Abstract
After succeeding in many other technologies, Taiwan is having a hard time entering biotech. Critics are tired of the national expenditure. Some claim biotech inherently favors economies of scale, favoring the United States, versus smaller economies like Taiwan. One method to maintain public support is to have star players involved at the national level. Personal Genomics Incorporated’s Dr. Johnsee Lee is such a star. PGI hopes to leverage Taiwan’s prowess in the semiconductor industry into a position in the global gene sequencing market. PGI has private funding as well as good relationships with industry, universities, and government institutions such as ITRI and Academica Sinica. This paper is based on the interview with Johnsee Lee (李鍾熙), CEO of PGI on May 26th, 2017. This paper concludes that Personal Genomics represents a reasonable risk for Taiwan, as it attempts to enter an existing market. This means it represents risk, not uncertainty. There is definitely a market for gene sequencing, and sequencing has already been done successfully with a half a dozen different technologies. Dr. Lee’s prominence and connections should also allow his company to minimize assets needed while maximizing its chances for success.