JCI Mandaue supports Startup Weekend Cebu
CEBU, Philippines - With its thrust to strongly promote business development among the youth, the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Mandaue Chapter will support the 3rd Startup Weekend Cebu (SWC) for the first time and will initiate to endorse the global event to the national level.
JCI Mandaue is an organization of young entrepreneurs and business executives with the aim to create positive change in their communities. To date, the local chapter has 46 members.
It provides its members with the necessary contact, leadership and personal business growth through fora and programs that help develop their skills as entrepreneurs.
SWC, on the other hand, is intended to enhance the Cebuano startup community, develop local technical talent and promote technopreneurship.
Paul Winston Villacorta, executive vice president for external affairs of JCI Mandaue, expressed that their national office will consider their proposal to organize the same in their different chapters across the country to establish more synergy among young entrepreneurs and support the startup community in the Philippines.
“I am optimistic, given the impact of SW to the community. It is just a matter of convincing them with the value and benefits of the event. It won’t be hard since we are supporting business opportunities here and this is part of the thrust of the organization,†he said.
He added that JCI Mandaue shall submit the proposal of endorsement on the third week of September this year.
Once approved, he noted, they would be able to organize SW events four times a year.
For now, he encouraged members of the 11 local chapters of JCI in Cebu province to participate in the third leg of SWC to increase their awareness on startups and technopreneurship.
Since most of the JCI members are business-oriented people, Villacorta said that they would be able to share their ideas and experiences on how would-be entrepreneurs could develop a startup and support pitches during the event at the same time.
He also cited that event organizers of SWC could expect further support from JCI Mandaue in the years ahead.
Villacorta, who served as a mentor during the 2nd leg of SWC last year, is also a member of TechTalks.ph.
TechTalks.ph serves as the lead organizer of SWC 3 that is expected to gather 150 attendees on June 7 to 9 at the University of San Carlos Main Campus.
The three-day event is also part of the celebration of Cebu Business Month 2013 which is hosted by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
TechTalks.ph founder Tina Amper described the activity as an avenue for a “participatory, experiential learning workshop to start a businessâ€.
“SWC will serve as a platform for skilled and successful players in the business community to share their knowledge and expertise to the next generation. It will also show them how they can start a business using the Internet and other mobile technologies,†she stated during the press conference last Tuesday.
Apart from having new mentors and past winners to take active involvement in SWC 3, she said that the continued support from the government and business community could be highly observed this time.
Through the Department of Science and Technology - Information and Communications Technology Office, the public sector pledged to offer financial support for this leg.
The second leg of the global event was conducted last November 16 to 18 of last year at the Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center, following the success of the inaugural SWC on May 11 to 13, 2012 at the University of the Philippines – Visayas Cebu College. /JMD (FREEMAN)
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