Indiepreneur master classes set in key cities this month

CEBU, Philippines — A series of master classes will be held in different cities in the Philippines, in anticipation of the 3rd OCEAN (Open Collaboration with East Asian Networks) Summit in Cebu come November.

Winston Damarillo, co-chair of OCEAN18 and founder, yesterday announced that a series of master classes will be held in multiple cities throughout the Philippines.

The first stop will be at Crimson Resort and Spa in Mactan, Cebu, on July 27, 2018, followed by Iloilo in August, Davao in September, and Manila in October.

According to Damarillo, Indiepreneurs or early-stage ventures with disruptive ideas that make a difference in their community, are welcome to attend the Road to OCEAN18 master classes, especially those working in our six high-impact sectors: Creative Economy, Education, Food, Global Filipino Engagement, Healthcare, and Tourism.

"We use the term indiepreneurs to highlight that these entrepreneurs and enterprises are independent but have the potential to scale up tremendously and shake up their sectors,” added Damarillo who is also the chief executive officer (CEO) Amihan Global Strategies.

To strengthen their ventures, indiepreneurs from and around Cebu will be able to learn key business fundamentals with Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Professor Federico Macaranas; design thinking techniques with Niña Terol of Kick Fire Kitchen; and the essentials of effective pitching with Richard "D-cal" Dacalos of Upstart the Game.

"At the end of the day, participants will close the master class with a round of benchmark pitches to gauge learned concepts and acquired skills," he added.

The Road to OCEAN18 will culminate at the OCEAN18 Summit on November 9-10, where one selected venture from each of the six sectors will have a platform to share their stories and connect to key stakeholders.

"We’re looking at economic growth more holistically - there are efforts to support innovation, but they are largely isolated to tech startups. OCEAN18 aims to ignite industry, policy, and government support for these leading innovators in non-tech related sectors,” stressed Damarillo.

Started in 2014, OCEAN has welcomed hundreds of changemakers from all over the world, who set their sights on strengthening the Philippines’ innovation, technology, and creativity ecosystems. From the past two summits emerged initiatives such as the beginnings of the Start-Up Business Bill, proposed by Senator Bam Aquino, which would provide tax exemptions for early-stage ventures, as well as a series of white papers with Pampubliko, which discussed how the Philippines can harness new technologies to accelerate economic development and social progress.

OCEAN18 is a collaborative effort among the Global Shapers Communities of the Philippines, independent initiatives of the World Economic Forum; DevCon Philippines, a nonprofit aimed at promote IT Pinoy Talent; and Kaya Collaborative, a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring, educating, and mobilizing diaspora youth as partners to long-term, locally led social change in the Philippines.