Category Archives: Latest News

You are invited to attend the back to back holiday travel and dining deals expo happening on November 18-20, 2015 at the SMX Convention Center Aura, 3^rd Level, SM Aura Premier, Taguig City.

Take advantage of the travel promos from different exhibitors from hotel accommodation, theme park, leading restaurants and new travel destinations.  Enjoy the book and buy promo to avail up to 50% discount from the travel partners.

This is also your chance to shop for dining gift vouchers and hotel gift certificates that you can give to your family, friends and even to some important people and clients. Avoid Christmas Shopping rush instead give your loved ones a gift of experience and allow them to create memories that will last a lifetime.

The Holiday Travel and Dining Deals Expo is co-located with the Coffee, Chocolate and Ice Cream Expo, that accords primary focus on these three main products and brings to fore the most effective platform to showcase the finest local and international coffee, chocolate and ice cream products, bar and café equipment and technologies all under one roof.

So travelers, food, coffee, chocolate and ice cream lovers, let’s all unite! This event must not be missed.

This event is organized by NEO CCM ENT EVENTS CORP. and supported by Filipino International Franchise Association, Young Entrepreneurs Society, Hacienda Macalauan, Econext Ideas and Events, Philippine Daily Inquirer – Lifestyle, Hinge Inquirer Publication, F&B Report Magazine, Malaya Business Insight, One Mega Group: Travel Now, Apetite, Franchising Magazine, BGCMyCity.com, ManilaonSale.com, ManilaShopper.com, Metro Manila Bazaar, Rochelle Rivera, Joei and Me and WhenInManila.com.

For inquiries, please call NEO-CCM Enterprises Events Corp. at (632) 938 0839; 938 08737 or log on at www.neotrade.co. Please like us at www.facebook.com/NeotradeEvents.

The most prestigious coffee, chocolate and ice cream trade show in the country will happen before the year ends.

The Coffee, Chocolate and Ice Cream Expo will be held on November 18 to 20, 2015 at the SMX Convention Center Aura, 3rd Level SM Aura Premier, Taguig City.

At long last, a trade show exclusively for the coffee, chocolate and ice cream industry has been mounted by NEO CCM ENT EVENTS CORP.

Most of the recent trade show events in the metropolis have featured a good mix of food and beverages.

This specialized expo comes at a time when increased focus on these industries has become a necessity due to the larger demand for coffee, chocolate and ice cream products.

The  Coffee , Chocolate and Ice Cream Exposition is a trade show that accords primary focus on these three main products and brings to fore the most effective platform to showcase the finest local and international coffee, chocolate and ice cream products, bar and café equipment and technologies all under one roof.

The event heralds the onslaught of coffee products, bar/cafe establishments in the country, ice cream shops, chocolate and cacao products and it provides the coffee , chocolate and ice cream industry with a specialized opportunity for trade to launch new products, expand business, and bring together all the major industry players.

Products to be featured in the expo are: coffee, chocolate and ice cream manufacturers, coffee and ice cream machines, vending machines, roasters, blenders, processors, flavoured drinks manufacturers, milk  retailers, retail coffee chains, milk and milk products, chocolate manufacturers, coffee and tea accessories, friends of coffee and tea, ice cream machines, distributors, dealers, manufacturers, and partners.

The event features companies who plan to promote product awareness, launch products, expand via franchising, build a business, and forge new strategic relationships.

Also included are allied activities, demos, tasting sessions which aim to build lasting partnerships, and camaraderie among industry stalwarts.

Expected visitors to the event are coffee , chocolate and ice cream distributors, dealers, retailers, franchisers and franchisees, wholesalers, cafe and bar owners, importers, exporters, hotel suppliers, purchasers, entrepreneurs, packaging agents, F&B caterers, chefs., nutritionists, coffee enthusiasts, chocolate and ice cream lovers.

So coffee, chocolate and ice cream lovers, unite! This event must not be missed.

This event is co-located with the awaited Holiday Travel and Dining Deals Expo which offers the best deals in tourist destinations and in hotels and restaurants all in one roof.

The Filipino’s zest for travel is as strong as ever and what better time to showcase the best deals available for rest and recreation to the best travel destinations but this season nearing the holidays!

Also, the event features offers from restaurants and hotels with gastronomic fare that are simply irresistible to miss!

Dont miss these back to back shows and be assured of a unique enjoyable experience.

The Coffee, Chocolate and Ice Cream Expo back to back with the Holiday Travel and Dining Deals is supported by Filipino International Franchise Association, Young Entrepreneurs Society, Hacienda Macalauan, Econext Ideas and Events, Malaya Business Insight, One Mega Group: Travel Now, Apetite, Franchising Magazine, Wazzup Pilipinas, WhenInManila.com, ManilaonSale.com, ManilaShopper.com and Metro Manila Bazaar.

For inquiries, please call NEO-CCM Enterprises Events Corp. at (632) 938 0839 or log on at www.neotrade.co. Like us at www.facebook.com/NeotradeEvents.

Out of 20 startups that joined the Pitch Competition held at the Startup Summit last August 8, PassExams.ph has emerged and triumphantly bagged the title to compete for the Philippines Startup Cup.

PassExams is an edtech startup that aims to provide students with a more personalized and practical solution in preparing for high-stake exams (high school admission, college admission, board exams and other certifications) through different platforms (website, mobile apps and SMS)

“Being able to pitch in the Startup Summit was a blessing considering that we are on the 21st spot. And emerging as the winner of one of the tracks which is the Philippine Startup Cup, we couldn’t be more grateful to the judges, to YES and to our fellow startup founders. But aside from the awards, the event was a testament that the Philippines is more than ready to showcase its young entrepreneurs outside the country,” said Jodielyn Francisco, Co-founder of PassExams.ph.

Other contenders for the Philippine Startup Cup were from industry such as agriculture, education, technology, food manufacturing, home services, and transportation. The competition was witnessed by over 400 people comprising of entrepreneurs, founders, investors and aspiring entrepreneurs who had attended the event.

On August 8th, Startup Summit, a joint event by Ye! and Young Entrepreneurs Society (YES), took place at the SM Mega Trade Hall in Manila, the Philippines. Attended by over 500 participants, the event brought together top startups, successful entrepreneurs, investors and other key players of the entrepreneurship ecosystem of the country.The one-day event kicked off insightful talks with speakers such as Jay Fajardo – serial tech entrepreneur and one of the pioneers of the Philippines’ tech startup scene, Frederic Levy – Founder & CEO of CashCash Pinoy, the country’s No. 1 product flash sale website, and Subir Lohani – Managing Director of Carmudi Philippines, the fastest growing car classifies platform in emerging markets.

The afternoon saw fierce pitching competition of the top 20 startups, which were selected among the 50 startups invited to participate in the Ye! Boost Video Competition. These 20 startups represent a variety of sectors like technology, agriculture, education, fashion and clean energy. Each startup pitched their venture during maximum 5 minutes, followed by Q & A with a panel of judges.

10 winners of the Ye! Boost Camp Scholarships were announced, including the winner of the Ye! Boost Video Competition (for the aged under 30 group) Apollo, which received 3492 votes in the competition. These 10 entrepreneurs will attend the Ye! Boost Camp this October in Amsterdam, an acceleration and training event for entrepreneurs in Kenya, Ghana and the Philippines. In addition, the judges also selected 5 startups that will represent the Philippines in global competitions such as Get In The Ring and the Future Agro Challenge.

The Startup Summit 2015, organized by YES Philippines and in partnership with the YE! – a project of Child and Youth  Finance  International based in Amsterdam,  truly had an unprecedented success last  August 8, 2015 at the 5^th floor Mega Trade Center Function Room A and B, SM Megamall, Ortigas, Pasig City.

Approximately 400 people comprising of startups, founders, investors, entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs joined the conference.

The summit presented a powerful line up of speakers namely Jay Fajardo, Founder and CEO of Proudcloud Inc; Subir Lohani, Managing Director of Carmudi Philippines; Frederic Levy, Founder and CEO of CashCash Pinoy; Iddo Goren, Founder and CEO of Veems and Liz Andrea Kuster, the founder of Impact Hub Manila.

Meanwhile, the winners of the National Startup Competition who will be participating the one-week YE! Social Enterprise Boostcamp in Amsterdam were Louise Ivan Payawal of Apollo and Ginbert Cuaton of Banwa Cottage Industry Inc who received the full scholarship. The other eight partial scholarships were given to Ernest Tabada of iHarvest+, Jay Mark Balmes of Empleo, Kennevy Te of HotMeals, Valerie de Leon of Skiddo, Philip Adrian Atilano of TimeFree Innovations, Lyle Jover of Raket.ph, Rachel de Villa of Cropital and Paula Patrice Dela Cruz of Project Mushroom.

On the other hand, Ray Refundo of Qwikwire has bagged the right to represent the Philippines in an all-expense paid trip to the Pitch Competition in Monterrey Mexico. While iHarvest+ seized the Future Agro Challenge award, PocketMarket for the Creative Business Cup, Pass-exams.ph for Philippine Startup Cup and Raket.ph for Get in the Ring.

The pitch competition panel of judges were Mr. Joe Maristela, Director of Business Development Star Business Centers, Inc.; Mr. Howie Ross-Valino, Asset Management and Hedgefund Manager and Private Banking; Mr. Anderson Tan, CEO and Founder of Universal Millinillion Inc.; Mr. Iddo Goren, Founder and CEO of Veems; Mr. Matthias Jaeggie, Co-founder of Impact Hub Manila and Ms. Jie Xue, Founding Team Member of YE! Community.

The YES Philippines’ Startup Summit is one-day event that aims to gather and equip all startups in the Philippines. It was made possible through YES Philippines’ partnership with YE! Community of Netherlands, Kauffman Foundation and Global Entrepreneurship Week Global and through media partnership with Light Network TV and WheninManila.com

Financing round will drive UK expansion and enable new hires

London-based ClickMechanic, the online marketplace for car repairs, has today announced the closure of a financing round of £320,000 from angel investors led by former Just Eat CEO Klaus Nyengaard. The investment will be used to fuel ClickMechanic’s growth, make new hires and accelerate product innovation.

Since launching in 2012, ClickMechanic has had users generate over 150,000 car service and repair quotes through the site and since early 2014 the company’s growth has been between 20-40% month-on-month. The investment is more than three times the £90,000 secured through previous investment. Commenting on the investment, Klaus Nyengaard, former CEO of Just-Eat, current Chairman of Wahanda, and the lead investor of the raise said:

“I work a lot with marketplaces, and I was immediately impressed with the smartness of how ClickMechanic works. They are a young team with lots of drive and a new way of matching supply and demand in the mechanics industry. Exactly the kind of ambitious project I like to work with.”

The founders have already been putting the investment to good use, making some notable new hires including Peter Kerr, International Sales Manager of Just Eat, and Jake Mellett, Head of Search and Partnerships in the Beauty Division at the Hut Group.

Andrew Jervis, Co-Founder of ClickMechanic & YES Mentor added: “It’s well documented that the automotive repair industry suffers from a lack of transparency which has created a large amount of consumer mistrust. We’ve been working tirelessly over the past few years to bring vetted, qualified mechanics together in one network while using manufacturer-approved data to ensure users can trust the prices they pay. To be approached by some of Europe’s top business executives with funding shows we are leading the way at solving these problems for consumers.”

Angel investors from the latest funding round include:

• Klaus Nyengaard – Former CEO of JustEat, Current Chariman of Wahanda, ClickMechanic Lead Angel
• Rasmus Wolff – Former CCO of JustEat, CCO of GetYourGuide
• Giorgio Ponticelli – Former Group Business Development Director of JustEat, MD of New Markets at Wahanda
• Lopo Champalimaud – Founder and CEO of Wahanda
• Simon Lambert – CTO of Wahanda
• Chris Wood – CCO of Wahanda
• Leigh Phillipson – Sales Director of Wahanda
• Simon Schnieders – Former Head of SEO at Zoopla
• Andy Wilson – Former Head of Growth of GetYourGuide
• Ian Hooper – Former Vice President of Seamless

Former angel investors from the first funding round include James Bromley, current COO of SwiftKey; Robin Carter, former FD of The Ministry of Justice; and the technology commercialisation company Imperial Innovations.

In line with the celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week last November 17-23, 2014, the Young Entrepreneur Society Philippines have prepared and hosted various events for the whole year and engage thousands of participants across the country.

The Startup Nations Summit Philippines, staged at Ecotower, Taguig City last November 17, 2014, is among the events that YES Philippines have hosted to celebrate GEW 2014.

Startup Nation Summit Philippines brought together small to medium range entrepreneurs, professionals, students and business enthusiasts into one great event. The summit focused on highlighting creativity and innovation to unleash one’s potential for success. Various startups have showcased their innovation; some shared their startup stories, inspiring the attendees of the stories of their humble beginnings to great endings. Their determination and vigor have further inspired aspiring participants to continue with their startup initiative.

Goldy Yancha, the associate director for community development of IDEASPACE foundation shared the roots of their foundation, shared sound ideas in creating a promising startup and gave high hopes to participants by mentioning that Ideaspace can and will help them reach their potential together with YES Philippines partnership.

Aisa Mijeno on the other hand showcased her startup which earned her heaps of fund from competitions (including Startup Nations Summit Korea) and investors worldwide. As the founder of SALt.ph, their vision is to bring light to all families in the Philippines and in impoverished neighboring countries by giving them a revolutionary and innovative lamp that runs on using water and table salt.

The Startup Nations Summit Philippines wants all the participants to achieve bigger dreams by taking the risk and appreciating small beginnings, believing that each person’s talents is always there, waiting for a chance to reach its full potential.

Startup Nations group shares ideas about what is working and what is not in their respective environments; connects to research and communicates priorities to a Global Entrepreneurship Research Network (GERN) led by the Kauffman Foundation, the World Bank and Endeavor Global; and, enables informal knowledge sharing among economies focused on leveraging entrepreneurs and their startups in order to create jobs, build economies and expand human welfare.

The organization is keen to learn what all nations are focused on as they mutually work on new ways to help our new firms form and scale.

Data shows world at 52% entrepreneurial capacity, powers policy discussions during Global Entrepreneurship Week

November 20, 2014 – The 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Index (GEI), released today by the Global Entrepreneurship Network in partnership with the GEDI Institute, shows that entrepreneurship is generally on the rise around the world but that there is much room for growth. The Philippines has ranked 95th place out of 130 countries with overall score index of 27.7. Lack of risk capital and slow absorption of
new technology have been cited as main bottlenecks for the growth of entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Philippines, while product innovation has been recognized as the key factor driving entrepreneurial activities.

“Imagine if there will be more capital available to our local startups with faster Internet and better infrastructure, the market for new technologies such as mobile apps and other applications will expand as business opportunities increase” Said Henry Ong, Director of Young Entrepreneur Society (YES), official host of Global Entrepreneurship Week in the Philippines. “It is, however, encouraging to note that product innovation came out as the strongest link in the country. This brings possible increased productivity in the future and hopefully attracts capital not only domestically but also internationally” He added.

The GEI, measuring the entrepreneurial ecosystems in 130 countries—from Albania to Zambia—measures global entrepreneurial capacity at 52%. It is being launched at policy summits and roundtable discussions around the world as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week.

“There is a rapidly growing demand from startup communities and policymakers alike to help new firms start and scale,” said Jonathan Ortmans, president of the Global Entrepreneurship Network. “This Index identifies each country’s unique challenges and serves as a compass for prescribing the most effective interventions.”

The report provides a detailed look at the entrepreneurial ecosystem of nations by combining individual data such as opportunity recognition and risk perception with institutional components like the depth of capital markets, globalization and spending on research and development.

The United States tops the list of countries, followed by (in order): Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Taiwan, Switzerland and Singapore.

The Index has found that entrepreneurship tends to be higher in richer countries and that different regions face very different challenges and priorities in growing their ecosystems. These are important findings for policymakers as it suggests that there is no one optimal policy approach that will work everywhere.

“While effective entrepreneurs, those able to seize new opportunities, contribute to sustainable growth all over the world,” said Zoltan Acs, the founder and president of the GEDI Institute, the results of our work, compiled in the GEI, reflect that how countries go about providing an environment in which their citizens’ are able to innovate and iterate new products, services and processes varies from region to region and country to country. GEI is specifically designed to serve countries across the globe as a guide for mapping out their own approaches to strengthening their national systems of entrepreneurship.”

National-level entrepreneurship is defined as the dynamic, institutionally embedded interaction between entrepreneurial attitudes, entrepreneurial abilities, and entrepreneurial aspirations by individuals, which drives the allocation of resources through the creation and operation of new ventures.

A policy-driven event featuring discussion about the Index and its findings are being held in many countries throughout Global Entrepreneurship Week in cities such as: Athens, Greece; Cairo, Egypt; Frankfurt, Germany; Gaborone, Botswana; Jakarta, Indonesia; London, England; Lusaka, Zambia; Nicosia, Cyprus; Prague, Czech Republic; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Sofia, Bulgaria; and more.

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About Global Entrepreneurship Network

Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) is a year-round platform of programs and initiatives created by the communities that celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week each November. Aimed at creating one global entrepreneurial ecosystem, GEN helps people in 150 countries unleash their ideas and turn them into promising new ventures—creating jobs, unearthing innovations for society and strengthening economic stability around the world. For details on the programs and initiatives that make up GEN, visit weareGEN.co.

About The GEDI Institute

The GEDI Institute is a non-profit organization that advances research on links between entrepreneurship, economic development and prosperity. The Institute was founded by world-leading entrepreneurship scholars from the George Mason University, University of Pécs and Imperial College London. The flagship project of the Institute is the Global Entrepreneurship Index, a breakthrough advance in measuring the quality and dynamics of entrepreneurship ecosystems at a national and regional level. The GEI methodology has been validated in rigorous academic peer reviews and has been widely reported in media, including in The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and Forbes.

The Young Entrepreneurs Society (YES) Philippines proudly announces Pickld as the official representative for the Philippines in the upcoming International Creative Business Cup this November in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Pickld is a mobile application that opens a platform for everyone to tell their stories. Pickld believes that the most beautiful stories are the stories of everyday life of normal people with extraordinary memories. It is not just another photo app. It tells, believes and values your story. It preserves your memories and extends your legacy. YES Philippines sees great potential in Pickld’s startup business and is confident that it will do great along the way.

Coming from Denmark, Creative Business Cup is a competition for the entrepreneurs from the creative industries all over the world. With the creative business industries growing at a fast pace, sectors continue to provide more jobs and add increasing value to products and services. Creative business industries have a positive effect on traditional industries in the aspect of improving growth and innovation. Great potential could spring on these industries but creative entrepreneurs often lack insights and business competences needed to realize this potential. Therefore, a need for competition like Creative Business Cup is a must to improve the business skills of entrepreneurs and increase the number of successful companies in the creative industries.

Participating entrepreneurs will get the chance to go to Copenhagen and participate in workshops, networking and opportunity to represent country as a national winner in at the International Creative Business Cup Finals; win cash money and special prizes; get free access and a profile on CBC Connect which promotes them internationally; International promotion and networking and many more.

CBC is officially endorsed by government sectors and prominent foundations like Ministry of Culture Denmark, Danish Business Authority, City of Copenhagen, Kauffman Foundation, Global Entrepreneurship Week as its main partners and Younoodle, Deloitte, Confederation of Danish Industry as its supporting partners. The Creative Business Cup is also featured in Monocle 24 Radio in London.

Know more details about Creative Business Cup by visiting http://www.creativebusinesscup.com/ or inquiring through http://creativebusinesscup.com/contact.

With the opening of celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week, the Vice-President of the Republic of the Philippines, VP Jejomar (Jojo) Binay, extended his warmest greetings to all Filipino entrepreneurs.

He sent his deepest intention to congratulate the Young Entrepreneurs Society (YES) Philippines, its partners, supporters, sponsors and participants in its effort to cultivate and spread the entrepreneurial spirit in a Filipino for the future of every Filipinos.

According to Vice President Binay, “With the Philippines’ serving as a host of the GEW, it marks another milestone for the country in pursuit of a sustained and progressive economic development.”, supporting the commitment of Philippines in pursuing business and entrepreneurial advancement and excellence.

The Young Entrepreneur Society is humbly honored to have the vice-presented support the organization and the global celebration. The YES organization is enclosing the full message of the vice-president in the hopes of inspiring fellow Filipinos in embracing the culture and future in entrepreneurship.

Below is the full text transcript of his message to Filipinos celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week:

Allow me to express my warmest congratulations to YES Philippines, its partners, supporters, sponsors, and participants to the first 2nd Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) in the country.

With the Philippines’ serving as a host of the GEW, it marks another milestone for the country in pursuit of a sustained and progressive economic development. The event attests to the vibrancy of the entrepreneurial spirit among Filipinos.

With deep sense of pride and honor, I am pleased to know that the Philippines is now counted as among more than 130 countries that celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week – the world’s largest celebration of entrepreneurship.

Indeed, entrepreneurs are the backbone of our economy which facilitates inclusive growth through large-scale employment opportunities, revenue generation, and investments promotion.

I believe that for the Philippines to continue its growth, we need more entrepreneurs – young and old, men and women, urban and rural, rich, middle class and poor. Through entrepreneurial innovation, dedication and hard-work, we are able to move the country forward towards prosperity.

I encourage you to take part in this momentous occasion on 17-23 November 2014 and let us make the whole world know that Filipinos are world-class entrepreneurs.

Again, congratulations and Mabuhay kayong Lahat!

Jejomar C. Binay