Release the Geeks!
Finally, after five years, GeeksPH is back with another Geeks On A Beach. And this year, the Geeks are enjoying the beautiful Island of Panglao, Bohol.
Geeks On A Beach is an avenue for startup founders, innovators and investors, and global and national leaders to gather and collaborate for the future of tech and design startups in the Philippines.
Pre-activities, such as masterclasses, started on November 22, 2023. Moreover, the main conference began on November 23 and ended on November 24, 2023. Technopreneurs can share, showcase, and learn from speakers and special guests during the event.
Let’s look at the exciting activities that transpired during GOAB 2023.
GOAB Day 1: DICT Secretary Keynote address, discussion panels, and more
The first day of GOAB’s conference started with quite a bang. The Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy delivered his keynote address.
“It is truly an honor to stand before you as we kick off the sixth edition of Geeks On A Beach. As we gather here, it is heartening to see that through our joint efforts, we have transformed the Philippines into a pivotal regional hub for startups and digital innovation. This is a statement of fact. Our vibrant startup ecosystem has been promisingly growing,”
Said Uy.
Moreover, different startup founders also shared insights about their businesses and the startup community.
Rolan Ros, CEO of Kumu; ER Rollan, CEO of GrowSari; and Steve Sy, Founder of Great Deals Ecommorce, shared their startup journey. For Roland, he believes that,
“sacrificing everything for the motherland is worth it in making a difference…”
Furthermore, ER Rollan shared that if you start a company, be ready for the fact that you will be the last benefactor of your endeavor. Steve Sy reminded everyone that with every challenge comes an opportunity.
“As an entrepreneur, you don’t get much sleep, but get up and think about upscaling, growing your revenue with minimal expenses. The key to startups is an efficient scale/upscaling for all founders.”
More founders and investors went onstage to give their insights and share tips for everyone present in the venue.
Participants could join in different breakout rooms as they learn about tech, startups, and even AI.
GOAB Day 2: Meeting Succesful Startup Founders
Day 2 was yet another day filled with collaboration and learning. Even more startup founders and investors went on stage to share their expertise and propose their ideas for developing the Philippine Startup Community.
We even got to chat with different Startup founders from around the world, one being the Philippines’ own Nel Laygo, CEO and Founder of Peddlr, a free POS Mobile app for small businesses.
Nel shared more about his business and how it helps small businesses track inventory and sales. Moreover, he shared how he could not keep his first startup afloat, but that did not stop him from creating another one.
“The first yes is always the hardest.”
Nel Laygo
Nel shared how his first pitch to investors about his startup lasted only 2 minutes. But that did not make him lose hope. He continued his ideas, released the app, and garnered several users.
GOAB officially wrapped up at the Bohol Cultural Center, where the Geeks, government representatives, and guests gathered around to celebrate the success of GOAB and the PH startup week.
GOAB is Here to Stay
GOAB is here, and it is absolutely here to stay. With such a successful event, GOAB will likely return next year.
The Geeks On A Beach event was the perfect hub for investors and founders to make connections, learn from each other, and showcase the vibrant PH startup community. If you want to start your startup, GOAB is a must-join event.
The Geeks On A Beach was indeed an insightful experience. Moreover, meeting different creatives and founders sparked a fire in our hearts to go for our dreams.
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