Silicon Valley firm to help RP 'technopreneurs'

MANILA, Philippines - Silicon Valley firm Plug and Play Tech Center will be helping Filipino “technopreneurs” enter the international market by holding a pitch competition during the 10th e-Services Global Sourcing Conference and Exhibition.

The contest is open to budding technopreneurs, whose business ideas deserve attention from venture capitalists looking for people who can handle the IT world. 

Jojo Flores, Plug and Play’s co-founder and VP for operations, said the goal is to “bridge the top Filipino technopreneurs to Silicon Valley.”

“We also felt that (enabling the success of) international Filipino-owned companies complements the country’s objectives of building and strengthening its BPO and IT industries,” Flores explained.

The competition will be held Feb. 9 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. Major sponsors include Globe Telecom and the Philippine Emerging Startups Open (PESO).

“At Plug and Play, I want to build the name and reputation of the Philippines, not only as an excellent service provider, but also an excellent inventor, entrepreneur, and technologist. And the only way to do this is to bring the best to the best in the world,” added Flores.

Since 2006, entrepreneurship-centered Plug and Play has served startup tech companies by providing them the resources necessary to accelerate their growth: from office space, data and telecommunications services, networking events, recruiting services, and perhaps most importantly, a network of fellow startups and potential investors. To date, the center has been able to build a community of more than 300 tech startups, more than 70 angel and venture capital (VC) investors, and has raised an excess of $500-million in venture funding.

Through an “elevator” pitching competition, the “Startups Take a Pitch” track allots the best of the country’s tech contenders a maximum of four minutes each to pitch a business proposition or idea to a panel of judges, from which three winners will be chosen from a shortlisted 30. Included in the panel would be Filipino venture capital firms, Silicon Valley-based Filipino technopreneurs, a representative from major sponsor Globe, as well as two representatives from Plug and Play itself.

By launching through e-Services, the competition serves to improve the image the Philippines has long been known for.

e-Services partner agencies include the Board of Investments (BOI), the Foreign Trade Service Corps (FTSC), the Regional Operations and Development Group (RODG), and the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT).