Taiwanese Overseas Student Association

What Taiwanese Overseas Student Association does

Taiwanese Overseas Student Association (TOSA) is a non-profit, student-run cultural organization affiliated with the University of Washington in Seattle. Its primary function is to promote Taiwanese culture and serve as a "Home Away From Home" for undergraduate and graduate students, particularly international Taiwanese students, while welcoming participants of all ethnic backgrounds. TOSA delivers value through three core offerings: (1) a recurring calendar of cultural and social events, headlined by the annual Timeless Taiwan night-market event alongside Lantern Night, Mahjong Night, Husky Sendoff, and orientation programming; (2) a membership card program providing 10% discounts at 8+ partner restaurants and shops in the U-District and Bellevue areas, with advertised member savings of up to $300 per year; and (3) a small online merchandise store on Square. The organization has no proprietary technology, no AI/ML components, and no external funding; its technology footprint is limited to a Weebly-hosted bilingual website, Instagram, YouTube, Google Forms-based membership sales, and the Square storefront.

TOSA's business model is community-led and small-scale. Revenue is generated primarily through membership card sales, event voucher sales (online and at the UW Red Square booth), and merchandise. Costs are absorbed by roughly 55 volunteer officers organized into six committees (Executive Board, HR, Finance, EP, Art, PR) for the 2025-2026 academic year, with additional underwriting from a sponsor network of 20+ local businesses, several of which hold "Permanent Sponsor" status. Go-to-market is conducted through in-person booth presence at UW Red Square on school days (Mon-Fri, 10:30 AM-2:30 PM), social media, and cross-promotion with peer Asian student organizations including TSA, TPYAN, CSA, and HKSA. The organization has been continuously active since at least 2015-2016, and TOSA holds no parent-company relationship, no subsidiaries, and reports no external ownership or investment.

Name

Taiwanese Overseas Student Association

Legal name

University of Washington Taiwanese Overseas Student Association

Website

https://tosauw.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TOSA is a non-profit, student-run cultural organization at the University of Washington that promotes Taiwanese culture, runs community events such as the annual Timeless Taiwan night market, and offers a membership card providing discounts at 20+ local Seattle partner businesses to UW students and the broader community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Cultural Organization Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Organizations & Club Administration (EDALAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

International Student Academic & Personal Support (case management, referrals) (EDALANAE)

Keywords

• Student cultural organization
• Taiwanese cultural events
• Student membership program
• International student services
• Community event programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Membership Card Sales: TOSA generates revenue through the sale of membership cards that provide holders with discounts (10% off or other offers) at partner local businesses in the Seattle/U District area. Membership cards are sold via Google Forms and provide savings of up to $300 per year at 8+ locations.
2. Event Revenue: Revenue generated through event ticket sales for flagship events like Timeless Taiwan. Vouchers are sold both online and at physical Red Square booths during school days.
3. Online Store Sales: TOSA operates an online store through Square for merchandise and related items.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

TOSA is a non-profit, student-run cultural organization at the University of Washington that promotes Taiwanese culture and supports undergraduate and graduate students. It operates an annual calendar of cultural, community, and social events (including Timeless Taiwan, Lantern Night, and Mahjong Night), sells a membership card providing discounts at 20+ local partner restaurants and businesses, and runs an online merchandise store. Its mission is to serve as a "Home Away From Home" for international students at UW.

Product overview

TOSA is a non-profit, student-run cultural organization at the University of Washington that promotes Taiwanese culture and serves students. Its offerings consist of cultural events programming (Timeless Taiwan, Mahjong Night, Lantern Night, and other social gatherings), a membership card program providing discounts at partner restaurants and shops, and an online merchandise store. The organization operates primarily as a community and events platform rather than a technology product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cultural Events Program Annual calendar of cultural, community-based, and social events for University of Washington students, including Timeless Taiwan (night market), Mahjong Night, Lantern Night, Husky Sendoff, Seattle Orientation, RPG campus tours, and Taiwan 101. Designed for Taiwanese and international students and open to all ethnic backgrounds.
• TOSA Membership Card Annual membership card offering 10% discounts and other promotions at 20+ partner restaurants, bubble tea shops, and food establishments in Seattle's U-District and Bellevue areas for University of Washington students. Includes free toppings at Mee Sum Pastry among other partner perks.
• TOSA Online Store Online merchandise store powered by Square, selling TOSA branded apparel and items to students and supporters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Save up to $300 per year with membership card at 8+ locations
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

27 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core, permanent, special and general.

• TSA (Taiwanese Student Association)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative relationship for joint events including Husky Sendoff and Taiwan 101, combining resources to serve the Taiwanese student community at UW.
• TPYAN (Taiwanese Prospective Youth Association Network)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Husky Sendoff event to provide campus resources and student life information to incoming students.
• CSA (Chinese Student Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint collaboration on Lantern Night event, combining cultural celebrations and sharing resources for lantern making, carnival games, and performances.
• HKSA (Hong Kong Student Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner for Lantern Night event, working together on cultural exchange and community building activities.
• Henry's Taiwan KitchenpermanentGTM or Marketing PartnerPermanent sponsor located in U-District, offering 10% off (cash only) to TOSA members. Dedicated to spreading authentic Taiwanese dishes to mainstream America.
• Tea RepublikpermanentGTM or Marketing PartnerPermanent sponsor located on University Way NE between 45th and 47th in U-District. Offers 10% off (cash only) to TOSA members.
• O'Dessert (糖潮)permanentGTM or Marketing PartnerPermanent sponsor offering 10% off (cash only) to TOSA members. Known for authentic taste, excellent service, and great value.
• Cedar'spermanentGTM or Marketing PartnerPermanent sponsor offering 10% off to TOSA members. Friendly restaurant serving Indian curries, naan, and Mediterranean specialties.
• Rocking WokpermanentGTM or Marketing PartnerPermanent sponsor offering 10% off (cash only) to TOSA members. Specializes in traditional Taiwanese and Taiwanese-style Szechuanese cuisine.
• Ultra ChiropracticspecialOthersSpecial sponsor for 2015-2016 academic year that fully supported TOSA's events.
• Kung Fu TeageneralGTM or Marketing PartnerU-District sponsor offering 10% off (cash only) and buy 10 get 1 free promotions for TOSA members. High quality signature products including Classic Teas, Milk Teas, and Slushes.
• U:DongeneralGTM or Marketing PartnerU-District sponsor offering 10% off noodles, tempura, and spam musubi to TOSA members. Specializes in fresh, house-made udon noodles.
• Mee Sum PastrygeneralGTM or Marketing PartnerU-District sponsor offering 25¢ off all drinks to TOSA members. Offers Chinese dishes, pastries, and bubble teas.
• Little TaipeigeneralGTM or Marketing PartnerBellevue sponsor offering 10% off when purchases exceed $15 to TOSA members. Known for outstanding Chinese cuisine with modern interpretation of classic dishes.
• Tapioca ExpressgeneralGTM or Marketing PartnerBellevue sponsor offering 10% off to TOSA members. Creates pearl-tea drinks with art of sight, sound, touch, scent, and taste, pioneering unmatched quality in ingredients.
• Snowy VillagegeneralGTM or Marketing Partner2025-2026 sponsor offering discounts to TOSA membership card holders.
• Don't Yell At MegeneralGTM or Marketing Partner2025-2026 sponsor offering discounts to TOSA membership card holders.
• Boiling PointgeneralGTM or Marketing Partner2025-2026 sponsor offering discounts to TOSA membership card holders.
• ToastedgeneralGTM or Marketing Partner2025-2026 sponsor offering discounts to TOSA membership card holders.
• Seattle Best TeageneralGTM or Marketing Partner2025-2026 sponsor offering discounts to TOSA membership card holders.
• Little ThaigeneralGTM or Marketing Partner2025-2026 sponsor offering discounts to TOSA membership card holders.
• EnKore KaraokegeneralGTM or Marketing PartnerU-District sponsor offering 10% off to TOSA members. Provides Asian-style karaoke experience with TJ Media karaoke system and touchscreen system. Sells beer, wine, soju, and sake.
• ChatimegeneralGTM or Marketing Partner2018-2019 sponsor offering discounts to TOSA members.
• Ding TeageneralGTM or Marketing Partner2018-2019 sponsor offering free upgrades to TOSA members during promotional period.
• Sweet AlchemygeneralGTM or Marketing Partner2021-2022 sponsor offering discounts to TOSA members.
• BobaupgeneralGTM or Marketing Partner2021-2022 sponsor offering 10% off (self-serve drinks only) to TOSA members.
• Just PokegeneralGTM or Marketing Partner2021-2022 sponsor offering discounts to TOSA members.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hong Kong Student Association (HKSA) at University of Washington: A UW-affiliated cultural student organization that runs comparable social, cultural, and community events for Hong Kong-heritage students. HKSA co-hosts Lantern Night with TOSA and shares the same volunteer officer model, making it a structurally identical peer.
• Taiwanese American Students Club at Stanford: A Stanford-affiliated Taiwanese student organization that hosts cultural, social, and professional events. The organization shares TOSA's structure of an annual officer team running flagship cultural events, making it a direct peer in form and function.
• Taiwanese American Student Association at UCLA: A UCLA-based Taiwanese American student organization that runs comparable community-building, cultural, and social programming. TASA UCLA mirrors TOSA's mission and event-based model, serving as a peer at another large West Coast research university.
• Taiwanese American Students Association (TASA) at UC Berkeley: A Taiwanese cultural student organization at UC Berkeley that runs a similar mix of cultural nights, social events, and community-building programming. TASA Berkeley operates with a comparable officer structure and serves an overlapping demographic, making it a close external peer.
• Chinese Student Association (CSA) at University of Washington: A fellow cultural student organization at UW that operates with a similar structure of cultural events, social programming, and Asian student community building. CSA is a TOSA partner on Lantern Night but serves an overlapping yet distinct demographic (Chinese vs. Taiwanese students), making it a directly comparable peer organization.
• Taiwanese Student Association (TSA) at University of Washington: A partner student organization at UW that serves the Taiwanese student community with overlapping cultural events such as Husky Sendoff and Taiwan 101. TSA operates with the same annual officer rotation and event-based model, making it a closely comparable peer.

Broad incumbents

• Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association (ITASA): A national network that connects Taiwanese American student organizations across universities. ITASA operates at a broader geographic scale than TOSA and provides intercollegiate programming, making it a higher-level peer that encompasses the same mission of promoting Taiwanese culture among students.

Emerging players

• Taiwanese American Professionals (TAP): A Taiwanese American community organization that runs networking and cultural events across major US cities. While TAP targets working professionals rather than students, its cultural programming and Taiwanese-community mission overlap meaningfully with TOSA's purpose.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/uwtosa
• Instagraminstagram.com/tosauw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/taiwanese-overseas-student-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Taiwanese Overseas Student Association