“The return of Geeks On A Beach (GOAB), the country’s premier tech startup international conference to Cebu this year after a decade, is a testament to GOAB’s success as a catalyst for Cebu’s tech startup ecosystem,” said GOAB lead organizer Tina Amper.
In 2024, Cebu City advanced one rank to tenth place in Southeast Asia. Based on the global innovation research platform StartupBlink’s Global Startup Ecosystem Index, it maintained its position as the second leading startup ecosystem in the country.
Amper explained that Cebu’s strategic location in Central Visayas, which shaped its history as a trade entrepot, has allowed it to serve as a meeting point for startup enablers from different regions.
Central Visayas, whose core is Cebu, emerged as the “fastest-growing” economy among the 17 regions in the country, according to 2023 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The region also maintained its position as the fourth-largest contributor to the Philippine economy’s growth and the top contributor outside Luzon, with a 6.6 percent share.
From “Ceboom” to ICT hub
“The growth of Cebu’s startup scene is rooted in a tradition of entrepreneurship that dates back to the ‘Ceboom’ era of the 1980s and 1990s and the subsequent take-off of its ICT sector beginning in the 2000s,” said Jojo Flores, GOAB founding advisor, and Plug and Play Tech Center Philippines co-founder.
Cebu’s ICT industry began to take off at the onset of the 2000s decade as the national government strategy emphasized ICT-enabled services and business process outsourcing (BPO) as key economic drivers.
The rising BPO and ICT sectors leveraged a large pool of English-educated talent facilitated by numerous colleges and universities, private sector training, and government education programs.
Responding to these economic trends, the provincial government created the Cebu Provincial ICT Council in 2006 to attract ICT investments.
Establishing IT hubs like the Cebu IT Park, the first of its kind outside Manila, also marked this turn. By 2010, the Cebu IT Park became a hub for tech companies and startups, fostering collaboration and innovation.
“Bringing Geeks On A Beach (GOAB) in Cebu in 2015 for the first time helped nurture the province’s dynamic startup ecosystem, building on Cebu’s history as an ICT industry investment hub since the 2000s,” said Flores.
He said events like GOAB help boost the vibrant local startup scene, which has featured several networking events, educational workshops, mentorship programs, and collaborative projects over the years.
Challenges and potentials
Despite the Cebu tech startup ecosystem’s growing success in the past decade, it remains beset by challenges that have to be overcome to elevate Cebu’s tech ecosystem to the next level. A 2015 study, “Cebu City Tech Startup Ecosystem,” identified gaps in infrastructure, investment, and government support as essential areas to be addressed.
Fortunately, the Philippine government has increasingly recognized the value of startups, enacting laws like the Innovative Startup Act and setting up the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) to provide support and incentives.
For GOAB lead organizers Amper and Flores, the return of Geeks On A Beach to Cebu after a decade solidifies the province’s status as a rising tech hub and investment destination in Asia.
“We enjoin all interested geeks and budding entrepreneurs to join GOAB, where startups are celebrated, founders get funded, co-founders are found, geeks are hired, companies find talent, friends are discovered, partners are established, deals are secured, creativity is unlocked, connections are forged, community is strengthened, support is offered, and the inspiration is endless,” said Amper.
To join Geeks On A Beach, purchase tickets at https://geeksonabeach.com or email hello@geeksonabeach.com. Discounted tickets are available for a limited period.
You can also connect with GOAB by visiting its social media accounts: Facebook: @GeeksOnABeach X: @GeeksOnABeach; and LinkedIn: Geeks On A Beach.
