A number of leading ICT experts and tech startups from across the Philippines and the world will converge in Cebu this year for the staging of the second Geeks on a Beach (GOAB2) convention come August.
Coming off a very successful debut in Boracay in September 2013, GOAB2 will be held in the country’s fastest growing commercial and tech hub outside Metro Manila.
Cebu is not only home to flourishing startups but also boasts of rich cultural heritage and some of the world’s best beaches which is just a walk away from the GOAB2 venue at Movenpick Resort and Spa Cebu in Mactan Island, Cebu.
Sponsored by SMART DevNet and IdeaSpace, the 2014 GOAB confab on August 21-22 is organized by TechTalks.ph and the Department of Science and Technology-Information and Communications Office (DOST-ICTO) in partnership with Sym.ph, HappyGaraje, and PRWorks Vis-Min.
SMART, the country’s leading wireless service provider, and IdeaSpace, the largest privately-funded incubator in the Philippines, were both instrumental in shaping the first GOAB in Boracay.
The DOST-ICTO has made strategic interventions to support the growth of the ICT industry in the regions, including its role in last year’s auspicious inaugural staging of GOAB.
“We are very fortunate to have SMART backing us up along with the government, seasoned entrepreneurs, businesses, and partners,” said Tina Amper, the brains behind GOAB and Startup Weekend Cebu.
Through its developer community program Smart Developer Network (SMART DevNet), SMART has been actively organizing and sponsoring events catering to mobile apps developers and technopreneurs ever since it founded SMART DevNet in early 2012.
“It has been our commitment to spearhead and support events that would broaden the reach and influence of Philippine startups to more regions in the country,” said Earl Martin Valencia, IdeaSpace president.
GOAB2 promises to be a bigger and grander event as attendance is expected to surpass last year’s turnout with the confirmed arrival of more big names in the tech industry.
“The attendance of these influential people will surely generate interest among technopreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs,” said Amper. “I don’t want to be very optimistic, but we will have more people participating this year. That’s for certain.”
Amper said those who have confirmed their attendance in GOAB 2 are Bowei Gai of World Startup Report, Maria Ressa of Rappler, Jason Torres of Proudcloud, and DOST-ICTO deputy executive director Monchito Ibrahim.
Other industry leaders expected to arrive for the gathering are Khailee Ng of 500 Startups, fashion technology accelerator Richard Min, Jack Madrid of Openovate Labs, Jay Fajardo of Roofcamp, Paul Rivera of Kalibrr, Stephen Jagger of PayrollHero.com, creative director Patrick Cabral, designer and artist Camy Francisco-Cabral, Koichi Saito of IMJ Investment Partners, and John Dang and Chow Paredes of ZipMatch.
These resource people, according to Amper, will talk about the challenges and opportunities of startups, women in technology, and investing in social entrepreneurship, among many other significant issues.
Topics also included in the agenda for discussion in GOAB 2 are “Uncut: a realistic review of Philippine startups and the road ahead,” “Recognizing Standout Startups and Apps,” and “Beyond ASEAN 2015: Opportunities and Challenges for Startup Communities.”
Sponsors of GOAB2 are Kickstart Ventures, STAC-Silicon Valley, Greenworld Led Solutions, Crowdsourcing Week, Mynimo, DeVCon, GTCosmetics Manufacturing, Dranix Distributors Inc., Balamban Liempo, Kublai Khan Mongolian Restaurant, 2GO Travel – the official sea travel partner and Airbnb – the official accommodation partner of GOAB2.
Media partners of this year’s GOAB are Asian Journal Publications, Auza.net, Balikbayan Magazine, WebGeek, iNew Media.org, InnoPub Media, Istorya.net, Rappler, Third Team Media, Vigattin Radio, ZeroThreeTwo.com, Our Awesome Planet, TechinAsia, Alcordo Advertising, and tenminutes.ph.
Media Inquiries:
Doris Mongaya
+63 917 791 9545
prworks2003@gmail.com