MANILA, Philippines - The search for the next big thing in Philippine IT innovation has begun as the MVP group of companies starts a series of boot camps in Metro Manila schools.
Also known as IdeaSpace, the P100-million fund aims to fuel the technology startup ecosystem in the country by leveraging the core strengths of businesses under the MVP group.
The group’s technology incubation hub jump-starts with the "Technology Technopreneurship Program,” which will be held for two successive Saturdays at the Mapua Institute of Technology, in partnership with the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Manila.
The boot camp will pool together a group of mentors from various fields of technology, including representatives from Smart, Meralco, and other successful technology start-up firms that have made their own mark in the country.
The event will culminate in a pitching competition on May 26, with potential tech startup idols will present their technology ideas and business plans to a panel of judges composed of industry experts, angel investors and venture capitalists.
Team presentations will be judged according to market need, team execution, innovation, and industry synergy, organizers said.
“A key to a vibrant and successful start-up ecosystem is the relationship with the academe," said Marthyn Cuan, CIO at Meralco and IdeaSpace founding officer. "Events like the JCI-MIT Technopreneurship Bootcamp can help spark this ecosystem down to the grassroots level in schools. This is part of our advocacy at IdeaSpace.”
Boot camps in other major universities in Metro Manila are also in the pipeline, organizers said.
IdeaSpace is a program hatched to re-create the successful Silicon Valley ecosystem that has launched technology start-ups such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter into the technology giants that they are today.
Once admitted to the incubation hub, each start-up would have to undergo a structured program hosted by the Leadership Academy, “to teach them the fundamentals on how to run a successful and scalable business.”
Benefits include mentorship by executives from the MVP group of companies, access to resources including legal assistance and advice, operational control, and a clear partner route to markets served by any company in the group – whose range of business translate to millions of households, subscribers, motorists and others.
MVP group partners for the program include Metro Pacific Investments Corp., MPIC Hospital Group, PLDT, Meralco, Smart, Digitel, SPi Global, ePLDT, Indofood, Philex Mining, Maynilad, MediaQuest, and TV5.
source: interaksyon.com
