Kickstart Ventures aims to nurture technopreneurs

CEBU, Philippines - Any idea, no matter how brilliant it may be, must be shadowed with execution. Not just big talkers.

As the intense 54-hour Startup Weekend kicked off in Cebu from May 11-13, Kickstart Ventures, aimed to support and develop a dynamic community of technopreneurs in the country, serves as an incubator for funding, facilities, mentorship and market access for like-minded individuals.

One of the event’s judges, Kickstart President Minette Navarrete, said that there is a vast opportunity for doing a startup since Philippines is gifted with such a lot of creative talents.

She added that one can set up a small business through a software online or mobile, making the capital much lower.

Acknowledging the hurdles a start-up would meet such as little access to credits and running out of money, she said that mentors like Kickstart could offer a guiding hand for them to get a better shot despite the difficulty in market access.

However, she clarified that although the doors for such opportunity are open to everyone, the company would carefully select the best combination of matured and action-driven individuals with a well-thought business concept in response to the current market demands.

“The idea is a big thing. For a brilliant idea, you will have success. But the idea is half. It’s really execution. Building a real business is hard but it’s harder to grow and stay. Our interest here is not just the idea,” Navarrete stated.

Citing that the experience itself will be an eye-opener, she noted that Start-up Weekend provides the environment where someone is trying to have his own business with the right community, thus exercising the value of teamwork.

She added that the event is a good avenue where one can enhance his ability to discuss a problem objectively, share leadership, persevere through extreme difficulty and to collaborate with other people in creating a better environment for everyone to succeed.

“Start-ups are an opportunity to reshape the economic future because when you think of the economic crisis, it’s all about big companies. There has to be an activism and new wave of pioneers to go forward.

Go out into the world and do things with courage and commitment with the community. You don’t really have to go alone,” she said in an exclusive interview with The Freeman.

On the other hand, Kickstart Senior Vice President and Treasurer Dan Siazon said that people who experience failure are those who are always ahead of the game, taking into importance the ability to keep learning from failure.

In this year’s Startup Weekend, he added that the company wants to witness better intensity and dedication in starting a business, attracting potential investors for business aspirants.

He also said that putting up a business is a better alternative for Filipinos rather than choosing to work in big companies or go abroad.

Meanwhile, Sym.ph Founder Dave Overton, one of the event’s organizers, noted with the entrepreneurial spirit of Filipinos, opportunities are endless in the Philippines. — Grace Melanie I. Lacamiento

He cited that there is a spacious room for technology and innovation in emerging markets such as healthcare, banks, travel and tours, and mobile market.

“It’s a great equalizer. It actually matters on what you know and what you do,” he said.

With its motto “No Talk. All Action. Launch a Startup in 54 hours”, developers, designers, marketers, technopreneurs, and venture capitalists come together in Startup Weekend to share ideas, carve out business plans, complete prototypes, discover if their ideas can become viable bsuinesses. (FREEMAN)