Geeks on a Beach (GOAB) 2015 has concluded its , this time in sunny Boracay! The tech event was named Philippine’s national tech start-up conference as made official by the Department of Science and Technology-Information and Communication Technology Office (DOST-ICTO).
GOAB drew 500 delegates from all over the world, and it was a venue for the participants to connect and share knowledge with Philippine start-up players and leaders. Not only that, start-ups in the Philippines got the attention they deserved in the international field; as GOAB encouraged a more vibrant local, startup ecosystem.
One of the key highlights of the event was the Pitching Tilt Showcase where over 28 start-ups from 8 different countries such as India, Malaysia, Romania, Singapore, and the United States had the opportunity to pitch in front of the judges. However, only 5 promising start-ups were selected to deliver their pitch to a prestigious panel of judges.
Some of the judges include e27’s Co-founder and CEO, Mohan Belani as well as STAC-Silicon Valley’s President, Christina Laskowski. The contest was part of the organiser’s efforts to recognize promising tech start-ups or innovation-driven enterprises. (IDE)
The start-up that caught the eye of the judges and brought home GOAB’s Special Trophy in first place was NearCircles.net. The group developed a mobile app that connects barangay (the smallest administrative division in the Philippines, such as a ward) and subdivision neighbours. They also brought home a special Smart Life Award as well as the VentureLab Award, which awarded them cash prizes and mentoring sessions.
Aside from the contest, Deputy Executive Director Mon Ibrahim of DOST-ICTO launched the Philippines Startup Roadmap at the event. Its aim is to assist some 500 startups with an estimated cumulative valuation of $2 Billion by 2020. The Roadmap has the main goal of producing the next billion-dollar tech startup from the Philippines.
Tina Amper of Techtalks.ph, the community that organised GOAB, claims that the third year of GOAB has produced lots of positive feedback from participants about connections made and lessons learned. She said that the next steps of implementing, funding and constant collaborating would be critical to the positive impact of the Philippine economy.