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Accelerating Innovation: Government and stakeholders Unite to Supercharge the Ph Startup Ecosystem
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DITC) has inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with DFNN Group of Companies, and Plug and Play Tech Center, to harness the power of startups in the Philippines. The MOU was signed by DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy, Jojo Flores of Plug and Play Tech Center, and Ricky Banaag of DFNN Group of Companies during the recently concluded 6th Geeks On A Beach held at Panglao Island, Bohol. “This initiative powered by Plug & Play sets out to come up with forward-looking strategies to harness the power of startups, injecting new ideas and creativity into the startup industry as well as prompt the growth of an intellectually-based economy,” said Flores. According to Flores, the MOU is seen to accelerate the growth of the startup community in the Philippines, taking a bigger chunk of the US$3.5 billion tech/startup industry. “We need to protect our interests where we build the products of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) by bringing everyone to build these new tech industries to protect our local industries as well, in terms of the tech/BPO industry, electronics assembly, and the like,” Flores added. The MOU which signifies the strong collaboration of various public and private sector initiatives, is aimed at supporting the startup industry, thereby fueling the nation’s employment, bolstering foreign exchange reserves, and technological innovation that can push forward the overall economic expansion of the Philippines. According to the MOU, stakeholders together with the government shall establish the Horizon Philippines program to catalyze the creation of new intellectual property assets that will contribute to the growth of an IP-based economy.... read more
DICT says PH startups ecosystem is vibrantly growing
PANGLAO, Bohol — Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) secretary Ivan John Uy opened the two-day Geeks On A Beach (GOAB)2023 international conference, Thursday, November 23-24 confidently stating that the vibrant startup ecosystem in the Philippines has been promisingly growing, with more than 1,100 startups, 60 incubators and accelerators, 50 venture capitalists, and more than 200 co-working spaces nationwide that enable collaboration. “It is truly an honor to stand before you as we kick off the sixth edition of Geeks on a Beach. As we gather here, it is heartening to see that through our joint efforts, we have transformed the Philippines into a pivotal regional hub for startups and digital innovation. This is a statement of fact. Our vibrant startup ecosystem has been promisingly growing,” Secretary Yu said. Yu added that the essence of Geeks on a Beach lies in the convergence of diverse minds and he is optimistic that this year’s event sees a limitless potential and a perfect backdrop for groundbreaking ideas to take flight. Geeks On A Beach 2023 in Panglao is attended by nearly 1000 guests, technopreneurs, investors, startup hustlers, venture capitalists, angel investors, and others after a hiatus of five years. Secretary Uy further said, the DICT commits to accelerate digital transformation and nurture the growth of the country’s startup community by launching programs aligned with the Innovative Startup Act of 2019. “This law provides the blueprint for the advancement of the Philippine Startup Ecosystem and supports our startups by providing funding and mentorship mechanisms and streamlined processes,” Uy noted. The conduct of the GOAB in time for this year’s Philippine Startup... read more
‘Geeks On A Beach 2023’: Startup founders to gather at Panglao, Bohol Philippines
Movers and shakers of the Philippine startup community, innovators and investors, and global and national leaders are set to gather for the sixth edition of the tech-famous Geeks On A Beach (GOAB) international conference on November 22 to 24 at the renowned Panglao Island in Bohol, Philippines. Spearheaded by GeeksPH and co-organized by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), GOAB will be a bold exclamation mark to cap the 2023 Philippine Startup Week events to be held nationwide. About 500 participants are expected to discuss at GOAB the trends and forecasts on tech, startup and design, with conversations and interactions aimed at enabling the best to ride the wave of technological advances. DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy is expected to formally open GOAB. “We are as excited as our alumni and the startup community in bringing GOAB back. Ten years after the first GOAB and a pandemic-induced hiatus, there are certainly a lot of new and positive developments to celebrate from the advance of digitalization, the rise of AI and more funding raised by Filipino startups,” said GOAB founding organizer Tina Amper of GeeksPH. Apart from Amper, the other members of the GOAB founding organizing team are Dave Overton of Symph, Mark Deutsch of Happy Garaje and Doris Isubal-Mongaya of PRWorks. Serving as GOAB advisors are Manny Ayala of Hatchd and Endeavor PH, Plug and Play Tech Center’s Jojo Flores, Shoppable’s Chris Blanquera, Stephanie Caragos of Syntactics, Embiggen Group’s Paul Pajo, and Christina Laskowski of Silicon Valley-based Science and Technology Advisory Council. Founders, CEOs, thought-leaders The speakers at GOAB are a veritable who’s who in the startup...
Accelerating Innovation: Government and stakeholders Unite to Supercharge the Ph Startup Ecosystem
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DITC) has inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with DFNN Group of Companies, and Plug and Play Tech Center, to harness the power of startups in the Philippines. The MOU was signed by DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy, Jojo Flores of Plug and Play Tech Center, and Ricky Banaag of DFNN Group of Companies during the recently concluded 6th Geeks On A Beach held at Panglao Island, Bohol. “This initiative powered by Plug & Play sets out to come up with forward-looking strategies to harness the power of startups, injecting new ideas and creativity into the startup industry as well as prompt the growth of an intellectually-based economy,” said Flores. According to Flores, the MOU is seen to accelerate the growth of the startup community in the Philippines, taking a bigger chunk of the US$3.5 billion tech/startup industry. “We need to protect our interests where we build the products of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) by bringing everyone to build these new tech industries to protect our local industries as well, in terms of the tech/BPO industry, electronics assembly, and the like,” Flores added. The MOU which signifies the strong collaboration of various public and private sector initiatives, is aimed at supporting the startup industry, thereby fueling the nation’s employment, bolstering foreign exchange reserves, and technological innovation that can push forward the overall economic expansion of the Philippines. According to the MOU, stakeholders together with the government shall establish the Horizon Philippines program to catalyze the creation of new intellectual property assets that will contribute to the growth of an IP-based economy....Local News/ Bohol Balita
MENTOR ME ON WHEELS CONQUERS BOHOL
More than 500 mentees and 42 mentors have come together in the province’ biggest gathering of aspiring and existing entrepreneurs in the Mentor ME on Wheels (MMOW) held at the Island City Mall in Tagbilaran City on October 25, 2019. The whole-day activity, which is spearheaded by the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship – Go Negosyo was made possible in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry, had mentors coming in from Manila, Cebu and Bohol, who provided 30-minute one-on-one mentorship sessions with MMOW participants who are either aspiring, potential and existing entrepreneurs and students. Topics included Entrepreneurial Mind Setting and Values Formation, Marketing and Financial Literacy/Financing. In her opening message, RD Aster Caberte encouraged the participants to make use of the opportunity to talk to experienced mentors and get professional advice on how to effectively manage their businesses. Bohol Governor Arthur Yap and City Mayor John Geesnell Yap graced the event together with PCEs Virgilio “Noy” Espeleta and Henry Tenedero, who represented PCE-Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion....BOHOL’S CHOCOLATE PRINCESS WINS APEC BEST FAMILY SUPPORT AWARD
Tagbilaran City. DalareichPolot, General Manager of DalareichTableya and CEO of Guinto Chocolates, wins in the worldwide search for APEC Business Efficiency and Success Target (BEST) Award for “Best Family Support” during the Women and the Economy Forum in La Serena, Chile. Dalareich’s business model presentation was done via Skype, where she was competing with nominees from twenty one (21) other APEC economies. In her presentation, Polot narrated her romance with cacao and highlighted how her passion for tableya has developed over the years beginning when she was a kid. It may be recalled that Polothad the big break in her chocolate journey when she joined the Young Entrepreneurs Bootcamp in Manila in 2013, which was sponsored by the SamahanngmgaPilipinasaReporma at Kaunlaran (SPARK!) and the United States Embassy, where she emerged as the Grand Prize Winner and received $5,000 and a trophy.Polot is the current Chair of the Bohol Cacao Development Council. The BEST Award includes seven categories, including the Grand Prix, Highest Growth Potential, International Attractiveness, Best Social Impact, the 4th Industrial Revolution Project, and two new important nominations: Best Family Business Support and the Best Top Manager, which werelaunched this year. The award was received by DTI Region VII Director Aster Caberte, who represented the Department of Trade and Industry in the APEC Ministerial Meeting from October 2-9, 2019.(VLigan, DTI...Aris: DPWH soon to build Talibon-Bien Unido bridge
By JUNE S. BLANCO REP. Erico Aristotle Aumentado expresses hope that construction of the bridge that will link Talibon and Bien Unido towns in northern Bohol will start within the year. Aumentado will meet Engr. Vicente Valle Jr. of the Bohol 2nd District Engineering Office and his staff next week at the latter’s office in Ubay town for a briefing on the timelines of the bridge construction. Talibon and Bien Unido towns are located on separate promontories jutting out toward Cebu, separated by a bay, with Trinidad town in the river delta. The road trip from Talibon to Bien Unido spans 20 kilometers, but with the bridge, the distance will just be seven kilometers. Aumentado said this will be “definitely a big and welcome development” for his constituents in both towns – and the rest of the district, and ultimately the province – as this will cut travel time and the attendant expenses. This will also reduce the price of goods as transport from the mother town of Talibon will be shorter, easier, more convenient and comfortable. The solon said the shorter distance will give his constituents more time for other equally, or even more important tasks. During the meeting, Aumentado expressed hope that Valle will declare the detailed engineering design and bid documents ready so that bidding can already be scheduled, and the physical works to start within the year. Meanwhile, the solon recently filed House Bill 2109 that proposes to construct the Bohol-Leyte Link Bridge. On a bigger scale now, this link will provide passengers and their freight the option to travel by land through this bridge,...Aris’ previous statement on power ‘not misleading’
By: JUNE S. BLANCO REP. Erico Aristotle Aumentado of Bohol’s 2nd District stands by his previous statement that “the Cantakoy hydroelectric project found no support from the next administration. This solon emphasized that “this was not a misleading statement”, but a statement of facts. Aumentado said partners Ayala Group and Sta. Clara Power Corp. were well on their way in establishing the Cantakoy project – taking extra diligent care in providing mitigating measures for what experts had described “critical” and “dangerous” – during the incumbency of his namesake father and immediate congressional predecessor, former governor Erico Boyles Aumentado. Sta. Clara Power Corporation is an independent power producing company in the Philippines. It focuses on hydro power development. The company was founded in 2003 and is based in Mandaluyong, the Philippines. Sta. Clara Power Corporation operates as a subsidiary of Sta. Clara International Corporation But for reasons of their own, the next administration did not pursue Cantakoy – despite the impending and expected stark increase in power consumption due to the operationalization of the Panglao Bohol International Airport. Airports are stand-alone natural investment come-ons, but since Bohol has been vigorously inviting investors, the province should have taken more aggressive steps in meeting the increasing power demand. After all, he said, only in the power industry is redundancy welcome. The recent price hike scare prompted Aumentado to walk what has so far been merely talk. The resumption of the Cantakoy project would be his “little contribution” to ease the current power crisis in Bohol. He said Cantakoy can augment the power “imported” from the Tongonan Geothermal Plant in Leyte by from...DTI Sandugo ‘national’ Trade Fair: attracts 190 exhibitors, 11 regions
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Central Visayas opened its regional products showcase in Bohol, July 24-28 at the Island City Mall, with a bigger, wider participation of government assisted and developed products. This year’s products’ showcase feature 190 exhibitors bringing in gifts and novelty items, home decors, wear-ables and fashion accessories, home style and quality furniture and furnishings, and processed food from the country’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) of the 11 regions joining this year’s trade fair, according to DTI Regional Director Asteria Caberte. Bohol’s Sandugo Trade Expo 2019 is now a far upgrade from what used to be a provincial products’ fair held at the open grounds of Plaza Rizal, some 31 years ago. DTI Assistant Secretary Blesila Lantayona, Asec. Demphna Du-Naga of the of the Regional Operations Group, Regional Director Asteria Caberte, Bohol Governor Arthur Yap, visiting DTI regional directors and Central Visayas Provincial directors Maria Soledad Balistoy (Bohol), Nimfa Virtucio (Negros Oriental) led the ceremonial opening of the fair which accordingly aims for an ambitious P40 million in sales. Asec Lantayona, in her message however knows that the P40 million is easy to achieve citing that last year’s P25 million target was easily attained. The Sandugo regional trade fair in 2018 even piled up an additional P7 million over the target, or a whooping P32 million in cash and booked sales. Lantayona, who now likened the Sandugo Trade Expo this year to a national trade fair, pointed out that exhibitors all over the country are all looking forward to joining the Sandugo trade fair in Bohol because sales here is good....National News
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