Labor Affairs Bureau has been promoting the program of “Taichung’s Young Start Pickers” over two years to assist the youth to realize their dream by creating their own businesses. This October, the Bureau organized online an i-voting event to choose “the Star Picker, the Youth with Entrepreneurship” to invite citizens in Taichung to understand and support start-ups. These young entrepreneurs were also invited to share their experiences with others. The voting result was released a couple of days ago, and the top three winners are Liao Sin-yi from Stars Villa (E-Doctor Cultural Business Corporation), Chang Tian-yi from Guangfu Village (CHOMEET), and Li Yu-ching from Guagfu Village (Creema).

According to Labor Affairs Bureau, the Star Pickers program invited young elite entrepreneurs to reside in three sites including Stars Villa, Shenji Village, Guangfu Village. During the period, through participation in competitions or applications, they demonstrated great achievements by receiving various awards and grants. In order to encourage the young entrepreneurs to market themselves, Taichung City Government between October 12 and 31 organized the i-Voting event to choose winners of “star pickers.” Citizens are invited to know and choose their winners as the representatives of young star pickers.

Voting result was released a couple of days ago and the top ten winners in order are Liao Sin-yi from Stars Villa (E-Doctor Cultural Business Corporation), Chang Tian-yi from Guangfu Village (CHOMEET), Li Yu-Ching from Guagfu Village (Creema), Lin Je-yu from Shenji Village (Blossom), Yang Yuan-ting from Shenji Village (Su Yuan), Jiang Chi-feng from Guangfu Village (Nature Green Farm), He Siou-ling from Stars Villa (40HO Studio), Liu Cheng-wan from Guangfu Village (Little Wheat Bakery), Su Quan-fan (MoonMa), and Jiang Ren-tong (Touch Farmer).

The top winner, Liao Sin-yi set up “E-Doctor Cultural Business Corporation” to devote what she has learned to the disabled students in need and to help them learn and develop. She attempts to improve the equality of resource distribution. Her charity start-up has been recognized by Central Taiwan Branch of Council for Industrial and Commercial Development (CICD) that donated NTD250,000. Liao now, thus, continues devoting herself to teach the disable English and help the disable junior high school students to transform their life.

The second-place winner, Chang Tian-yi, created the brand “CHOMEET” by combining Taiwan’s local produce and chocolate. The products use ingredients coming from coco plants in Taiwan to strictly produce handmade chocolate. Chang has contracted with local farmers. He combines natural food ingredients and chocolate to create his own brand.

The third-place winner, Lin Yu-ching, the owner of “Creema,” overcame the vulnerability and difficulty of traditional wool felt to begin mass production, she used wool fabric instead as the main material to design individualized products such as wool fabric bags. She would like to put her design in everyday life and successfully promote cultural and creative products of wool fabric.

Labor Affairs Bureau will respectively give rent reduction of existing space leased by the top three winners of star picker. Through the promotion event, citizens in Taichung can share their business building and innovation experiences. Additionally, in November, Labor Affairs Bureau will draw ten lucky voters who can receive a voucher of NTD 1,000 to purchase at star picker residence sites. Lucky winners can purchase at three sites with vouchers before December 25.

For more information about program contents and stories of young star pickers, please visit our website of “Young Star Pickers in Taichung” (http://www.tcdream.taichung.gov.tw/) and FB Fanpage. Labor Affairs Bureau also welcome your visit to star picker sites to support young entrepreneurs and get to know their business building stories.