Philippine Startup Week returns for 3rd year

PHSW21 aims to bring the Filipino startup ecosystem to mainstream audiences with virtual conference.

Philippine Startup Week 2021, the country’s largest startup conference, is set to hit the virtual stage on November 15-19, 2021! The week-long event, organized by DTI, DOST, DICT, QBO Innovation Hub, and various public and private organizations, is expected to draw 15,000 attendees from the country and abroad for its third run this November. 

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With the theme “Beyond Recovery: Filipino Startups Redefining Opportunity,” Philippine Startup Week 2021 (PHSW21) aims to showcase the Philippine startup ecosystem’s growth and successes; encourage greater collaboration between startups, MSMEs, enterprises, government agencies, and other stakeholders; and educate investors and foreign startups about the local startup ecosystem. 

“The widespread adoption of digital products and services and the startup growth stories over the past year have shown that there is a future for Filipino tech companies,” shared IdeaSpace and QBO Innovation Hub President Butch Meily. “The local startup ecosystem is an engine for new opportunities, from employment and entrepreneurship to talent development and internal innovation. It is critical for both public and private sectors to come together and help this ecosystem fulfill its potential.”

“We value and recognize the role of innovation as the constant game-changer during these challenging times, and our startups definitely have the potential to facilitate digital transformation for a future-ready and sustainable business environment. We would like to encourage everyone to participate in this year’s Philippine Startup Week, and to engage the brightest local and international startups and the startup enablers that made it possible for them”, said Trade Undersecretary Aldaba of the Competitiveness and Innovation Group, and Chairperson of the Innovative Startups Act Steering Committee.

Interested participants can now register to join the week-long conference for free through the website, https://www.phstartupweek.com/. There will be over 70 community events, 250 speakers, and more than 150 homegrown startups that will be featured during the Philippine Startup Week. 

The conference will feature panel discussions, pitch competitions, program launches, and other events under five tracks: Discover, Develop, Collaborate, Invest, and Showcase. 

The Discover track aims to inspire, create awareness, and promote startups and technopreneurship to the community, the youth, and potential startup founders or entrepreneurs to increase the pipeline of ventures in the country.

The Develop track aims to provide startups with resources, information, and expertise while developing the entrepreneurial talent pool, and build successful startups through learning sessions that accelerate growth.

The Collaborate track aims to bring together corporates, government, the academe, and other ecosystem stakeholders through awareness and education initiatives. Also, it seeks to explore synergies with ecosystem stakeholders and Filipino startups.

The Invest track aims to create an avenue for startups to access capital and engage with investors and prospective partners to increase potential deal flow.

The Showcase track aims to feature high potential and fast-growing Filipino startups to showcase Filipino innovation and foster partnerships as well as boost deal flow.