NTHU and YD Capital Launch 'NTHU Future Fund' with Initial Target of NT$1 Billion

To establish a long-term capital mechanism supporting Deep Tech innovation, National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) and YD Capital officially launched their collaboration at the '2026 Taiwan Private Equity & Venture Capital Annual Conference' Gala Dinner, announcing the joint establishment of the 'NTHU Future Fund'. The fund's first-phase target is approximately NT$1 billion, focusing on Deep Tech fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, new energy, and biomedical technology to support startups.

Venture capital stakeholders note that Taiwan possesses world-class universities, a globally competitive technology industry, and abundant research talent and innovation capacity. However, enabling more breakthrough research outcomes to transition from laboratories to markets and evolve into globally competitive tech enterprises remains a critical challenge in advancing technological innovation.

This partnership aims to combine NTHU's exceptional research capabilities and talent development with YD Capital's 30 years of venture capital expertise, industrial networks, and capital market resources, creating a new public-private collaboration model for research universities and professional VCs to support Deep Tech innovation and activate university intellectual property.

The launch ceremony was attended by key government officials, including Dr. Frank Wu, Minister of the National Science and Technology Council; Dr. Jason Yeh, Minister of the National Development Council; and Dr. Chia-Ching Peng, Minister of the Ministry of Environment, witnessing a significant milestone in the joint advancement of Deep Tech innovation by academia, venture capital, and government.

The 'NTHU Future Fund' adopts a limited partnership structure, with YD Capital responsible for fundraising, management, and investment decisions, while NTHU provides trademark licensing. The partnership aims to establish a new paradigm for university-VC collaboration, balancing public mission, professional governance, and market efficiency.

With an initial target of approximately NT$1 billion and a 15-year long-term capital framework, the fund will focus on Deep Tech domains including semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, new energy, and biomedical technology. It will invest in startups from seed to growth stages, prioritizing NTHU spin-offs, faculty-student-alumni entrepreneurial teams, industry-academia collaboration projects, and startups incubated within the NTHU Science Park ecosystem.

NTHU President Dr. Frank W. H. Kao stated that the university has long been committed to talent cultivation, research innovation, and industrial advancement. A world-class university must not only generate knowledge but also transform it into forces that change the world. Deep Tech has become the core of global technological competition, and bridging the gap from lab to market requires long-term capital, industry linkages, and professional investment partners. The 'NTHU Future Fund' aims to establish a professional, sustainable, and globally oriented support mechanism to commercialize breakthrough research, nurture globally competitive startups, and enhance Taiwan's international influence in technological innovation.

YD Capital Chairman Mr. David Chiu emphasized that universities nurture innovation, while venture capital accelerates it. Deep Tech startups require more than funding—they need long-term mentorship and the ability to connect talent, technology, industry, markets, and capital. The greatest value of venture capital lies not in capital alone but in increasing the probability of startup success. Over its 30-year history, YD Capital has consistently supported innovative enterprises. Through the 'NTHU Future Fund', it will leverage its investment experience, corporate networks, strategic partners, and capital market resources to assist startups in technology validation, product commercialization, business model development, strategic partnerships, follow-on fundraising, and international expansion—guiding more innovations from lab to market and from Taiwan to the world.

Beyond capital, the 'NTHU Future Fund' will collaborate with the NTHU Science Park to integrate diverse resources from academia, industry, venture capital, alumni, and the broader ecosystem, establishing a comprehensive support system from research to entrepreneurship, growth, and globalization. This will shorten the technology commercialization journey, increase success rates, and build a more resilient and competitive innovation ecosystem.

Both parties emphasize that the 'NTHU Future Fund' is not merely an investment initiative but represents a new model for advancing Deep Tech innovation and long-term capital development in Taiwan. They aim to deepen collaboration among universities, enterprises, VCs, alumni, and government, attract more long-term capital into frontier technology fields, and establish a sustainable, replicable university-VC partnership model—enabling more breakthrough technologies from Taiwan to grow into globally competitive tech enterprises and strengthen Taiwan's position in the global innovation landscape.