‘Geeks on a Beach’ tech, startup meet set in Boracay

THE most promising startup communities, design, telecommunications, and gaming innovators will converge in the world’s best island of Boracay for the very first “Geeks on a Beach” event on September 26-27, 2013.

This two-day conference -- the first in the Philippines organized by TechTalks.ph who brought Startup Weekend to Cebu and Davao -- will be a techfest, featuring the world’s most-promising tech leaders who will talk about instructive and useful topics on gaming, mobile apps, and graphic design.

The gathering will be held against the soothingly beautiful backdrop that Boracay offers -- picturesque sunrise and sunset, soft white sand, and clear blue ocean, among many other natural wonders distinguishing Boracay as “the world’s best island” by Travel+Leisure.

It will also be a great opportunity for startup communities to pitch innovative ideas and create a network of partners, enroute to building new products and launching businesses that would attract investors to the Philippines.

The ‘Geeks on a Beach’ confab is very timely for startup enthusiasts as the Philippines has just been given another credit ratings upgrade, following its first investment grade from Fitch Ratings and favorable growth prognoses from various institutions.

International credit-ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) said in a statement on May 2 that it had raised the country’s credit rating to the minimum investment grade of BBB- from BB+ and assigned a “stable” outlook on the country’s new rating.

The Philippines’ improved credit ratings is an affirmation that the local economy is sound and at par with higher-rated countries.

Speakers for “Geeks on the Beach” will be Bowei Gai, founder and chief ambassador of World Startup Report; Jojo Flores, co-founder and vice president of Plug & Play; Ron Hose, founding partner of Innovation Endeavors and co-founder of Tokbox; Maria Ressa, CEO and executive editor of Rappler; and many more successful startup leaders.

Gai was recently in the Philippines for the 8^th stop of his World Startup Report tour that started on New Year’s Eve this year. Gai’s project is aimed at connecting with local entrepreneurs around the world and pooling together best business practices and knowledge.

“The Philippines has a huge pool of talents,” Gai said. “I just can’t wait to see where and how this country ends up in the next five to 10 years.”

Gai’s bullish projection is also shared by Mr. Hose, who recently moved to the Philippines from Silicon Valley to focus on emerging tech startup opportunities in Southeast Asia..

“The Philippines has been overlooked for a very long time,” Hose said. “The economy is great, the culture is great, the weather is great, and there are lots of `white space’ especially in technology.”

“White space means areas open for opportunities where no one is competing,” Hose explained.

The “Geeks on a Beach” event also features fun-filled geek games, film showing, and exhibitions for participants to enjoy.

Technological background or mastery is not a requirement for admission. One can simply attend “Geeks on a Beach” armed with interest and wicked ideas.

To register, interested parties may visit the official event website at http://www.geeksonabeach.com/ and enjoy 50 percent discount off the registration fee which is being offered until July 20 only.  The first 20 early registrants will get the chance to have a group lunch with the speakers.

For more information and details, log on to the official “Geeks on a Beach” Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/GeeksOnABeach, and follow developments on Twitter @GeeksOnABeach.

Organized by TechTalks.ph and co-presented by SMART and DOST, “Geeks on a Beach” is sponsored by SMART Bro, SMART DevNet, Ideaspace, Megaworld, Freelancer.com, Airbnb, Microsoft Philippines, Island Souvenirs, Lenovo Mobile Philippines, and MetroDeal.com,

The event is also supported by the Digital Commerce Association of the Phlippines, Brain Gain Network, and Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP), with Webgeek, e27, istorya.net, Newsdesk, Business Mirror, and SGEntrepreneurs as media partners.