Pinoys urged to consider "technopreneurship"

CEBU, Philippines - Helping the Philippines grow from a mere provider of great minds in software development industry to a commercial hub for world-class software solutions, the Philippine Development Foundation (PhilDev) and the Developers Connect Philippines (DevCon) urged Filipinos to consider technology entrepreneurship, rather than being employed.

Successful global technology entrepreneur, Winston Damarillo said that the country, including Cebu has a great potential to follow the success of “Silicon Valley”, if the skilled and talented technology manpower will shift from being a monthly-earner to an international giant technology company, to start off a business attracting the tremendously growing global clients.

“The talent is here, but the problem is how to convert them to companies,” said Damarillo in an interview following the launching of “Hack2Hatch” campaign in Cebu, inviting local technopreneur groups here to allow their concepts to succeed in the global landscape.

In this advocacy, Damarillo said local tech developers will receive one-on-one mentorship from the leading global entrepreneurs, learn how to present to top venture capitalists, and win seed money to fund and grow their businesses.

Damarillo, who owns several technology companies that are now providing technology solutions around the world, the Morph Labs and Exist Software Labs, said that the Philippines has to maximize its strength in software development, not just providing the multination companies’ these talents, but turning the talents into entrepreneurs.

Damarillo, together with other successful Filipino technopreneurs are up to develop the next wave of entrepreneurs in the lucrative software development sector, “we would like to convert the next generation engineers to hatch new businesses.”

He believes that the Philippines will be able to well compete with other software development hubs in the world like India, in the eCommerce applications, games, mobile applications, among others.

PhilDev and DevCon are both non-profit organizations, aimed at developing the rich pool of talented software developers, engineers in the country to start their own businesses, will help start-up technology geeks to enter into the business world, providing them the know-how and strategies how to understand and catch the global market.

One of the best strategies, which was proven to work, is to present their software products and solutions to the world and build their names in the United States, for instance, in that way technopreneurs can fight their “inferiority complex” notion, with the established multinational technology solution brands.

“We will build our own HP, Lexmark, Intel, IBM, and others,” said Damarillo expressing also his belief that the government is also doing its part in supporting the advocacy.

He said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for one, is doing a good job. However, the private sector should also complement with the government “it’s important that we should also help the government.”

“We have enough talents—this is our great advantage,” he emphasized adding that Filipino parents should also realize that great opportunities for engineers in the long term period, and they have to see the success of the Filipino (technology) engineers in business.

Damarillo a mere employee of a multinational technology company few years back, realized his potential to start his own technology “empire” starting with raising capital of US$5 million to US$15 million to start off the Morph Labs company, now the company reaps return of investments at US$100 million to US$400 million.

“The message we want to relay in Cebu is that we have all these opportunities. It is time to take advantage of it now,” Damarillo said.

“We have identified the cause of poverty, which we are addressing with education. Let’s keep moving forward and build. What we have to do is build high value products in the Philippines. Build products designed by Filipinos in the Philippines,” he concluded. (FREEMAN)