No shutting him down

"Shutting down" is a term Joey Gurango is very much familiar with. Not only is the term commonly used in the industry where he has established a reputable image, it also gave his breakthrough success an inspirational shade.

Gurango, the CEO of Webworks OS, a Washington-based company that provides software engineering services on the Microsoft development platform, had a flaccid start during his first attempt to venture into technology entrepreneurship. Having dropped out of college in 1984, he sought other avenues to apply his skills in software development, hence his engagement with Apple Computer.

This effort — supposedly a definitive one — ended in bankruptcy.

But Gurango kept his hopes high, believing that, as in technology, trials and failures come before the upgrades.

Three years later, he restarted a booted-out career and co-founded a company that would be part of software giant Microsoft, the Match Data Systems (MDS). He grew the company’s operations until 1999, when MDS merged with Great Plains Software, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2001.

MDS developed a program called Project Series, which became the project accounting solution for the Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) Great Plains Edition of financial management products.  Not too long, Gurango went all-systems go as he was named regional director for product and services for MBS.

A retired executive of Microsoft since 2003, he has founded Gurango Software, the first Manila-based global software distributor for industry-specific business applications and is an MBS accredited value-added reseller.

Currently, he serves as a mentor-capitalist who not only invests financial capital but knowledge capital as well. From computer complexities, he has redirected his personal goal to helping other people experience the same heights that he had reached. He is also eyeing companies that he would direct to global competitiveness.

Having a life mapped out in success, Gurango will be honored as one of the country’s 10 inspiring technopreneurs, Filipinos who have excelled and made a remarkable impact in the area of technology, in the biggest ever technology entrepreneurship expo dubbed "TechnoNegosyo." This event is organized by the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE).

Working hand in hand in spearheading the event with Myla Villanueva, co-chairperson of TechnoNegosyo and managing director of MDi, is PCE founding trustee and Presidential Consultant for Entrepreneurship Jose Concepcion III. Technonegosyo is slated on Sept. 14-15 at the World Trade Center. The expo will be open to the public from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m.