There’s no reason why the next unicorn should not come from the Philippines, a Filipino startup space declared.
The Philippines is filled with many startups and startup founders who have amazing ideas that can solve many problems and pain points in various industries, QBO Innovation Hubs Executive Director Kat Chan said during a media gathering hosted by QBO and IdeaSpace Foundation last Oct. 22 in Makati City.
“We believe in the ideas being generated by our Filipino startup community. All they need is that great push, the encouragement, and the resources to bring their initiatives to the next level. The next unicorn can come from the Philippines,” Ms. Chan added.
She also explained that the mission of both IdeaSpace and QBO Innovation Hub is to level the playing field in the global startup sector by providing local Filipino startups with the resources, mentoring, and the network that they need to be able to compete.
IdeaSpace and QBO are one of the pioneer movers in the Philippine startup sector. IdeaSpace Foundation is a nonprofit organization that runs founder-focused programs for early-stage startup sounders. QBO Innovation Hub, on the other hand, is a space for Filipino startups to come together, flourish, and help them succeed.
The executive director has expressed her optimism of the startup sector especially now that more and more people are finally understanding what startups are.
“There was a time when many people didn’t even know about startups — what they are, what they do. But now there’s even a drama series revolving around startups. Times have changed. Now people have realized that anybody can start a startup. If they have a great idea, they can tap into a supportive local community that can help them realize their dreams,” she said.
Ms. Chan added that IdeaSpace Foundation and QBO Innovation Hub’s support for startups is concretized in its yearly event, the Philippine Startup Week.
The Philippine Startup Week is considered the largest startup conference in the country. The week-long event brings together the local startup community and highlights the various sectors, entities, and homegrown high-potential startups contributing to the growing Philippine startup ecosystem.
This year’s edition, themed “Homegrown Heroes: Cultivating Future Tech Giants” was held last Nov. 14-18 at the Blue Leaf Pavilion in Taguig City.
