The nooks and crannies of Binondo are filled with small businesses run by Filipino‑Chinese people—some of which have gone on to becoming tycoons leading the country’s top companies. The Chinese, after all, are notorious for having the propensity for business and handling money.
Beyond Chinatown, though, those next in line are already walking their own paths to greatness. Here are some of the youngest Filipino‑Chinese entrepreneurs who are sparking up the business world.
Charles Justin Lim, Veer Immersive Technologies
Twenty‑year‑old Lim, who has a degree in computer science from the Ateneo de Manila University is banking on the potential of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to grow in the Philippines. In May 2016, he cofounded Reality+, a VR and AR brand that provides companies with business‑to‑consumer experience platforms. It was later on merged into another tech group, forming Veer Immersive Technologies, which develops software content focused on VR and AR for different clients.
Concurrently, he works at Microsoft Philippines, leading the company’s annual student program and promoting tech entrepreneurship and innovation to students.
“Going out of college, I was trying to imagine myself in front of a computer my whole career because that’s the usual career path for computer science graduates and I couldn’t imagine myself in that situation. That’s not the path that I want to take,” he said. “Instead I started a business because I was thinking it was the most logical thing for me to do.”
Read the full story on Veer Immersive Technologies here.
Check out what Veer does by going to their site.
Joshua Aragon, Pushkart.ph
Aragon, a manufacturing engineer and an EMBA graduate of Asian Institute of Management, is the co‑founder of online grocery service platform Pushkart.ph, which seeks to revolutionize the way Filipinos purchase goods that are usually sold in supermarkets like vegetables, canned goods, personal care products, and beverages, among others. Since its launch in 2015, the company has been recognized in different startup competitions such as YES! Startup Summit, ASEAN50 Slingshot: Startups to the RESQUE, and ASEAN Rice Bowl Startup Awards 2017.
Learn more about Pushkart.ph by going to their website.
Andrew Cua, Tralulu
Like most young Filipino‑Chinese guys, Cua hails from a family that owns shops in popular low‑key shopping malls like Divisoria and 168 Malls.
But instead of following his parents’ business ventures, 23‑year‑old Cua launched digital booking platform Tralulu in 2016. The platform offers pre‑curated trips to different destinations in Southeast Asia like a “food crawl” and a wushu class in Binondo, Manila, Agnihotra Spiritual Healing experience in Bali, Indonesia, and a visit to Koh Ksach Tonlea or “Widows Island” in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, among others.
The management engineering alumnus from the Ateneo de Manila University believes that running the platform is a way to venture in a purpose‑driven business.
“Instead of focusing on how we can optimize and make the most money in what we do, maybe the question should be ‘What is the biggest positive change that we can give to the world?’ That’s the only time you can start a business—when you know the ends and the why’s,” he said.
Read the full story on Tralulu here.
Take a trip with Tralulu by heading over to www.tralulu.com.
Wren Go, Made Nice Supper Club
Made Nice Supper Club is the brainchild of a barkada of millennials from Enderun, who all came back after years of separation to make their restaurant dreams come true. While Go isn’t a part of the kitchen staff who comes up with the delicious Asian‑meets‑American food that they ser, he is every part as important to the team as the person who manages the nitty‑gritty operations of a metropolitan Makati restaurant.
Read the full story on Made Nice Supper Club here.
Made Nice Supper Club is located at G/F Planters Products Inc. Bldg, 109 Esteban St., Legazpi Village, Makati. It is open from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends.
Dawn Uy & Kristine Almonte, The Glass House Flowers
Dawn Uy and Kristine Almonte are the savvy duo behind online flower shop The Glass House Flowers. A former employee of a marketing and events company, Uy pitched the idea of starting an online flower shop together with Almonte, her childhood best friend and registered nurse back in 2015 as a sideline business.
Eventually the business grew into a full‑time job for the duo, and things have been coming up daisies ever since. The Glass House Flowers is known for its signature crystal boxes style of boxed blooms, letting you see the Ecuadorian roses from all angles.
Read the full story on The Glass Hous Flowers here.
Get in touch with The Glass House Flowers over their facebook page.
Diane Yap & Lauren Silverio, Petalier
Diane Yap and Lauren Silverio are the powerhouses behind online flower shop Petalier. Yap was formerly employed at the Senate, and quit her job just before the 2016 elections to start an online flower shop with her long‑time neighbor, Silverio, who graduated with a degree in entrepreneurship.
Yap also took the time to study floristry in New York for their business. Petalier is known for its lavish boxed bloom arrangements, which can use up to 200 Ecuadorian roses.
Read the full story on Petalier here.
Contact Petalier through their facebook page or visit their website.
