Episode Details

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

So much has happened since I interviewed John Fan, one of the co-founders of PicCollage back in December. PicCollage is an app that allows you to create fun things with your photos and videos. It is one of the most popular apps in the photo and video app category in the app store.

We actually spoke the day after Talking Taiwan won a Golden Crane Podcast Award. It was a fascinating conversation not only about PicCollage, but about what it was like for John being in Taiwan when it was one of the few places in the world relatively unaffected by COVID at the beginning of the pandemic, and how it attracted COVID refugees that included some of Taiwan's most talented influential diaspora. John also talked about how the startup scene in Taiwan has changed in the ten years that he's lived there.

Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

• How PicCollage is an app that allows you to create fun things with your photos and videos
• How PicCollage as a company that creates a variety of apps related to greetings, video editing, and wellness
• The WOWSHI app inspired by Japanese washi tapes designed to mimic the tactile experience of applying washi tape, which can be a form of relaxation
• The idea for the WOWSHI app came out of the realization that during the pandemic people were looking for ways to de-stress
• How PicCollage was started 10 years ago and was initially designed primarily for the iPad
• 10 years ago apps like Uber, Instagram and Snapchat were still relatively new
• How PicCollage was started in Silicon Valley but has much of its operations in Taiwan
• John's experience as a Taiwanese American having moved to Taiwan and lived there for 10 years
• The challenges of running a business in multiple time zones
• The advantages of running a business in Taiwan
• The freedom and creativity in Taiwan
• The popularity of bubble tea and cat cafes of Taiwan
• How Taiwan is connected to and influenced by China, Japan and the U.S.
• Taiwan's kawaii i.e. cute aesthetic which has been influenced by Japan
• Kawaii culture in the in the campaign for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Chen Shui-bian
• How Bitmoji was created in 2007
• PicCollage's Silicon Valley values and Taiwanese employees
• How PicCollage has offered its team members U.S. $3,500 to spend on learning about or getting training on something of their own choice
• How PicCollage's values are a mix from Silicon Valley and Taiwan: Always Be Learning. Be Proactive and Overcommunicate. Win As A Team.
• How PicCollage has changed and evolved over time
• John's work experience prior to PicCollage
• What it has been like starting and running PicCollage
• How PicCollage values user feedback and has invited users to come in for user interviews on Fridays
• What they have learned from user feedback e.g. the ability to save/back up the collages on th