The results of Taiwan Tech inaugural Taiwan Tech Youth Entrepreneurship – Startup Hackathon have been announced. The first prize went to OceanEye AI, a team of students from the Department of Electrical Engineering, for its Multimodal Intelligent Monitoring and Aquaculture Decision-Making Platform. The team received a cash prize of NT$250,000. By integrating diverse sources of information, including above-water and underwater images and sonar data, the platform helps offshore aquaculture operators monitor the size and number of fish in net pens, as well as their feeding behaviour. This information provides a basis for adjusting feed quantities and improving aquaculture management, with the aim of reducing feed waste and increasing operational efficiency.

The inaugural Taiwan Tech Youth Entrepreneurship – Startup Hackathon concluded successfully. Electrical Engineering students won first prize and NT$250,000 for developing a Multimodal Intelligent Monitoring and Aquaculture Decision-Making Platform.

Taiwan Tech President Jia-Yush Yen remarked that Taiwan Tech students tend to think proactively about solutions when faced with problems and are willing to experiment, making them more inclined to take on the challenge of entrepreneurship. He also expressed his gratitude to distinguished alumni for contributing resources and supporting younger generations as they explore entrepreneurial opportunities. Their support gives students the opportunity to turn their technologies and ideas into practical applications. This support mechanism is gradually developing into a distinctive Taiwan Tech model for nurturing entrepreneurial talent.

Chin-Ming Cho, President of the Taiwan Tech Distinguished Alumni Association, noted that alumni are an important source of support for the university. He particularly thanked distinguished alumni who, despite having achieved success in their careers, continue to contribute resources and share their experiences with younger alumni. He explained that entrepreneurship requires not only technology and creativity but also market insight, business management skills and the resilience to overcome challenges. Through the transfer of experience and practical support from alumni, he hopes to help young people gradually turn innovative ideas into viable business plans.

Taiwan Tech President Jia-Yush Yen (left) expresses his appreciation to distinguished alumni for providing resources and supporting students in exploring entrepreneurial opportunities. Chin-Ming Cho (right), President of the Taiwan Tech Distinguished Alumni Association, receives a certificate of appreciation on behalf of the association.

The OceanEye AI team integrates multiple sources of data, including above-water and underwater images, sonar signals and environmental sensor readings. These are analysed using deep-learning-based image recognition and Transformer-based time-series analysis. The platform provides real-time monitoring, behavioural analysis, anomaly detection and automated report generation. Through a web-based interface, aquaculture operators can monitor the number and growth of fish in net pens, as well as their feeding behaviour and competition for feed. By referring to monitoring data and environmental information, operators can adjust feed quantities when necessary. The system is expected to help reduce feed waste by 10% to 15%.

Unlike traditional approaches that rely heavily on manual inspections and experience-based judgement, the platform integrates and analyses data from multiple sensors to provide more objective and traceable management information. It enables operators to quickly assess conditions at aquaculture sites, reduce labour costs associated with manual inspections, and improve management efficiency and decision-making. OceanEye AI team leader Chia-Hsuan Wu explained that the team incorporates aquaculture operators’ practical experience into the design and refinement of its algorithms. By combining complementary information from different sources, the team aims to improve the accuracy of monitoring and analysis and ensure that the technology meets the actual needs of aquaculture operations.

The team has completed the development of its intelligent monitoring platform and is conducting field validation in collaboration with aquaculture operators in Penghu. To gain a deeper understanding of industry needs, team members have also accompanied operators on offshore trips to collect data and observe aquaculture operations and their challenges firsthand. Chia-Hsuan Wu explained that environmental conditions and data availability vary from one aquaculture site to another, requiring the team to continually adjust its models and technologies. The team therefore greatly values every opportunity to collect data in the field. By accumulating and validating data from different operating conditions, it can progressively improve system performance. Looking ahead, the team plans to incorporate generative AI, knowledge management and AI agent technologies to strengthen the platform’s autonomous analytical and intelligent decision-making capabilities and further develop its smart aquaculture management system.

OceanEye AI has completed field validation in collaboration with aquaculture operators in Penghu, demonstrating promising results. Team members accompany offshore aquaculture operators to deploy the platform at a net-pen farming site.

Reflecting on the award, Chia-Hsuan Wu expressed delight, saying that the recognition not only affirms the team’s research achievements but also strengthens its confidence that the technology it has developed can benefit the industry. The team will continue to refine the platform’s functions and hopes to receive entrepreneurial guidance from the university’s incubator centre and distinguished alumni. Through this support, the members aim to gain a deeper understanding of business models, product promotion and market positioning, fill gaps in their business knowledge, and create opportunities to translate their technological achievements into practical applications.

The inaugural Taiwan Tech Youth Entrepreneurship – Startup Hackathon placed particular emphasis on technological capabilities and development potential. It encouraged faculty members and students to form interdisciplinary teams, combine their professional knowledge with real-world needs, and identify promising entrepreneurial teams within the Taiwan Tech community with a solid technological foundation and potential for further development.

Taiwan Tech’s Innovation Incubation Centre organized an on-campus exhibition of the Startup Hackathon projects, giving faculty members and students an opportunity to learn about the teams’ innovative ideas and practical achievements firsthand.

The second-prize winner, SHIELD: AI-Powered Public Facility Inspection Platform, uses AI to analyse photographs and location information submitted by members of the public. It helps identify defects in public facilities and prioritise repair work, thereby improving inspection efficiency and public safety. The third-prize winner, AI-Powered Intelligent Machining Monitoring System, focuses on machine monitoring, anomaly detection and machining quality management. Its intelligent solutions help small and medium-sized manufacturers reduce machine inspection and maintenance costs while improving production management efficiency. The two teams received cash prizes of NT$70,000 and NT$30,000, respectively.

To build on the competition’s achievements, the Taiwan Tech Innovation Incubation Centre will continue to provide entrepreneurial guidance to the top three teams, offering support in areas such as business development, business models and future planning. In addition, the three winning teams will automatically qualify for the second-round selection of the next Taiwan Tech Youth Entrepreneurship – Tomorrow’s Stars programme when applications open, giving them the opportunity to compete for investment funding of up to NT$1 million.

The Taiwan Tech Youth Entrepreneurship – Startup Hackathon provides a platform for teams to exchange innovative ideas and share practical experience, encouraging participants to turn their creativity into tangible outcomes.

The event also invited representatives from the Taiwan Artificial Intelligence Association to serve as judges and provide practical advice to participating teams on technology applications, market needs and entrepreneurial development. Looking ahead, Taiwan Tech plans to alternate between holding the Taiwan Tech Youth Entrepreneurship – Startup Hackathon and the Taiwan Tech Youth Entrepreneurship – Tomorrow’s Stars programme. By connecting the resources of the university, its innovation incubation centre, industry partners and alumni, Taiwan Tech aims to support more promising teams in developing their ideas on campus and turning them into entrepreneurial ventures with meaningful social impact.

The Taiwan Tech Distinguished Alumni Association draws on alumni connections and a spirit of mentorship to provide startup teams with one-to-one guidance from experienced industry professionals. Advice covers market analysis, business models and market expansion strategies, helping teams strengthen their entrepreneurial plans. The photograph shows the award ceremony of the Taiwan Tech Youth Entrepreneurship – Startup Hackathon.