PH Consulate General in San Francisco Hosts Startup Meetup Panel Discussion on Innovation, Collaboration

SAN FRANCISCO 21 September 2018 – The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco hosted a panel discussion entitled “Fostering Innovative and Collaborative Culture in Companies and Organizations” at the Kalayaan Hall, Philippine Center, on 10 September 2018.

Consul General to San Francisco Henry S. Bensurto Jr. said that innovation is especially critical and relevant today, as businesses need to continuously evolve and keep up with rapid changes in demands and technology, while a culture of collaboration, both internally within organizations and with the external environment, is a necessity for companies to thrive. 

He also expressed hope that through these engagements between startups in the Philippines and those in Silicon Valley, Filipinos will be able to show the world that they can be leaders and innovators, capable of being in the forefront of the world start-up industry.

The event was organized by the Consulate General’s Philippine Trade and Investment Center, as the third of a series of events entitled “StartUp MeetUp” which provides opportunities for startups in the Philippines to connect and build networks in the industry.

Panelists included Andrew Lee, Co-Founder of StartX Med, the Medical Innovation Accelerator of Stanford University and Hospital, and the Founder and Managing Director of StartX-QB3 Labs, a joint medical science and engineering venture between Stanford’s SratX and UCSF’s QB3 programs; Mark Goldenson, who started four companies in different industries, including Breakthrough, an online therapy service; and Michael Ynion, Senior Vice President for Corporate Banking at HSBC.

Mr. Albert Lim, CEO and Founder of Xtrilogy Ventures, which helps early stage startups to grow, moderated the event, while Christina Laskowski, strategic advisor and management consultant, and President of the Science & Technology Advisory Council Silicon Valley, provided the wrap-up.

The event generated lively discussions on management styles to make companies successful, the need to balance the need for creativity and management control, dealing with both success and failure, and how the Philippines can position itself vis-à-vis Silicon Valley, among others.

The StartUp MeetUps are part of the overarching Spark*Connect*Empower movement, which hopes to “spark” interest in the startup ecosystem in the Philippines among Filipino Americans, “connect” individuals and organizations in Silicon Valley to like-minded networks in the Philippines, and “empower” the community to help bridge the gap between the Philippines and Silicon Valley. 

Aside from Filipino-American start-up groups, businessmen, professionals, students, and members of the Filipino Community in the Bay Area, the event was also attended by a delegation from the Philippines called “ENGAGE” consisting of representatives from a broad range of companies in the start-up and innovation sectors, including David & Golyat, Final Pitch, LEENTech, Link Infinity, Magellan Solutions Outsourcing Inc., Shell Philippines Exploration, Startup Village, Systemantech Inc., TechShake, and Topworks.

The ENGAGE Delegation visited San Francisco to immerse and learn from success stories in Silicon Valley, with the goal of fostering greater collaborations. END

For more information, visit www.sanfranciscopcg.dfa.gov.ph / www.philippinessanfrancisco.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHinSF/.