AppWorks Ventures

Jamie Lin founded AppWorks in 2009 and has served as a Partner since. Before that he founded or co-founded several startups, including the e-commerce company Hotcool (1999), Intumit, Sosauce.com, and Muse Games, and previously worked at investment firms All Asia Partners and HSS Ventures. He holds a BS in Engineering (with an economics minor) from National Taiwan University and an MBA from NYU Stern, and writes the MR JAMIE blog.

Jessica Liu is a Partner at AppWorks who leads the firm's Southeast Asia efforts and its work in the regional blockchain ecosystem. She began her career in 2010 managing online marketing for Standard Chartered Bank before joining AppWorks in 2014, where she worked as an Associate on the Accelerator and Southeast Asia initiatives and was promoted to Partner in 2019. Her focus includes consumer internet applications and their intersection with deep technologies, and she holds a B.B.A. from the University of Southern California.

Joseph Chan is a Partner at AppWorks who joined in 2013, focusing on portfolio management, operations, advising startups on finance and fundraising, and building connections between the Japanese and Taiwanese ecosystems. He previously spent 11 years at the CID Group, a Greater China venture firm, where he helped raise US$575M across multiple funds and led portfolio management, and earlier worked as a Manager of Backbone Network at Gigamedia, a NASDAQ-listed broadband ISP. He holds a Master's in Agriculture Machinery Engineering from National Taiwan University and is a native speaker of Mandarin and Japanese.

Nice Cheng is a Partner at AppWorks Ventures who focuses on growth-stage startups and experienced founders. He co-founded the Internet video company Webs-TV.com in 1999 and led it to profitability, and later served as Chief Strategy & Operating Officer at Yam after it acquired Webs-TV. He holds a degree from Southeastern University and currently sits on the boards of several Internet companies.

Alyssa Chen is a Principal at AppWorks who leads the firm's Accelerator arm, running programs including AppWorks Accelerator as well as corporate initiatives such as Wistron Accelerator and TINC Accelerator. She first joined AppWorks as a university intern, started her career at Huashan 1914 Creative Park in business development and media partnerships, returned to AppWorks in 2016, and became Principal in 2022 as the accelerator expanded across nine Asian markets. She holds a Master's in International Communication and a B.A. in German from National Chengchi University.

Ching Tseng is a Principal at AppWorks who leads the firm's Web3 arm. She interned at AppWorks during college and joined as an Analyst after earning a B.B.A. from National Chengchi University in 2015, later becoming an Associate in 2019 and Principal in 2022. Her work includes supporting CHOCO TV from Series A through its acquisition by LINE, and building AppWorks' blockchain ecosystem and related investments.

Anne Chen manages investor relationships for AppWorks Funds. She previously spent four years at DBS as a management associate focused on institutional banking relationships and financial planning for public and private companies and founders, and interned at AppWorks during college. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Finance from National Taiwan University.

Bill Hsu is an Analyst at AppWorks focused on cryptocurrencies and Web3, which he joined in 2023. He previously worked as an analyst at the venture capital arm of Kronos Research, studying blockchain technologies, and spent four years in global tech stock research and investment covering healthcare technology, fintech, software, and internet sectors. He holds a Master's in Finance from National Taiwan University.

Davidd Liu is a serial entrepreneur who co-founded CHOCO TV in 2011 through the AppWorks Accelerator; the company was acquired by LINE via the Mirai Fund in 2018 and renamed LINE TV. He served as CEO of LINE TV until 2020, later continuing as a shareholder, and has returned to AppWorks. At the firm he advises founders on big data and AI applications and offers expert analysis on AI-related investment opportunities. He holds a BS in Statistics from NCKU and a Master's from NCTU's Institute of Business and Management.

Howard Chen joined AppWorks in 2023 as its Recruiting Master, advising founders in the AppWorks ecosystem on recruiting and talent needs. He has more than 10 years of mid-to-high level headhunting and strategic recruitment experience in tech, having led talent acquisition at startups including honestbee, Appier, Shopline, GoFreight, and Circle. His work spans tech and non-tech roles across e-commerce, AI, and web3, with a talent network across Southeast Asia, the US, and Europe.

Hsichun Tsai joined AppWorks in 2025 as Accelerator Program Manager within the firm's Accelerator Arm. He previously spent seven years at Rapha as Clubhouse General Manager, running retail operations and content-driven campaigns to grow a local cycling community. He holds a master's and bachelor's degree in Electronic Engineering from National Taiwan University and is an avid cyclist who has traveled to more than 40 countries by bicycle.

Jasmine Tsai advises startups on finance and accounting, leading a team that handles their tax reporting and bookkeeping needs and helps founders understand accounting concepts. Before joining AppWorks, she spent several years at Deloitte, where she developed experience in IPO advisory and structuring international businesses.

Johnny Chuang is an Analyst at AppWorks focused on web3 founders across the AppWorks Accelerator and Funds portfolio. He joined in 2023 after working as a DeFi Strategist at Diamond Protocol, where he handled portfolio management, protocol architecture design, and liquidity strategy backtesting. He holds a Bachelor's in Finance from National Taiwan University and previously interned at AppWorks and a hedge fund.

Judy Chiang joined AppWorks in 2023 to manage finance and administration for the firm's funds, including LP compliance and reporting. She previously worked as a senior staff accountant at Chen and Chen, a CPA firm in Los Angeles, and later as a senior tax associate in the financial services tax team at PwC in Taiwan. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from National Taiwan University and a Master of Science in Accounting from UT Dallas, and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of California.

Kuo Yo joined AppWorks in 2024 as a Fellow focused on the food and beverage industry. He is a serial founder who launched 17support, an agricultural social enterprise, in 2013 (AW#6) and co-founded BetterMilk in 2015, a sustainable dairy brand sold in over 7,000 stores, where he served as CEO from 2020 to 2023. He now focuses on training CEOs and managers, and holds a Statistics degree from Fu Jen Catholic University while pursuing an MBA at NCCU and an EMBA at NUS.

Liying Wang leads a law firm embedded within AppWorks, advising founders and larger internet companies on legal matters. She previously practiced law for over ten years, including a role as senior counsel for global operations at HTC Corporation and work on the technology law team at Formosa Transnational Attorneys-at-Law. She holds an LL.M. from Northwestern University School of Law and an LL.B. from National Chengchi University, and is admitted to both the Taipei Bar and the New York State Bar.

Michelle Lin is an Associate in AppWorks Ventures' AI Arm, where she works with founders building AI-driven companies. She joined AppWorks as an Analyst in 2022 and was promoted to Associate in 2025, having previously worked as an assistant manager at Deloitte Financial Advisory on cross-border and local M&A deals. She holds a Bachelor's in Accounting from National Taiwan University and a Master of Management Studies from Duke University.

Natasha Chou is an Alumni Relations Manager at AppWorks, which she joined in 2023, focusing on supporting the firm's alumni founder community. She previously spent three years in education, marketing, and design thinking as a Community Manager at Spike Lab, an ed-tech startup, and earlier worked at the United Nations in New York City. She holds a Master's in International Relations from New York University and a Bachelor's in Political Science from National Taiwan University.

Nathan Alexander joined AppWorks in 2024 as an Associate in its AI Arm, focusing on helping founders apply AI to building companies. He has over seven years of startup advisory, investment, and M&A experience in Southeast Asia, having worked at PwC Indonesia, as Senior Analyst at Alpha JWC, and as Head of Investments at Telkomsel Ventures. He holds a Bachelor of Economics in Finance from Prasetiya Mulya University.

Sophie Chiu is a Principal at AppWorks who leads the firm's AI Arm and works with founders applying AI to build their companies. She joined AppWorks as an Associate in 2020 and became a Principal in 2023, after roughly a decade in public equity, including a role on the Emerging Market Equity Fund at Neuberger Berman and analyst positions at Credit Suisse, JPMorgan, and Autonomous Research. She holds a Master of Finance from Warwick Business School and a BS in Finance from National Taiwan University.

Tim Tu leads visual design work at AppWorks. He previously founded SketchyNotebook, a startup in AppWorks Accelerator's 12th batch that ran two successful Kickstarter campaigns, and in 2003 co-founded a web design agency with his brother that built Flash-based corporate websites for clients such as Shu Uemura, Shiseido, Cloud Gate, Chunghwa Telecom, Hearts on Fire, and NET. He has worked in digital design for over 15 years.

Vanessa Lu is the Space Director at AppWorks, which she joined in 2018 to manage the firm's workspaces. She previously served as Operations Manager at Foxconn Group's Sytrend Startup Foundation, overseeing its incubator, co-working space, and community events, and earlier handled lead generation and premium customer support for the APAC region at Evernote. She holds a Master's degree in Russian Studies and an undergraduate degree in Russian Language, both from National Chengchi University.

Xixi Huang guides founders on blockchain applications and provides expert perspective on the fund's blockchain-related investments. Before joining AppWorks, he led a team that built more than 10 DApps, including "Fish Joy," which reached over NT$100M in in-game trading volume within a month of launch. An alumnus of AppWorks Accelerator #17, he holds a Bachelor of Computer Science (I.M.) from National Taipei University of Business.

YJ Sin is a Community Manager at AppWorks, which she joined in 2026, working to build founder communities across Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Before AppWorks, she co-founded a growth marketing and analytics agency with work across Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand, and earlier built the English-learning content IP Crazy Girl English and launched an English-learning podcast in Taiwan. She holds a degree in Information Management from National Chengchi University and speaks English, Mandarin, Malay, and Cantonese.

Jun Wakabayashi is an Analyst at AppWorks, working with the AppWorks Accelerator and covering the Greater Southeast Asia region. Before joining the firm, he worked for Focus Reports as a business journalist conducting sector-based market research on the healthcare and energy sectors, interviewing government leaders and industry executives across multiple countries. He holds a Bachelor's in Finance from New York University's Stern School of Business.

Natalie Lin is a business and marketing strategy consultant with over a decade of experience in the technology sector, spanning strategy, marketing, community building, and operations. She serves as an official Claude Community Ambassador and hosts community events in Taiwan.