ATH Ventures Supports Richten Energy’s Expansion into the Los Angeles Market

Photo caption: PPP Group President James Chou, one of the largest Taiwanese-American developers in Los Angeles, with Richten Energy Founder Mr. Weili.

ATH Ventures is an accelerator focused on connecting Taiwanese start-ups with overseas expansion opportunities. In 2026, ATH Ventures joined the TTA Industry Accelerator Programme under the National Science and Technology Council. Richten Energy was selected as one of its key acceleration targets.

Dr Hsiao-Chang Chen, Chairman of ATH Ventures, has helped many ESG technology start-ups secure international business opportunities and investment. After more than four months of intensive guidance this year, Richten Energy secured angel investment in April and received approval under the National Development Fund’s Angel Investment Programme, completing an angel-round financing of NT$40 million. With this angel funding in place, ATH Ventures has accelerated its support for Richten Energy’s overseas market development.

After understanding Richten Energy’s product advantages and helping define suitable application scenarios, ATH Ventures arranged for Richten Energy Founder Mr. Weili to visit Los Angeles and meet Mr Hassan, President of Torrance Airport. The discussion focused on adopting Richten Energy’s vertical solar power solution on the rooftop and glass façade of the airport’s new restaurant.

Torrance Airport is home to many small aircraft, as well as a maintenance hangar for Robinson R44, a major international helicopter manufacturer. In the past, the airport was unable to use solar power due to reflection from solar panels. After learning about Richten Energy’s products, Mr Hassan believed the technology could solve the airport’s problem by making use of California’s abundant sunshine while addressing the airport’s concerns over glare and reflection. Mr Hassan directly provided the design drawings for the airport’s new restaurant and asked Founder Mr. Weili to prepare the design drawings after returning to Taiwan, so that Torrance Airport could submit the proposal to its board of directors.

After several mentoring sessions with Founder Mr. Weili, ATH Ventures helped redefine the company’s development strategy. In Los Angeles, the initial target applications were set as high-end hotels and car parks. ATH Ventures therefore arranged a briefing with James Chou, President of Pacific Plaza Premier Development Group, one of the largest Taiwanese-American developers in Los Angeles. 

After the briefing, President Chou was highly enthusiastic. He immediately gathered the architectural design team and accompanied Mr. Weili and his delegation to visit the Group’s new development projects in San Gabriel and Monterey Bay. He also provided the façade glass design drawings for the two projects and invited Richten Energy to assess the feasibility of using semi-transparent solar glass interlayer panels, enabling parts of the building façade to generate electricity for the car park and the Group’s external advertising displays.

Richten Energy Founder Mr. Weili believes that, through the support of the ATH Ventures team and its mentors, Richten Energy has been able to identify its overseas development positioning and target market strategy. By consulting with overseas mentors while still in Taiwan, the company was able to prepare a solid communication foundation with potential overseas clients and partners in advance. During the two-day business visit in Los Angeles, the team was able to communicate directly with property owners and potential clients, all of whom were key decision-makers at chairman level.

Richten Energy looks forward to accelerating the implementation and expansion of its overseas business under the guidance of ATH Ventures.