The Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) – Berlin organized the 4th Philippine StartUp MeetUp (PSUMU) – PropTech Edition on 15 December 2020. This edition of the PSUMU was co-organized by the Philippine Embassy in Berlin and Investment & Capital Corporation of the Philippines (ICCP), in collaboration with DTI-FTSC, DTI-CIG, CIAP-POCB, German Accelerator, and the Philippine Institute of Architects Greater Cavite Section.
Focusing on property technology, the 4th PSUMU was an offshoot of the discussions in innovation and construction at the inaugural Philippines-Germany Joint Economic Commission Meeting and a follow-through of the 3rd PSUMU held last 15 and 24 September 2020 respectively. It also served as support to CIAP´s roadmap that seeks to digitize the country´s construction sector through technology transfer and investment matching programs.
PSUMU as the foremost Philippine startup event in the Berlin startup scene
In her opening remarks, Ambassador Ma Theresa Dizon-De Vega acknowledged the PSUMU series as the “go-to-platform in startup and innovation engagement between the Philippines and Germany” following the success of its previous editions since the first PSUMU in 2018. The Ambassador also mentioned the new feature of the 4th PSUMU, such as a sector-focused theme, investors presenting their portfolio startups, and a Philippine jury for the pitch event.
Meanwhile, DTI CIAP-POCB Asec Noel Prudente highlighted key engagements between Philippine and German construction companies, as well as provided the audience with a brief situationer on the Philippine construction industry and CIAP´s initiative in institutionalizing digitization in the sector.
Panel: Bridge Builders in the Philippine-German Startup Ecosystems
The panel featured PH and DE bridge builders, both government officials and investors: Mr. Karl Pacolor (DTI-CIG), Dr. Rainer Seider (Berlin Senate), and Mr. Claus Karthe (German Accelerator). The panelists shared on ongoing startup cooperation projects between the Philippines and Germany and discussed opportunities to escalate the collaboration between the two countries with a focus on technology startups and the larger innovation ecosystem. The panel was moderated by Mr. Miguel Encarnacion of ICCP Group.
Keynote: A Berlin-based PropTech startup working with a PH real estate developer
Mr. Boris Goldshteyn of Visoplan, discussed in his keynote, his company’s ongoing project with Filinvest Development Corporation, wherein they are piloting a BIM technology collaboration tool, which optimizes remote collaboration and has especially become more important in light of the ongoing global pandemic.
Pitch Event
Concluding the 4th PSUMU – PropTech edition, the pitch event was held featuring German PropTech investors pitching three of their favorite portfolio companies to various potential business partners in PH. The three Venture Capitalists and their portfolio companies were as follows:
Mr Florian Fisher, Styx Urban Investments
- Tulu: an in-building smart platform that provides tenants with on-demand access to appliances, grocery staples, micro-mobility devices, etc.
- Mateo: automated portfolio management platform between tenants and landlords
- Triddynamics: smart pipes to protect digital equipment
Mr. Jeremy Brown, Fundamental
- Speckle: Open-source platform for the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industry.
- 011h: Delivering turnkey new build projects that are affordable, timely, and sustainable. Digital general contractor with a prefab network.
- reInvent: Last mile B2B2C platform between the developer and retail end customer
Mr Falco Schuett, Next Big Thing
- Concr: an IoT-enabled device that provides real-time quality and progress information about concrete
- Metr: intelligent building management platform self-developed solutions for submetering and the monitoring of technical building equipment
- Kelvyn: sensor-based solution for food safety hazard management
As for the jury, this edition featured business executives from Philippine conglomerates and investor houses:
- Mr. Gregory Domingo, SM Investments Corporation and former DTI Secretary
- Mr. Rommel Leuterio, ICCP Group
- Mr. Ian Sanchez, Filinvest Fdev
The jury evaluated the funds and startups from the perspective of internationalization to Asia, in particular, market demand and product feasibility in the Philippines. Based on these criteria, the jury voted Tulu, one of the portfolio PropTech startups of Styx Urban Investments, as the best pitch, with a score of 4 out of 5. ♦
Date of Release: 17 December 2020