DFA, DTI, IdeaSpace Foundation, QBO Innovation Hub Conduct Information Session on Philippine Startups

Participants from DFA, DTI, IdeaSpace Foundation, and QBO Innovation Hub during the Information Session on Philippine Startups on 02 September 2022. (DFA-OIER Photo)

PASAY CITY 07 September 2022 – To spur innovation, help internationalize local businesses, and continue capacity-building on economic diplomacy, the Department of Foreign Affairs Office of International Economic Relations (DFA OIER), in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), IdeaSpace Foundation, and QBO Innovation Hub, organized an Information Session on Philippine Startups on 02 September 2022.

The Session included information on the basics about startups, lifecycle and funding, Philippine government policies to support startups and innovation, best practices in promoting startups abroad, and opportunities for the DFA to support the country’s startup ecosystem.

In her opening remarks, DTI Undersecretary Rafaelita Aldaba underscored the Philippines’ goal to make startups an engine of economic recovery, inclusive growth, and job creation, as well as the government’s strategies to develop the country’s startup ecosystem. Meanwhile, Assistant Secretary for  International Economic Relations Gina Jamoralin noted the crucial role of startups in driving innovation and digital transformation across industries, and expressed her hope for the DFA to further contribute in accelerating the Philippine startup ecosystem.

The event featured presentations from IdeaSpace Foundation and QBO Innovation Hub Head Butch Meily, Katrina Chan of QBO Innovation Hub, Carlo Delantar of Gobi- Core Philippine Fund, Karl Lyndon Pacolor and Louise Kaye Mendoza of DTI, May Niña Celynne Layug and Michael Alfred Ignacio of Philippine Trade and Investment Center Silicon Valley and Osaka, respectively, and Consul Vanessa Bago-Llona of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco.

Seventy-four (74) participants from Philippine Embassies and Consulates in the Asia-Pacific, Europe, Americas, and Middle East and Africas, and from the DFA Offices attended the event. END