Conference to gather startups and investors in Cebu
A crowdfunding website will stage a one-day conference that will bring startups and investors in Cebu next week.
The annual Spark Fest on June 16 in the UP Cebu Performing Arts Hall will be the first in Cebu. It is hosted by The Spark Project.
“It’s the only conference that brings together under one roof people from the world of startups, social good, and creative capital. It’s a space for inspired learning and meaningful interaction with creative founders, thought leaders, and fellow entrepreneurs,” said Patrick “Patch” Dulay, founder and CEO of The Spark Project.
The Spark Project is a crowdfunding website and a startup community that enables local creative entrepreneurs and “change makers” to raise funds for their ventures and build a community around their work.
Through the internet and the crowd, they leverage on technology to pool money online from individuals who want to contribute to making a creator’s project happen.
“The Spark Project celebrates Filipino talent. We believe that Filipinos have what it takes to make world-class things. We aim to help aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs in the Philippines get their projects off the ground,” he said.
Dulay noted that crowdfunding has picked up in the past five years and that more people are becoming comfortable backing projects at The Spark Project.
“When they see projects getting funded and actually becoming real businesses because of crowdfunding, they become less skeptic,” he said.
“Creative entrepreneurs have great ideas but sometimes these remain just ideas because they lack access to funding and other opportunities that can help them up-skill and expand their network,” he added.
Since 2013, The Spark Project has supported over 70 projects, and raised over P6.5 million from more than 2,600 backers.