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3rd Startup Summit 2017
The 3rd Startup Summit 2017 was successfully held last August 12, 2017, at Ortigas Foundation Library In Pasig City. The summit, considered as national competition for startups in the Philippines where the winners are awarded the right to represent the country in various global competitions, was organized by the Young Entrepreneur Society (YES) Philippines.
The summit was participated by over 50 applications where the top 20 startups were chosen to pitch at the final competitions. Among the finalists include Higi Energy, Skyeye, Bookie, JazzyPay, AutoConscience, Wela School System, Pushkart.Ph, Onewatt, Empleo, Zikaway, Still Fresh, StyleGenie, My.Divisoria, Exora Philippines, Leverage Ph, Einstar, and Hangtime.
The top 2 winners were awarded as national winners in their respective global competitions.
Higi Energy earned the right to represent the Philippines in the global Future Agro Challenge next year in Turkey. Higi Energy aims to solve the water hyacinth disasters by turning them into solid Eco-fuels for the domestic usages to help customers save on their monthly utility bills.
SkyeEye, on the other hand, won the Philippine Startup Cup from the USA and will be representing the country in the World Startup Cup next year. Sky Eye offers database analytics by using drones to acquire land information quickly, cheaply and intensely. The information that SkyEye will provide will be used to help users correct long-standing mathematical with land titles and government to collect right taxes.
All the top 20 finalists of the Startup Summit automatically earned slots to the annual Startup Open competition organized by the Global Entrepreneurship Network. The final 10 most innovative startups in the world will be selected this November where the grand champion will be invited to the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Turkey next year.
Startup Summit 2017 was made possible through Global Entrepreneurship Week Philippines host, Young Entrepreneur Society Philippines, Startup Nation Philippines and its sponsors Scan- Shipping, Money Match, Penbrothers, Light Network TV Channel 33, WheninManila.com and EntrepRadio.
YES Forum July: Scaling and Exciting a Startup
Another month of learning and interaction as this month YES Forum tackles about the vital stages of a startup journey as Ezra Ferraz and Jason Domantay shared stories of entrepreneurs who successfully scaled and excited a startup, to our YES members last July 19.
Ezra Ferraz is the author of the book “The Finishers “which documents stories of Filipino entrepreneurs who have been able to make start-ups successful. While Jason Domantay is the head of Video of Voyagers Innovation that focused on delivering disruptive innovations for the rapidly changing world, and he is also the CEO of Aboo one of the Top 20 finalist in Startup Summit 2016.
Ezra started his talk by sharing true to life stories of Philippine-based entrepreneurs’ success.
As Jayson took up the stage he grouped the participants into four to work on a business plan to pitch for a certain audience to test their knowledge in pitching a startup.
The forum ended with Ezra and Jason entertaining queries from the audience about their own startup experience, and guidelines which made the session more interactive. Soon after, the participants gathered for a group photo.
YES Philippines would like to thank everyone who made this event possible especially to our venue partner, PenBrothers and Media Partner EntrepRadio – the Voice of the Filipino Entrepreneurs. Catch the next YES forum on August 17! See you there!
Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/yes-forum-passion-driven-enterprises-tickets-36576545432
ResortsGuide joins YE! Community in Stockholm, Sweden
I prayed for it, but I did not expect winning YES Philippines’ Startup Summit 2016 pitch competition. It is the first time I competed for our startup ResortsGuide, and with this win, we just got our first international recognition.
Fast-forward to our prize, together with Acudeen CEO & Co-Founder Magellan Fetalino, I joined the YE! Entrepreneurship and Leadership Workshops in Stockholm, Sweden last November 28 and 29 and was also invited to the 2016 Global Inclusion Awards by The Child and Youth Finance International (CYFI).
It was an honor to be joining other young entrepreneurs from India, Kenya, Kosovo, Jordan, Uganda, Ukraine, and other countries. It was like a physical welcome to the global initiative of CYFI – the YE! Community, which aims to “connect young entrepreneurs around the world and link them to various tools, resources and opportunities to support the growth of their startups.”
Growth and Leadership
Indeed, our trip to Stockholm was full of fun experiences and life-long learning. The two-day workshops were organized by McKinsey & Company, the most trusted management consulting firm, which helps grow the world’s largest companies and institutions. The themes of the workshops were Business Model, Growth Strategy, and Centered Leadership.
Through interactive and simulative group activities, we were trained to systematically make business decisions and address critical business problems. McKinsey’s structured approach to problem-solving personally equipped me with the skillset I can use not just in growing my company but also in developing myself as the center and leader of my own endeavors.One key takeaway that’s really valuable for me is the lesson on “energizing”. We learned that for us to be capable
One key takeaway that’s really valuable for me is the lesson on “energizing”. We learned that for us to be capable of effecting change in our organization, we must be able to optimize our personal productivity by balancing our personal energy levels through streamlining the activities we do on a daily basis. I realized that a person’s 24 hours in one day is actually enough to make things happen day by day.
The Global Inclusion Awards Ceremony at The Golden Hall of Stockholm City Hall on November 28, 2016, was a wonderful night of recognizing and honoring countries, institutions, civil society organizations, and individuals who have made significant impact and innovation in empowering children and youth across the world.
As the founders and leaders of our respective companies and organizations and now being part of the YE! Community and CYFI, we are one in this global movement to ultimately break the poverty cycle by promoting youth financial and economic inclusion and youth entrepreneurship worldwide.Barsh & Cranston (2009) says, “engaging is where it all comes together – when you choose to cross an invisible line from being a person to whom things happen to
Barsh & Cranston (2009) says, “engaging is where it all comes together – when you choose to cross an invisible line from being a person to whom things happen to become a person who makes things happen.”
We have crossed this invisible line when we engaged ourselves in the entrepreneurship path. When I decided to build my own startups, one of which is ResortsGuide, I knew there’s no turning back. I knew that it’s a commitment to build something far beyond my lifetime.With this, it is in my deepest thanks and appreciation to YES Philippines to have been granted the opportunity to represent our country in this global movement. YES! It is a great time to be an entrepreneur and make things happen.
With this, it is in my deepest thanks and appreciation to YES Philippines to have been granted the opportunity to represent our country in this global movement. YES! It is a great time to be an entrepreneur and make things happen.
Ariatté competes in Creative Business Cup 2016
Nitro Breweries & Beverages Inc. is a startup founded by five Ateneo de Manila University students. We are developing Ariatté Nitro Coffee to help millennial coffee drinkers have a unique and premium quality coffee experience through our key technologies of cold brewing and nitro infusion.
Last October 8, 2016, we participated in YES Philippines’s Startup Summit. Little did we expect to be chosen as the national winner that will continue on into the Creative Business Cup.
The team, L-R: Andrew Uytengsu, Alyssa Ramos, Kirsten Chua, Abigail Palma, Justin Yturzaeta
Last November 20-21, we were able to go to Denmark to represent the Philippines in the Creative Business Cup (CBC). Held at the Copenhagen Business School, the Creative Business Cup is an international competition where the most creative startups from different parts of the world can showcase their products and be awarded the title of “the world’s most creative entrepreneur.”
The competition was a great venue for us to showcase Ariatté, a nitrogen gas infused, cold brew coffee beverage that aims to help millennials appreciate Philippine coffee and get the benefits of a smoother, creamier, and premium-quality coffee.
There, we found out that ideas for creative businesses are everywhere. Standing alongside engineers, graphic designers, and programmers who have been able to develop products that can alleviate environmental problems, measure things accurately, and teach people how to play guitar, made us realize that there are endless opportunities to improve our product, branding, and business model.
Gribskov-Asia Boot Camp
As part of the sponsorship from Scan Shipping, we attended the Gribskov-Asia Boot Camp from Nov 17-18. It was a rigorous program with talks from well-established mentors, networking, and pitching sessions. There were so many lessons and insights gained from the boot camp which helped us prepare for the competition itself.
Creative Business Cup
During CBC, app developers were able to talk to investors from Silicon Valley to ask for funding, feedback, and mentorship. Some national winners who had contacts in the beverage industry shared about their country’s coffee culture and expressed their interest in trying the RTD version of our product. Joining an international competition made us realize that in order to grow our business, it is important to reach out to people from the industry. Learning how to deal with investors and fellow entrepreneurs in a professional setting is a skill that needs to be honed and developed. Events like contests and pitches can be an avenue to meet and interact with people who have more experience in the industry and are willing to connect you to potential investors and partners.
The Creative Business Cup was a good learning experience for all of us. We were immersed in a competitive environment with people who were interested in taking advantage of opportunities in their respective industries through creative business solutions. Aside from gaining publicity and contacts, we were able to get positive feedback from the jury and the audience. This experience gave us a clearer view of the business and the industry that we’re in, as well as how Ariatté can make a difference in the local industry by highlighting the taste and quality of homegrown coffee as well as raising the standards for RTD coffee. For now, our team must focus on rapid and sustainable growth and expansion. Our product, Ariatté, has a lot of potentials. We will continue to find ways to expand our distribution and join events that could be a good opportunity to showcase our brand.
Discover Nitro! Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ariattecoffee/ or email us at ariattecoffee@gmail.com to know more about our brand.
YES Forum June: Behind The Scene Of A Startup
PenBrothers, Makati City – Funbuddies founder and CEO Benj Tupas shared the behind the scene experience in building a start up in front of the YES Philippines members last June 21. Funbuddies is a mobile application where users can enjoy doing their hobbies along with like-minded people. Users can organize trips and activities and get to meet new people based on interests.
Mr. Benj Tupas started his talk with a free back massage participated by everyone to loosen up the atmosphere.
The highlight of his talk is the 6Ps in starting a startup, (1) Passion “idea”, (2) Penetration “Users”, (3) People “Team”, (4) Product, (5) Process “Innovate” and (6) Profitability “Growth”. Benj emphasized the importance of passion than profit and that users should be the center of a startup universe. He also shared that in managing a startup team, it is essential to grow vertically as an individual but grow horizontally as a team.
The forum ended with Benj entertaining queries from the audience about their own startup experience which made the session more informative. Soon after, the participants gathered for a group photo and did the official hand sign of Funbuddies, a fist bump.
YES Philippines would like to thank everyone who made this event possible especially to our venue partner, Penbrothers. Catch the next YES forum on July 19! See you there!
Managing Business Financials
The participants learned the technicalities in handling the financial side of their businesses in this month’s YES forum with Mark Ong of Taxumo.
Mark is the Co-Founder and CFO of Taxumo with ten years of public accounting experience. Taxumo is an end-to-end online tax assistance platform that helps SMEs and Startups with computing incomes and expenses as well paying taxes. As the CFO, he develops financial and tax strategies of the company and oversees the accounting and treasury activities. Having previous experience in working with the “Big 4” firms, he also advise individuals and SMEs as they navigate through their finance and tax challenges as well as identifying areas for efficiency and process improvement.
The speaker talked about proper management of business financials and dealing with government policies. He also shared the best ways on managing cash flows and keeping track expenditures. In allocating limited resources, he mentioned to keep a simple budget but focus on what is critical. On the other hand, setting a “Tax Calendar” will help business owners keep track their tax deadlines and avoid penalties.
The forum was wrapped up soon after with a group photo and final questions with the speaker.
YES Philippines would like to thank everyone who made this event possible especially to our venue partner, Penbrothers. See you at our next forum on June 21!
Acudeen CEO featured at YES Networking Forum
Acudeen CEO, Magellan Fetalino shared valuable insights to YES Members in managing their startups and businesses last April 20, at Penbrothers Makati.
Magellan Fetalino III is the Founder and CEO of Acudeen Technologies Inc., the first online peer to peer marketplace for discounted receivables in the Philippines. He handled International Business Development for the Illustrados Business Consultancy Group in Hong Kong and also used to serve as the Chairman of the Board of The Global Filipino Investors. His Startup won Seedstars Philippines 2016 and bagged first place at the Tech in Asia Tokyo 2016 as well as one of the winners of YES Philippine’s Startup Summit 2016. Just this month, Acudeen became the overall winner of Seedstars world 2017 in Switzerland.
For this month’s forum, Magellan talked about managing a Tech Startup and dealing with its stakeholders. He shared his ways on the handling of different kinds of people that keep a startup running namely Customers, Employees, and Investors. Magellan also emphasized the ones that he mentioned requires different treatments and approach. All throughout the talk, eager participants exchanged their questions and experiences which made the forum enlightening to many.
The forum was finished soon after with a group photo and further questions with the speaker. One of the thoughts he shared with everyone was, “Do not sell your features. Try to solve their [customers] problem and you can sell them anything after.”
YES Philippines would like to thank everyone who made this event possible especially to our venue partner, Penbrothers. See you at our next forum on May 18!
YES Forum April: Business Modeling Workshop
YES Members learned the best-suited business model for their startups and businesses after they attended YES Philippines’ Business Modeling workshop last April 6 at YES HQ in Pasig City.
This workshop featured Jean-Luc, a startup coach at multiple incubators and accelerators in UAE. He recently founded Innoopolis, A Digital Innovation Factory, with the ambition to help enterprises and startups to get more out of their innovation initiatives. He is also regularly featured in Innovation and Tech Magazine has been a part of multiple innovation juries and is also an active member of the UAE startup eco-system.
Jean-Luc guided the participants in choosing the right kind of business models from successful businesses in the industry.
In the latter part of the workshop, the participants worked on doing a business plan for a certain business in order to test their knowledge in modeling. YES Members presented their ideas and shared their knowledge to everyone right after. The event ended as the participants approached the speaker to ask their further questions about their business.
This event is free for YES Members only. Interested in becoming a member? You may send an email to info@yesphilippines.org. See you at our next forum on April 20!
YES Forum March: Starting a Hardware Startup
Another YES monthly networking forum was successfully conducted last March 23 at the Penbrothers, Makati City.
This forum featured Aisa Mijeno, the co-founder and CEO of Sustainable Alternative Lighting (SALt) along with her brother Raphael Mijeno, the co-founder and CFO. Their product, SALt Lamp, is an alternative lighting source that runs on salt water. SALt became the official Philippine representative by Young Entrepreneur Society (YES) to the Startup Nation Summit 2014 in Seoul, South Korea. They won the People’s Choice Award and Kotra Prize. Aisa also had a chance to sit in a panel discussion with the previous US President Barrack Obama and Jack Ma, an e-commerce billionaire for the 2015 APEC Summit.
Aisa and Raphael shared their knowledge in starting a hardware startup and discussed how to deal with its hardships, who to approach and how to survive in the industry itself. The second half of the event was allotted for the Q&A and the questions of the eager participants made the session very informative. Soon after, the forum was wrapped up with a group photo and a final thought from the Mijeno siblings,
“You cannot sustain a hardware startup if you only do it for money.”-Aisa Mijeno
“[To run a hardware startup] you must have this delusional dream and passion that doesn’t involve cash.”-Raphael Mijeno
YES Philippines would like to thank everyone who made this event possible especially to our venue partner, Penbrothers. See you at our next forum on April 6!
YES PH launches first forum for the year 2017
The Young Entrepreneurs Society Philippines is back on holding monthly forums after recently conducting its first one for this year at Penbrothers, Makati City.
The February monthly forum featured Hershey Hilado a Filipina born, Australian based Entrepreneur. Named as one of the Most Influential Millennial Entrepreneur that exists today, she has built three international businesses namely 8TASKS a high-level offshore outsourcing company base in the Philippines, CREATIVEVORTEX.COM.AU a creative and branding agency and OHMAGOSH.COM a women’s fashion e-commerce business she founded 4 years ago. She is also recently nominated as one of the Top 50 Most Innovative and Exciting e-Commerce Stores in Australia for 2016.
YES Members learned how to grow their business in today’s digital age from the inspiring insights of Hershey when it comes to allocating budget and establishing the right company culture. She encouraged the entrepreneurs to never be ashamed of sharing their story to the world as she is never afraid of voice out her own story. The forum was wrapped up with a group photo after the attendees asked questions and recommendations from the speaker.
YES Philippines would like to thank everyone who made this event possible especially to our venue partner, Penbrothers.
Join us at our next forum on March 23!
