Twelve entrepreneurs, who are alumni of NCKU (National Cheng Kung University), have joined hands to give back to their alma mater. They announced the joint establishment of Phoenix Inc. on January 17, with an initial capital investment of NT$320 million, and are donating a fixed annual investment surplus of 15% to NCKU. General education donations are mostly one-off, but this "giving-back" plan looks sustainable, has the capability of long-term accumulation, and can continuously expand its scale and influence.
As for beneficiaries, the board of shareholders of Phoenix Inc. and NCKU will jointly decide how best to leverage the rich industry experience of the entrepreneur-alumni to discuss the direction of funding, and boost closer and longer-term industry-academia cooperation. This giving-back system is also a platform for alumni to exchange resources, to network with three generations of alumni to exchange different views among various industries, experience, and contacts, and allows alumni with successful careers to provide resources to and suggestions for startups and SMEs.
Those who witnessed the history of the establishment of Phoenix Inc. at NCKU’s Taipei office were Principal Huey-Jen Su, Vice Principals Fong-Chin Su and Cheng-Wen Wu, Dean of the Department of Electrical and Information Engineering Wei-Chou Hsu, Dean of the College of Engineering Woei-Shyan Lee, Director of the NCKU Alumni Association Center Han-Taw Chen, and CEO of GLORIA NCKU (Global Research & Industry Alliance, National Cheng Kung University) Jesse Chen, among others. Principal Huey-Jen Su pointed out that each step of NCKU, from the past to the present, reflects the great track record of alumni participation and support. Over the years, donations and giving back to the school from its alumni have allowed it to greatly expand its hardware equipment, academic development, and teaching research. Most donations are one-off, but the establishment of Phoenix Inc. allows alumni to give back to their alma mater on a more long-term and sustainable scale. It also enhances the interaction between the alumni and alma mater to create a win-win situation.
Jesse Chen, CEO of GLORIA NCKU, pointed out that NCKU could be the starting point of startups and form an environment for close collaboration between schools and enterprises, just like the ecosystem formed by schools and companies around Silicon Valley in the United States. The founding of Phoenix Inc. will accelerate the development of NCKU’s innovation and industry-academia cooperation.
The purposes of establishing this venture are to create long-term profits through investment in high-performance companies, to continue to expand the foundation and growth, and donate 15% of the surplus before tax to NCKU. Furthermore, additional funds will be used as regular funding for alumni shareholders and the industry, the alma mater itself, and communication activities for startups, including holding lectures, seminars, visits, etc., thus building a network communication platform, consolidating the alumni’s centripetal force, and driving more industry-academia cooperation and talent training, among other benefits.
