EP4-3 | From Luxembourg to Taiwan: Building in Europe, Developing in Asia, Innovating in Taiwan

In this episode, we sit down with Richard “Rick” Wiltgen, founder of RideFair, whose entrepreneurial journey has taken him across Europe and Asia before bringing him to southern Taiwan. After spending some 20 years in Asia and most recently running a company in Luxembourg, Rick could have chosen many places to build his next venture. Instead, he chose Taiwan, and specifically Kaohsiung. He shares what building in Luxembourg taught him, why Asia remains central to developing his business, and what he found in Taiwan that made it the place to build and innovate. That decision also led him to an overlooked problem. From couriers and university shuttles to elderly-care vehicles, Rick saw fleets still making routing decisions with limited tools and little evidence of whether a better route could actually save them time or money. That became the foundation for RideFair, which uses a fleet’s own historical data to test what could have happened differently before asking operators to trust a new system. Rick also explains how his background in history shaped that approach, why he believes trust rather than optimization is the real challenge, and where AI belongs once it can prove that it actually performs better. From Luxembourg to Kaohsiung, this is a conversation about what it takes to build across markets, why location still matters for founders, and why Rick believes Taiwan can be a place not just to enter Asia, but to build what comes next. **In this episode, you'll learn:** - What Rick learned from building businesses across Europe and Asia - Why he chose Taiwan for his next company - Why Kaohsiung, rather than Taipei, became the home of RideFair - What he discovered about how commercial fleets still make routing decisions - How RideFair uses a fleet’s own historical data to test better routes before asking operators to trust its technology - Why Rick believes trust, not optimization, is the missing piece in the industry - How his background in history inspired RideFair’s approach to asking, “What would have happened otherwise?” - Where AI fits, and why Rick believes it should prove itself before making decisions for a live fleet - What his experience says about Taiwan’s potential as a place for international founders to build and innovate **從盧森堡到台灣：跨足歐亞市場，為何他選擇落腳高雄打造車隊智慧路網？ ft. RideFair 創辦人 Richard “Rick” Wiltgen** 在亞洲深耕二十年、並曾於盧森堡經營企業的連續創業者 Rick，在開啟下一段創業冒險時，做出了出人意表的決定——他選擇台灣，並且直接落腳高雄。從快遞配送、大學接駁車到長照車隊，Rick 敏銳觀察到許多營運團隊在路徑規劃上，仍仰賴有限工具與直覺決策，缺乏客觀數據佐證更佳路線能否切實降低成本。這催生了 RideFair 的誕生：透過車隊過往真實歷史數據進行逆向驗證與情境推演，在導入全新系統前先證明效益。兼具歷史學背景的他，更深刻指出車隊管理的核心瓶頸往往不是「演算法最佳化」，而是營運者對系統的「信任」。本集節目帶您探討跨國創業的選址思維，以及國際創辦人如何以台灣為起點，驅動新世代智慧移動創新。 本集重點： - **橫跨歐亞的創業視角**：融會盧森堡營運智慧與深厚亞洲經歷，淬鍊出敏捷的跨市場拓土思維 - **為何是高雄而非台北？**：跳脫傳統選址框架，直擊南台灣獨特的產業能量與智慧城市發展潛力 - **破解車隊路徑規劃盲點**：快遞至長照運輸皆受限於經驗決策，傳統派工亟需實證數據打破慣性 - **以歷史數據建立信任**：運用「如果當時這樣走」的歷史推演法，先驗證節省效益再推動系統導入 - **歷史學思維翻轉 AI 應用**：演算法必須先拿出客觀實證，方能在實際路面上承擔起關鍵決策重任 * * * 📍 **About Host: Paolo Joseph Lising** Senior Global Community Builder, Business Next Media Corp. 巨思媒體集團 #GlobalFounders #TaiwanStartup #StartupEcosystem 🌏 Helping foreign founders navigate Taiwan’s startup ecosystem by bringing together founders, investors, and innovators to share practical insights and support more global startups in Taiwan. 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paolojoseph/ 📚 **Learn more about Taiwan’s startup ecosystem** 👉🏼 https://meetstartup.pse.is/4jhd5u 🚀 Stay connected with Taiwan–Silicon Valley innovation via the **Startup Island TAIWAN Silicon Valley Hub** **Website:** https://sv.startupisland.tw/ **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-island-taiwan-sv/ **Facebook:** https://www.facebook.com/people/Startup-Island-Taiwan-Silicon-Valley-Hub/61586221303202/ Powered by Firstory Hosting