Filipino-American and
"World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer" awardee Yobie Benjamin is
this year’s keynote speaker on the 5th Geeks on the Beach (GOAB)
event on August 24 and 25 in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.
In a statement released
to the media, Tina Amper of TechTalks.ph and organizer of GOAB said Benjamin
will talk about “several amazing things” during the 5th Geeks on a Beach, an
annual tech startup event in the Philippines.
The Department of
Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is GOAB co-organizer; while TechTalks.ph
members, Happy Garaje, is responsible for branding and PRworks for media and
public relations; and Sym.ph for web development.
“We hope the presence
of Benjamin will inspire local startups and MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises).
But more important, we are looking forward to having this global technology
leader to interact with industry leaders and the startup community to drive
action for the betterment of the Philippines and the world. GOAB continues to
aim for measurable impact by facilitating potential projects and business deals
not only for individual companies but also for the Philippine startup
ecosystem,” Amper said.
For starters, Amper
pointed out that this former political prisoner during the Marcos dictatorship
days raised $40 million for Avegant, the company that makes and sells the
Avegant virtual reality video headset and Skully, an intelligent motorcycle
helmet that helps you see what is happening at the back, receive and make
calls, and communicate with nearby vehicles.
Benjamin recently
raised $18.5 million for Token that provides software to banks that enables
them to issue a new payment type designed specifically for use in the digital
era.
According to Amper,
Geeks on a Beach gathers hundreds of technology entrepreneurs and professionals
along with concerned government agencies to also look at ways of leveraging
technology to help address Philippine social and environmental problems.
Amper said this former
political prisoner’s social concerns can be seen in his involvement in yet
another company that is developing the ability to perform 50 diagnostic tests
using only a drop of blood. This service, he said in a talk at Stanford
University in Silicon Valley, will soon be given for free to whole populations
in return for big data.
In Kenya, Benjamin is
involved in Wildlife Works that sells carbon credits for protecting the
rainforest and wildlife from poachers. The poachers, he said, included Al
Shabbab terrorists. In Brazil, Benjamin’s company applied the same business
model to mobilize the coastal population to protect mangrove forests.
Geeks on a Beach has
partnered with the City of Puerto Princesa in Palawan. Known for its
environmental advocacy, the city is the location of the world-famous
underground river. The Tubbataha Reef, one of the world’s biggest ecosystem, is
located some 92 nautical miles southeast of Puerto Princesa.
PLDT Innolab is
supporting GOAB 5 as co-presenter while A Space is co-producer. The sponsors
include Payoneer, Z alora, PouchNATION, Istorya.net, Synergy 88 Digital,
Uniform Solutions, and NXTLVL Academy.
The media partners are
e27, Tech in Asia, Auza.net, Innopub Media, Geeks in
Cambodia, Asian Journal
Publications, Balikbayan Magazine, Mobile Ecosystem Forum, ConnectedWomen.co
and QueenCityCebu.com, The organizational partners are the Philippine Software
Industry Association, the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines, UP
CebuINIT, Digital Commerce Association of the Philippines, Developers Connect,Science
and Technology Advisory Council - Silicon Valley, Mynimo, Teradoor, Israel
Chamber of Commerce Philippines, and the Cloud Security Alliance Philippines.
(PR)
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