The much-awaited Geeks On A Beach (GOAB) is all set to offer a diverse and robust program that delivers knowledge, networking, and investment opportunities as it makes waves from November 22-24, 2023, in Panglao, Bohol.
GOAB is a conference for partnerships, growth, and innovation in startups, tech, and design, unleashing opportunities to collaborate in the Philippines and beyond.
An initiative led by GeeksPH and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), GOAB underscores the event's commitment to fostering a thriving startup ecosystem in the Philippines with this year’s theme
"Igniting Innovation and Collaboration."
The main conference
kicks off on November 23 with a keynote address on the Philippine
Startup Development Program by DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy and a
deep-dive panel “From Seeds to Stars: Unveiling the 10-Year Evolution of
Philippine Startup Ecosystem.”
Notable sessions include the
Founders' Panel with the topic “Navigating the Challenges of Startup
Life” with luminaries such as Roland Ros of Kumu, ER Rollan of GrowSari,
Angeline Tham of Angkas, and Steve Sy of Great Deals E-Commerce. Franco
Varona of Foxmont Capital will present the Philippine Venture Capital
Report 2023, which delves into the burgeoning startup activities and the
role of new investors.
Varona is also part of an Investors
Panel with Paulo Campos of Kaya Founders, Mark Sng of Gentree Fund,
Martin Cu of 500 Global, Patricia Sosrodjojo of Seedstars, Ziheng Li of
Saison Capital, and Jason Ramirez of Kickstart Ventures. A Fireside
Chat on the Impact of the Innovative Startup Act (ISA) follows,
featuring Emmanuel Isaiah Zuñiga Detera of Andale Technology and Diane
Eustaquio.
In addition, Jack Madrid, President and CEO of the
IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (ITBAP) will
talk about “The Power of the 1.3M BPO Workforce in Driving Startup
Success” and will join Albert Padin of Symph.io and Colin Christie of
Analytics and AI Association in the panel on the “Impact of AI on Tech
Startups & Industry.”
Ending the morning session is
another panel on “Horizon Philippines: Charting the Course to an
IP-Based Economy to be led by Uy, Jojo Flores of Plug and Play Tech
Center, and Ricky Banaag of DFNN Group of Companies.
The
second day of the conference is set to continue the momentum with a
series of high-impact sessions and discussions starting with a keynote
on the Digital Startup Development and Acceleration Program (DSDAP) by
Atty Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, DICT Undersecretary for ICT Industry
Development.
This is followed by the launch of the
Philippine Startup Ecosystem Report: Founder’s Edition by Jason Gaisano
of Gobi-Core Philippines and a talk on “Startups and the Capital Market -
Going Public?” by Butch Meily of QBO Innovation Hub and IdeaSpace
Foundation, Inc.
A series of Founder Focus sessions will
shine a light on Nel Laygo and Deirdre Conde, the innovative minds
behind Peddlr and Edukasyon.ph, respectively. There will also be
sessions on the strategies for thriving in challenging conditions,
featuring Jessica de Mesa of Kindred Health Inc., and Victor Lim of
Kraver's Canteen and the role and impact of Kickstart as a venture
capital firm led by Bit Santos.
Jeremy Au of Monk’s Hill
Ventures will present the "$10M Fundraising Playbook," detailing the
strategies for securing venture capital.
Au will also
participate in a panel discussion on "Southeast Asian Startups"
comparing global startup ecosystem practices and strategies. Joining
him are Pun Jaruthassanakul of Seedstars Thailand, Sohun Bae of AVV
(Ascend Vietnam Ventures), and Dylan Keota of A2D Ventures.
Meanwhile,
Chris McCann of Race Capital and Solana will engage in a Fireside Chat
about "Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLM),"
alongside Dave Overton and Padin, providing a Silicon Valley perspective
on these cutting-edge technologies.
The talks will conclude
with a "Founder-to-Founder Chat" on "Mental Health in Startups,"
featuring Ros and Ron Baetiong of Hustleshare & Podcast Network
Asia.
The day also includes a "Lightning Pitch" session for
startups under DICT’s Startup Program, offering a platform for emerging
startups to showcase their ideas.
Beyond the keynotes and
panels, GOAB 6 features breakout sessions across various tracks,
including regional startup ecosystems, tech for global challenges, and
government initiatives. Networking opportunities abound with coffee
breaks and lunches with speakers.
This iteration of GOAB also
marks the 10th anniversary of the conference, a testament to the
sustained growth and dynamism of the Philippine startup scene. From its
humble beginnings in Boracay, GOAB has evolved into a champion of the
local startup community, celebrating the Philippines' growth and
potential.
On its 6th year, GOAB invites startups, visionary
investors, innovative business owners, and tech aficionados to be a part
of this movement.
GOAB is organized by GeeksPH and co-organized
by the Department of Information and Communication (DICT) with the
local government units of the Province of Bohol, Tagbilaran City and
Panglao Municipality as LGU partners; Plug and Play Tech Center as
Strategic Partner; Eastern Communications, GCash and Kickstart Ventures
as Key Partners; Globe, Lalamove, Grab PH, Cleaningly.AI, DOHE Global,
A2D Ventures, Converge ICT, and Ideaspace&QBO as Supporting
Partners. Contributing Partners are CoDev, AHG Lab and Alibaba Cloud;
Unisol Uniform Solutions as Innovator Apparel Partner; HelixPay, SnackPH
and Purple Cow as Registration Partners; From Here Co-Working and The
Company as GOAB Community Partners; PLDT and Dito as Connectivity
Partners; and The Bellevue Resort as Hospitality Partner. Media
Partners include Philstar Global, NewsbytesPH, Dealstreet Asia, SunStar,
The Business Manual, and Sugbo.ph.
For more information, visit https://www.geeksonabeach.com/ and follow @GeeksOnABeach on social media.