Great opportunities are ahead for the startup community as several investors from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries and its partners are set to arrive in the Philippines for the SlingShot ASEAN Summit 2017. The summit brings together entrepreneurs and innovators into one conference set on 20 October at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Manila.
Organized by the Department of Trade and Industry, SlingShot ASEAN 2017 aims to highlight the milestones of the startup community in the Philippines and across ASEAN. With the theme, “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World,” this summit will present a platform for new breed of businesses in various sectors such as information technology, agriculture, healthcare, finance, among others.
“We are encouraging the growth of startups in the country as part of the government’s efforts in boosting the economy and creating jobs for Filipinos in the country,” said DTI Undersecretary for Trade and Investments Promotion Group and ASEAN Committee on Business and Investment Promotion Chairperson Nora K. Terrado.
“Startups are able to utilize and promote new technologies that drive future economic growth, and contribute to a continue changing social environment and global economy,” added Terrado.
SlingShot ASEAN will feature plenary talks, learning hubs and pitching competitions with government representatives and industry experts including venture capitalists, angel investors, representative from the private sector and academe. ASEAN Startup Alley is also expected during the event where over 50 startups will showcase their products and services. DTI is expecting over a thousand local and international participants.
Panel discussions include topics on disruptive enterprises, regional network building, and funding opportunities for both Philippine as well as ASEAN startups.
SlingShot ASEAN is the third staging of DTI’s SlingShot Summit, with a larger audience representing 10 ASEAN member states as part of the Philippines’ official hosting of the ASEAN Summit and related meetings this year.
In 2015 and 2016, SlingShot Philippines took initiatives to form series of dialogues between public and private sector with its output as the creation of Startup Ecosystem Development Program (SEDP). These programs have been rolled out as building blocks for linkages between government and private sector initiatives in enhancing the Philippine startup ecosystem.
According to Artie Lopez, Co-founder and Startup Coach at Brainsparks, a startup incubator and one of the private sector partners of Slingshot ASEAN, “One of the problems for startups is getting potential investors to know about them. Slingshot helps with that by bringing in both foreign and local investors in one place at one time to learn more and get involved with the local startup ecosystem.”
“There’s a saying that it takes a village to raise a child, and the same goes for startups. While they can be successful alone, it would accelerate their growth to have a strong support system.” he added.
The event is open for startup owners and entrepreneurs with business innovations.