ClientsWhere we workCurrent workWhat we doSpeakingSelected workOur storyPressTeam
Est. 2011 · Germany · USA · Taiwan

Technology strategy and scouting for industrial companies.

Since 2011 we have mapped markets and technology roadmaps for Audi, Continental, ABB, ZEISS and Coca-Cola, then found the startups and suppliers to execute them. Companies we scouted or helped raise have since been bought by Apple and Qualcomm, and listed in Korea and China.

Named after Yushan 玉山 — Jade Mountain, Taiwan's highest peak
Where we have worked
15 countries across Asia, Europe, the Americas and Israel
Our focus — three hubs, one bridge
Taiwan USA Germany
15
Years in business, founded in Taipei in 2011
15
Countries where we have done the work
$100M
Deep-tech fund we advised as venture partner
4
Companies we scouted or advised that were acquired or went public
Trusted by

Who we work for.

Automotive OEMs, industrial manufacturers and consumer brands. Some engagements run a few weeks. Several have run for years.

Volkswagen Group
Audi
Continental
ABB Robotics
Siemens
Google
Microsoft
ZEISS
Coca-Cola
Siam Cement Group
Chanwanich
HeidelbergCement
Lite-On
IBM
Aumovio
APEC
Uno Minda
United Nations

Also engaged: GSMA, Foxconn, AcBel, VIA Technologies, NiSource, the Trans Pacific Technology Fund and MobileMonday Taipei.

Global footprint

Where we've worked.

Fifteen countries where we have run scouting, strategy or investment work. Hover any marker to see what we did there.

Country where we've scouted, advised, or invested
Engagement hub — hover for the work
Now

What we're working on.

Active engagements on both sides of the Pacific — scouting, market research, and business development.

Active · Technology Strategy

Aumovio — Automotive MicroLED Strategy

A board-level strategy paper on the automotive MicroLED ecosystem — market and value-chain mapping, low-risk product entry points, make-vs-buy-vs-partner analysis, and a risk-adjusted roadmap for R&D and CAPEX decisions.

Active · Business Development

Carbonix Materials — US Entry

Business development for the advanced-materials startup: US market-entry strategy and warm customer introductions across our corporate network.

2025 · Delivered

Best-Cost-Country Scouting — India

RFQ development and best-cost-country supplier scouting in India — from crafting the RFQ through supplier evaluation and selection.

What we do

What we do.

"The rise of internet economies will continue to challenge traditional business models, labor requirements and revenue streams."
Volker Heistermann — APEC O2O Summit, Lima, Peru
Speaking & thought leadership

Where we speak.

Volker has keynoted, moderated and judged at GMIC, GSMA Open Days, Mobile World Congress and APEC summits. Twenty-seven engagements on record since 2014.

GMIC Bangalore 2014 speaker lineup featuring Volker Heistermann, Managing Director of Yushan VenturesGlobal Mobile Internet Conference · Bangalore 2014 — featured speaker alongside InMobi, Kae Capital, Nazara & True Global Ventures
Also on stage and on the jury
Obama's Global Entrepreneurship SummitStartup WeekendMobileMonday TaipeiAudi Innovation Award
Selected work

Selected work.

The story

How we got here.

Yushan built ecosystems, scouted technology for the world's largest industrial companies, advised venture funds, founded an accelerator — and the founder is back at the helm.

2011

Founded in Taipei — and lit the spark

Yushan Ventures established to bridge global innovation and Asia's ecosystems. Introduced Startup Weekend to Taiwan and ran the MobileMonday Taipei chapter. In these early years Yushan also made a handful of direct angel investments of its own capital into Taiwanese startups — most since wound down; Lucent Sky, a web-security company, remains.

Startup WeekendMobileMonday Taipei
2012–2018

Co-built the APEC O2O Accelerator

Conceived and co-built the APEC O2O accelerator with Taiwan's government — running startup programs around the world, from Nanjing to Lima.

APEC
2015

Volkswagen Group, Audi & Coca-Cola

Became technology scouting partner to the Volkswagen Group and Audi; ran a China scouting engagement for Coca-Cola; toured 10 cities with GSMA on "The Rise of Asia's Innovation Machines".

Volkswagen GroupAudiCoca-ColaGSMA
2018–2020

Venture partner & ABB / Siam Cement scouting

Venture partner to HeidelbergCement's Foundamental fund; scouted vision tech in Japan for ABB's YuMi robot and high-temperature sensors for Siam Cement. Founded Mosaic Venture Lab, powered by Audi AG and Taiwan's MoEA.

HeidelbergCementABBSiam Cement GroupMosaic Venture LabMinistry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan
2026

Yushan rebooted

With Mosaic running independently, the founder returns to Yushan full-time — scouting, investment advisory, and startup growth under one roof again.

Aumovio
News & press

Selected press.

From a 1996 hometown-paper profile in Germany to the Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch and Taiwan's 數位時代 — three decades of building ventures, in the press and on the record.

Selected clippings
Featured online coverage

Also covered by VentureVillage and 數位時代 創業小聚, and more recently a podcast guest on Startup Island TAIWAN, Startup DNA and Business Next.

Mosaic Venture Lab
Our spin-off

We founded Mosaic Venture Lab.

Created in 2018 as Yushan's deep-tech accelerator and hands-on VC in Taipei — powered by Audi AG and Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs — Mosaic Venture Lab grew into an integrated startup-support ecosystem with 20+ professionals. Today it operates independently.

Audi Innovation Award 2023 HackathonAudi Innovation Award 2023 Hackathon · “Women Driving the Future of Mobility” — powered by Audi & Mosaic Venture Lab, Taipei
Team

Who we are.

Six people across Germany, the USA, Taiwan and Malaysia: automotive engineers, semiconductor and display researchers, and venture investors.

Volker Heistermann

Founder & Managing Director · San Francisco

Founded Yushan in Taipei in 2011 after 15 years in Silicon Valley — Google, AT&T, and investment bank Rutberg & Co. Venture partner to the Trans Pacific Technology Fund and Foundamental; founded Mosaic Venture Lab; judge at Obama's Global Entrepreneurship Summit.

Dr.-Ing. Volker Kaese

Managing Director · Germany

Automotive engineering leader with deep OEM experience. Leads technology research, supplier programs, and innovation consulting for European automotive clients.

Melanie Edwards

Advisor · Stanford University · USA

Brings Stanford research and Silicon Valley networks to Yushan's strategy and market-research engagements.

Bruce Bateman

Partner · Semiconductor Research Lead · Taiwan

A serial entrepreneur and IoT specialist who has spent his career in technology companies including Dell and PictureTel, Bruce leads Yushan's semiconductor research and scouting with decades of cross-border operating experience across Asia's technology and manufacturing sectors.

Kyle Hu

Research Manager · Display Technology · Taiwan

Leads display-technology research for Yushan's strategy and market-research engagements, working across the Mosaic deep-tech network in Taiwan.

Ken Huang

Venture Partner · Malaysia

A venture capital investor based in Malaysia, Ken backs and scouts early-stage deep-tech founders and connects Yushan's portfolio and clients to capital and partners across Southeast Asia.

Advisory Board

Senior advisors and institutional partners guiding our strategy across telecommunications, multilateral development, and automotive.

Axiata GroupTelecommunications · Southeast Asia
United NationsMultilateral development
AudiAutomotive · Mosaic partner
Contact

Tell us what you're looking for.

Scouting a technology, sourcing deals, or entering a new market — start with a conversation.