Tags: Entrepreneurship, Internet, Technology Industry
By Anna Valmero
PASIG CITY, METRO MANILA – Armed with technology and creativity, more Filipinos are becoming technology entrepreneurs, or ‘technopreneurs’, as these new breed of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) mine the Internet for opportunities.
Lex Ledesma, owner of Whistlestop Restaurant and executive director of The One School, believes entrepreneurship in the country is evolving and regards the Internet as the “greatest leveler”.
“The Internet experience day in and day out gives the Filipino the world as his market. But competition is stiff that you have to get your idea implemented in the fastest way,” says Ledesma, who teaches entrepreneurship and public speaking.
Ledesma says Filipinos need to find their niche and capitalize on creativity that other Asian countries lack.
“Let us go back to what is Pinoy and marketable abroad. All these, and tapping technology to become a player in the field, will make for a successful Filipino technopreneur.”
Unlike traditional start-up businesses that require a huge capital, setting up one on the Web requires less resources. Moreover, it allows new entrants to be at the same level as global “icons”, says Martin Lichauco, managing partner at venture capital firm Global Gateway Venture Capital (G2VC).
“The gap is narrowed between the global icons of technology and start-up technopreneurs,” he says.
But to become successful in the field and to compete with bigger businesses, Lichauco says Filipinos must do away with the “cheap-labor” mentality, that “we are better because we are cheaper.”
He also points out that most start-ups are Philippine-centric rather than moving their products or services to the next level.
“We are confident that the global icons do not have the exclusivity in innovation and that is where Filipinos can take advantage of the situation since it is cheaper to start a business here. Plus we have creative and skilled people,” says Lichauco.
“Do you want to be successful in the business? Then, you cannot think and be Philippine-centric company,” he adds.
A testament to this creativity, according to Lichauco, is in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, wherein the Philippines has become a top destination for “creative” fields like animation and game development.
There are some 40 animation studios in the country employing around 4,500 full-time artists. The industry brought in an estimated $54 million in revenues, according to the Commission on Information Communications Technology (CICT).
In terms of creativity, Ibbara Bernardo, co-founder of E-motion Systems, says most Filipinos lack imagination and follow the “pan de sal” thinking, or simply following trends.
“Filipinos are entrepreneurial in life but we are not innovative; we have the hot ‘pandesal’ or Zagu mentality. Sigurista tayo because we want to keep our family fed. In terms of out-of-the-box or revolutionary thinking, we are not yet there.”
Upon seeing others who successfully sell online, Bernardo says a lot of Filipinos followed , the same way sari-sari stores have sprouted almost everywhere in the country.
“This type of thinking is not revolutionary because we need freedom to start taking risks. When we do our old way of doing business, nothing changes economically.”
To illustrate his point, Bernardo cites a dating website for HIV positive persons set up by a college student who needed to raise $100,000 to fund his college education. “We are not yet on this level of revolutionary thinking,” Bernardo says.
Meanwhile, a nurturing environment conducive for the growth of entrepreneurs in the country is needed and this is where the government could offer support for aspiring entrepreneurs, says Jay Fajardo, chief executive and founder of Proudcloud.net, which specializes in application development and IP telephony.
“While it is true that entrepreneurship is dubbed as both a lucrative and liberating path, I believe that the future of this sector in the next five to ten years will highly depend on the environment created by the government and the business sector.”
Starting up a business in the country is tedious considering the documents to be processed and submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Bureau of Internal Revenue and Department of Trade and Industry to register a business, in addition to municipal or city and barangay document permits needed to operate the business.
“There is so much red tape when starting up a business and it makes it not easy to start a company. The government should tap technology and implement their e-governance project to allow efficient transactions,” says Fajardo.
All four technopreneurs will speak at the JCI Manila (Manila Jaycees) Entrep Summit 2010, entitled “Click! Technopreneurs’ Secrets Revealed!”, on August 28. loQal.ph is a media partner in the event.
Proceeds from this event will go to various JCI Manila community development activities under the “Dare to C.A.R.E” umbrella program, which offers scholarships and conducts sports, livelihood and education programs for the youth living at the Smokey Mountain dumpsite in Manila.
“Click! Technopreneurs’ Secrets Revealed!” will be held at SM Mall of Asia, Center Stage Cinema on August 28 from 8a.m. to 6p.m. Tickets are available via Ticketnet or check out http://www.entrepsummit.com/ for details.
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