The Philippine Roadmap for Digital Startups was unveiled in the recently concluded Geeks on a Beach International Conference on August 20-21, 2015 in Boracay, Philippines. The development of the roadmap was led by DOST-ICTO Program Director Mon Ibrahim with contributions from the key players from different private businesses and fund management organizations.
The startup scene in the Philippines has recently become very active with Startup Weekend events happening in key cities around the country and successful tech events like Geeks on a Beach. There are also Techtalk events that are smaller in size and mostly informal meetups of tech enthusiasts. There is also influx of venture capitalists from outside the country interested in funding startups based in the Philippines.
Accelerator programs sponsored by PLDT and Globe, among others, have successfully produced viable startups. One example of such success is SALT, an invention that uses salt and water to produce enough electricity to power a small lamp and charge mobile devices.
The conclusion of the document summarizes the goals of the roadmap:
“The focus is to produce innovative businesses that find solutions to our country’s most inherent challenges. The roadmap is a collective effort for the community by the community, which includes the government, tech startup participants, and the academe, to come up with appropriate programs for the Philippines, focusing on the country’s unique factors/features. The purpose is to provide support on all stages of development for tech startups and entrepreneurs of different backgrounds to flourish.”
