tank sharks have arrived, and the judging panel is strong, including Lin Zhi-Chen and Huang Li-Cheng

TVBS? actually WeTV and Sony Pictures Television’s venture capital reality show Shark Tank Taiwan, have announced that five new sharks (angel investors) will join the hosting lineup. The new season’s judging panel includes Lin Zhichen, founder of AppWorks; Machi Big Brother Huang Licheng; and Akio Tanaka, partner at Japanese venture capital firm Headline Asia, among others. The show is expected to begin production in the second half of this year, drawing significant attention.

Shark Tank participant’s challenge

Shark Tank Taiwan will continue the program’s usual format: entrepreneurs must clearly explain their business model and how they will generate profits in a very short time on the reality show, while also facing sharp questioning from the angel investors.

Shark Tank Taiwan shark lineup

The invited judges for this round include Lin Zhichen, General Manager of Taiwan Mobile and AppWorks partner, who has deep experience with Asian startups. A key figure from the finance sector is Liu Yicheng, Vice Chairman of Dingtou Venture Capital and General Manager; he previously served as Vice President at JPMorgan investment banking and currently mainly focuses on Web3 investment opportunities, reviewing entrepreneurs’ real potential from the perspective of international capital markets.

Taiwan’s next-generation female entrepreneur, Gu Wanzhen, COO of Relove and co-founder, has successfully expanded local Taiwanese brands into international markets in Japan, the United States, and Southeast Asia. She will provide branding management and consumer market advice to startup teams. Adult livestream entrepreneur “Machi Big Brother” Huang Licheng also joins this season’s shark lineup. Huang Licheng said that besides artificial intelligence, Taiwan still has many promising entrepreneurial brands that deserve to be seen by the world. He is a dedicated fan of Shark Tank, and he is honored to join the show, hoping to help Taiwanese startups scale up and enhance their international competitiveness.

International venture capital joins in, expanding overseas investment opportunities

To build connections between Taiwanese startup teams and the international market, the program has specially invited Akio Tanaka, co-founder and partner of Japanese venture capital firm Headline Asia, to serve as the international investment representative. Akio Tanaka’s investment portfolio covers multiple Asian technology companies including KKBOX and KKTV, and he has long played the role of a bridge linking Japan, Taiwan, and Silicon Valley’s startup ecosystems. The show also invites Lin Guanshun, co-founder of KKBOX, and Qi Mingcheng, Chairman of the board of Jiaden Precision and also the President of the New Startups Association, to serve as business advisers, providing participating teams with more comprehensive business guidance.

Shark Tank Taiwan is adapted from the reality show Dragon’s Den, produced by Nippon TV. Distributed globally by Sony Pictures Television, it has launched localized versions in 50 countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia. The Taiwan version is expected to officially begin production in the second half of this year. Registration is now open, offering entrepreneurs with innovative products, market potential, or unique startup stories a public exposure channel to directly face top investors in their bid for funding.

This article “Shut up and take the money! Taiwanese Shark Tank sharks debut; the judging lineup is strong, including Lin Zhichen and Huang Licheng” first appeared on Lian News ABMedia.