Founders of Fresh2Ket, a web and mobile platform, Queeny Jane Cabizares, Kara Rodina, and Robin Moisson, discuss final preparations for their final pitch during the Alpha Startup Bootcamp. (CDN PHOTO VANESSA LUCERO)
6 Cebu startups named among top 11 during Alpha Startup Bootcamp
An international startup accelerator cited Philippine startups for their knack for addressing social concerns in developing new solutions and selling any product.
In Asia, Indonesian startups are the “hipsters,” or those with creative and innovative ideas while the Malaysians, Singaporeans and Koreans are the “hackers,” or those adept at building platforms.
Filipino startups, on the other hand, are the “hustlers” or marketers, said Athi Selvanayagam, a venture partner at Malaysian startup accelerator 1337 Ventures, Inc.
He said the Filipino’s penchant for entertaining others through presentations of talents such as singing or dancing makes him a good marketer.
“They (Filipinos) can sell ice to an Eskimo,” Bikesh Lakhmichand, chief executive officer and founder of 1337 Ventures.
Lakhmichand also noted that Philippine startups are “unique and very different from the rest” because of their focus on social concerns.
“Philippine startups always want to help or improve. Unlike Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, which are commercially driven, the Philippines prioritizes people—friends and family— first. Commercial comes second,” he said during 1337 Ventures’ pre-accelerator bootcamp here.
The downside is that Philippine startups can be “too nice” and tend to forget to balance the social with the commercial and financial aspects of the business, he added.
The accelerator, which mentors and promotes the growth of startups, held its first Alpha Startup Bootcamp in Cebu City on November 9 to 13 in partnership with Techtalks.ph and the Department of Science and Technology – Information and Communications Technology Office (DOST-ICTO).
Monchito Ibrahim, deputy executive director for e-innovation of DOST-ITCO, said that while many startup events have been held in the past, the Alpha Bootcamp is unique.
“This one is a bit more intensive,” he said.
The five-day pre-accelerator bootcamp gathered 28 hand-picked startups from 12 cities in the Philippines. These startups went through a series of intensive workshops with 1337 Ventures mentors, focusing on product development, customer development, marketing and idea generation, as well as on the financial and regulatory aspects of running a business.
Startups Fresh2Ket, iMPoK, PageBoy, School Merch PH, TeeVee, RET.asia, FilantroPH, Namba, Paspas, PARAISO.ph and Guia clinched the top 11 spots.
Of the 11, six were Cebu-based startups, namely: Fresh2Ket, School Merch PH, TeeVee, Namba, PARAISO.ph and Guia.
The winners were PASPAS, an SMS-based delivery service for anything; Fresh2Ket, an online platform providing farmers access to the market and vice-versa; and iMPoK, a cash deposit and micro-financing platform.
They were given the chance to work with 1337 Ventures mentors and participate in the company’s accelerator program, strengthening their brand and business even further.