Horace Luke

Horace Luke founded Gogoro with Matt Taylor in 2011, developing a smart scooter along with a smart energy grid that allows riders in Taipei to swap out batteries anytime it starts running low. In April 2022, Gogoro became the first unicorn start-up in Taiwan to be listed in the United States, at a value exceeding US$1 billion. It’s also the first time Taiwan has made it to the NASDAQ in 16 years, doing so through a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company.

Luke studied in the United States and joined Microsoft beginning in 1997, staying there for nine years before being hired by HTC. As its chief innovation officer, he helped the Taiwanese contract manufacturer transform into a leading smartphone brand. After four years, Luke set off to start his tech platform, whose initial project was to design and build EV scooters from scratch. Today, GoStations outnumber gas stations in Taiwan, and its battery-swapping technology is used in China and India.

Luke has expanded his reach overseas, partnering with Chinese, Indian and Indonesian enterprises. In May 2022, he collaborated with Metro Motor, Israel’s biggest two-wheel vehicle dealer, and Paz, the country’s leader in the natural gas and energy industry in launching battery exchange platforms for smart vehicles.

In September, it launched the Sandbox Pilot Program with Cycle & Carriage, a subsidiary of Jardine Cycle & Carriage, a Singapore-based company with operations around Southeast Asia. It unveiled the world’s first swappable solid-state battery prototype for electric vehicles in the same year.