Are you an international student aspiring to launch your own business in Taiwan?
Or are you curious about how cutting-edge AI technology and ESG sustainability concepts can turn into profitable business models?
Career&Employment Hub for International Students at National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) is honored to welcome back Antoine Sylvestre to share his experience! Antoine is an outstanding NSYSU IBMBA alumnus from France who has successfully founded two thriving companies in Taiwan: Celerity AI (a B2B AI logistics automation platform) and Kiara (a sustainable coffee-fruit sparkling drink brand).
In this interactive session, Antoine will open his startup playbook as an international founder in Taiwan—covering company registration, market validation, landing paying enterprise clients, and navigating local regulations.
What does it really take to build a business in Taiwan as an international founder?
On September 18, the NSYSU Career & Employment Hub for International Students welcomed back Antoine Sylvestre, French entrepreneur and NSYSU IBMBA Class of 2014 alumnus, for an inspiring sharing session on entrepreneurship, AI, sustainability, and building a career in Taiwan.
From arriving in Taiwan as an exchange student in 2012 to spending 14 years in Taiwan and building two companies, Antoine shared his journey beyond the highlight reel — including the challenges, mistakes, unexpected opportunities, and lessons that shaped his path.
Antoine’s journey took him from international freight forwarding and corporate roles to entrepreneurship. His experience in the logistics industry eventually became the foundation for Celerity AI, an AI platform designed to help freight forwarders automate quotations, shipments, and documents.
He also shared the story behind Kiara, a zero-sugar vitality soda made from upcycled coffee fruit. What started as a side project in 2020 evolved into a product made in Taiwan, turning coffee fruit that would otherwise be discarded into a new consumer product.
One key message from the session was that being “non-technical” does not necessarily mean you cannot build with AI.
Antoine shared how two people without developer backgrounds built an AI platform, emphasizing that while AI can reduce technical barriers, it does not replace the need to understand customers, create value, learn from mistakes, and build with the right people.
For international students considering entrepreneurship or building a career in Taiwan, Antoine’s story offered a valuable reminder:
You don’t always need to have the entire path figured out before you begin. Sometimes, the next opportunity becomes the beginning of something you never planned.
Thank you, Antoine, for returning to NSYSU and sharing your journey, lessons, and experiences with our international student community.
