The startup scene in the Philippines seems to be really gaining a lot more traction in 2012 – and three major events in the coming months will push that forward even more.
On April 27 to 29, Startup Weekend Manila heads back to the capital, followed by the first-ever Startup Weekend Cebu on May 11 to 13. In the midst of all that will be a very different event: the ON3 2012 pitching competition which styles itself as a “tech funding Olympics.”
The deadline for ON3 (pictured below) startup applications is March 20th, so entrepreneurs in the country need to rush to meet that if they want to participate. After that date, a whole bunch of regional competitions in April will lead up to the national finale in July where the grand prize is a three-month Silicon Valley immersion program that guarantees the winning company a whole lot of mentorship and the chance to meet with leading SV angels.
Startup Weekends, meanwhile, focus on building a mobile or web app during the course of the intense ‘crash course’ contest. Mentors at the brand-new Cebu event include Proudcloud CEO Jay Fajardo, Globe Telecom’s Christian Besler, and Microsoft Singapore’s Alex Goh.
Click to enlarge the ON3 2012 event poster.
In addition to all that fun, some major companies and entrepreneurs have made moves to boost the local startup ecosystem as well. Last week, tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan launched his IdeaSpace initiative, while Globe Telecom founded an incubator for tech-oriented startups in the country. Plus, when Golden Gate Ventures launched a $10 million fund for Southeast Asia earlier this year, the Philippines was one of its main focus areas.
Get more info and register/apply for the events at their respective home-pages: Startup Weekend Manila, Startup Weekend Cebu, and ON3 2012.
[Thanks to Nicole from Spelldial for alerting us to all the events!]