Geeks On A Beach 2023: Startup founders to gather at Panglao, Bohol Philippines

Movers and shakers of the Philippine startup community, innovators and investors, and global and national leaders are set to gather for the sixth edition of the tech-famous Geeks On A Beach (GOAB) international conference on November 22 to 24 at the renowned Panglao Island in Bohol, Philippines.

Spearheaded by GeeksPH and co-organized by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), GOAB will be a bold exclamation mark to cap the 2023 Philippine Startup Week events to be held nationwide.

About 500 participants are expected to discuss at GOAB the trends and forecasts on tech, startup and design, with conversations and interactions aimed at enabling the best to ride the wave of technological advances.

DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy is expected to formally open GOAB.

“We are as excited as our alumni and the startup community in bringing GOAB back. Ten years after the first GOAB and a pandemic-induced hiatus, there are certainly a lot of new and positive developments to celebrate from the advance of digitalization, the rise of AI and more funding raised by Filipino startups,” said GOAB founding organizer Tina Amper of GeeksPH.

Apart from Amper, the other members of the GOAB founding organizing team are Dave Overton of Symph, Mark Deutsch of Happy Garaje and Doris Isubal-Mongaya of PRWorks.

Serving as GOAB advisors are Manny Ayala of Hatchd and Endeavor PH, Plug and Play Tech Center’s Jojo Flores, Shoppable’s Chris Blanquera, Stephanie Caragos of Syntactics, Embiggen Group’s Paul Pajo, and Christina Laskowski of Silicon Valley-based Science and Technology Advisory Council.

The speakers at GOAB are a veritable who’s who in the startup space locally and internationally.

With the beautiful Panglao beach as backdrop, GOAB will feature headliners admired and sought after by the tech community: DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy, Chris McCann of Race Capital, Mohan Belani of e27, Earl Valencia of Plentina, Gina Romero of Connected Women Philippines, Symph’s Albert Padin, Jason Torres of Mashup Garage and Neon Playground, Foxmont Capital Partners’ Franco Varona, Katrina Rausa Chan of IdeaSpace and QBO Innovation Hub, Jen Bilango of CoinsPH; Jay Fajardo of Medifi and LaunchGarage, Ron Baetiong of Podcast Network Asia, Haifa Carina of DEVCON Philippines, Ashley Uy of Synacy, John Naranjo of Ingenuity PH, Paulo Campos of Kaya Founders, Republiq’s Bryan Yap, Vince Loremia of Cleaningly and Tudlo,  Jayvee de Leon, Earvin Ang of Aqwire PH, Pia Bernal of Kickstart, Jack Madrid of the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines, and Leah Rasay of the Communications Design Association of the Philippines.

Plenary sessions are set to explore potential investment opportunities, while breakout sessions will touch on FinTech, EduTech, HealthTech, AgriTech, ClimateTech and other category-specific themes catering to youth and women.

GOAB will also have pitching opportunities, business coaching, matching, investors’ roundtable, and exhibits from various stakeholders. A highlight of GOAB this year would be the celebration of the impact of a new law, the Innovative Startup Act, and DICT’s programs to the Philippine startup ecosystem.

A day prior to the conference, on Nov. 22, GOAB will also hold special Masterclass sessions on “Empowering Rural Communities through AI Outsourcing”, “Maximizing Business Growth with a Cloud Services Framework” and “Global Expansion for Software Development Agencies”, as well as an exclusive dinner with investors.

As in past GOAB editions, conversations and connections are expected to happen beyond conference and breakout sessions, making the event a premiere connector event among tech investors, innovators, and enablers from the Philippines and abroad.

The exciting beach venue, the stellar roster of speakers, and the conference agenda have set GOAB apart since it was first held in 2013. Previous GOAB editions were held in Boracay, Cebu, Panglao, and Puerto Princesa.