The Tsai administration has launched the Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs program for Indigenous women, in conjunction with the American Institute in Taiwan. The Council of Indigenous Peoples worked with AIT to design the training program, combining it with opportunities for business loans and subsidies. It aims to give promising indigenous entrepreneurs a leg up at the start of their business careers.

Council of Indigenous Peoples Minister Icyang Parod speaks in an Indigenous language to 30 participants in the Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs program. They are the first cohort of this collaborative scheme from the COI and the AIT, aimed at stimulating innovative entrepreneurial vision.

Icyang Parod
Council of Indigenous Peoples minister
It’s mainly aimed at Indigenous women who have just started a business, or want to do so soon. Taking a training like this lets their first steps as business owners get off to a great start.

Sandra Oudkirk
AIT director
And we started it with the Academy of Women Entrepreneurs. And then with the support of the CIP Ministry, we’ve redesigned an online course called Dream Builder into a Chinese-language curriculum that targets the specific needs of Taiwanese Indigenous women.

The program provides training as well as business loans, and subsidies for ventures and innovative research. It aims to support Indigenous entrepreneurs to realize their dreams across all industries. After this first cohort of 30, more training programs are planned.

Icyang Parod
Council of Indigenous Peoples minister
We came to an important decision in our meeting today, which is that this training is not done and dusted this year and then gone. AIT Director Oudkirk even mentioned that it will continue next year. The budget for it on the American side is already sorted.

The program is a boon for Indigenous entrepreneurs, and also a sign of solid economic and cultural ties between Taiwan and the U.S.