Government and private sector representatives are working together to hold Slingshot in Cebu. From right are: CEDFIT managing director Wilfredo Sa-a, Jr., TechTalks.ph founder Tina Amper, DTI provincial director Ma. Elena Arbon, incoming Cebu City business adviser Joel Mari Yu, and TIDE CoWorking Space founder Ravi Agarwal.
THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will bring to Cebu its Slingshot program, a platform for public dialog and partnership to accelerate the development of the startup community in the country.
Joel Mari S. Yu, incoming business and economic adviser to Cebu City Mayor-elect Tomas R. Osmeña, described Slingshot as “an appropriate government response to a phenomenon that was never given attention.”
“Until Slingshot, there has not been any institutionalized and sustained government response to assist startups.
Slingshot is a program in that direction,” Yu said in a press conference yesterday.
The 2015 Philippine Roadmap for Digital Startups defines a startup as any business idea less than five years old and registered with the financial regulatory authorities of any country.
DTI Cebu provincial director Maria Elena C. Arbon said Slingshot brings the government and startups together.
“Slingshot is a platform where we can share ideas and find a way to move forward. It’s a launch pad for our startup ecosystem development program,” Arbon said in the same press conference.
Tina Amper, founder of TechTalks.ph and Geeks on a Beach startup conference, said she was glad that DTI has recognized that new technology-based businesses need to be supported by government.
Amper has been working with government agencies to promote startups.
Wilfredo T. Sa-a, Jr., managing director of the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (CEDFIT), said this would be the third Slingshot event and the first outside Metro Manila.
“We are looking forward to this event. Definitely, this would help the local startups level up and get support from the government and others in the (innovation) ecosystem,” Sa-a said.
Scheduled for June 11 at the Cebu City Waterfront Hotel, Slingshot Cebu will be able to accommodate up to 300 participants. Those interested may log on to www. slingshotcebu.com for information on the conference.