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4 PH start-ups headed to Singtel Group Future Makers Regional Programme

FOUR Philippine start-ups will train and vie for financial grants, possible regional investments, and coaching and mentoring support, as they join the 2021 Singtel Group Future Makers Regional Programme this month. The biennial event helps start-ups and enterprises cultivate their social innovation initiatives, and accelerate both business growth and social impact.
The programme is a collaboration among Singtel Group of Mobile Operators, including Advanced Info Services Plc. (Thailand), Airtel (India), Optus (Australia), Singtel (Singapore), Telkomsel (Indonesia), and Globe (Philippines). The programme was established to fulfill Singtel Group’s commitment to social innovation.
“Globe strongly believes in the Filipino talent and providing platforms for start-ups to learn and accelerate their growth will go a long way for these innovators. We continue to be an advocate of the start-up community because they are potential drivers of social and economic growth,” said Yoly G. Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainability Officer and Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications.
This year, Singtel Group Future Makers was participated in by 20 alumni impact start-ups from each local program to collaborate for potential regional expansion and collaboration supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals such as UN SDG No. 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), UN SDG No. 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and UN SDG No. 10 (Reduce Inequalities).
Through the program, these social innovators can benefit from financial, technical, and marketing assistance to scale up their projects as they present their cases alongside other emerging startups in the region. Thus, Singtel Group Future Makers provides these budding start-ups with capacity-building support, such as coaching and structured workshops. This can help not only sharpen value proposition and pitching capabilities, but also knowledge and insight sharing through mentorship.
Likewise, the start-ups will receive networking opportunities through the Singtel Group Future Makers alumni. Participants will also be encouraged to explore linkages through the Singtel Group Future Makers partner network, including potential and impact investors.
The programme will end with a Shared Value Pitch Day on 15 November where the top start-up from each region will get to pitch from a cash pool of up to S$150,000 to further their shared value collaboration proof of concept with Singtel Group partners. The pitch day will be attended by Singtel Group stakeholders, community partners and impact investors.
“We are glad to have Globe as a long-time partner since the inception of the Singtel Group Future Makers Regional Programme in 2017. We look forward to using this platform to foster regional shared value opportunities with Globe’s nominated start-ups to generate both social impact for the communities we operate in and commercial returns for the business,” said Andrew Buay, Vice President, Group Sustainability, Singtel and Optus.
For this year’s run, the Philippines is represented by EdVenture, KodeGo, BentaTV, and Inon. Before going to the regional competition, the delegation underwent a careful selection process through the Globe Future Makers (GFM) program. GFM aims to help build an ecosystem of support for local social innovators who use technology to solve the country’s most challenging social problems.
Three of the start-ups namely BentaTV, KodeGo, and EdVenture are supported by 917Ventures, Globe’s wholly-owned subsidiary, and the country’s largest corporate venture builder. From online selling, IT careers and e-learning, these start-ups intend to make lives brighter for their users.
BentaTV is a platform that seeks to make online selling easier and more convenient for online “hustlers” in managing their business. KodeGo is a “study now, pay later” coding boot camp that can build IT careers in just 12 weeks while providing companies with top-quality talents. Lastly, EdVenture is an online learning platform that offers solutions to all the school stakeholders, such as online tutoring for kids, online consultation for parents, and online job opportunities for Filipino teachers.
iNON, on the other hand, caught Globe’s attention in 2019, for its mobile app, ISDApp, then considered to have “the most potential to improve life on Earth or in the universe.” The concept bested nearly 1,400 global entries to win one of six top spots at the annual hackathon challenge of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Since GFM’s debut in 2017, 13 different start-ups, locally and internationally, have been given a chance to build their brand and contribute to social development. These unique and pioneering start-ups focused on projects dealing with learning and education, health and well-being, climate change and displacement, and e-commerce.
Globe strongly supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly UN SDG No. 9, which highlights the roles of infrastructure and innovation as crucial drivers of economic growth and development. Globe is committed to upholding the United Nations Global Compact principles and 10 UN SDGs.
To find out more about Singtel Group Future Makers Regional Programme, visit: https://virtualsgfm2021.com/
To know more about Globe’s sustainability initiatives, visit https://www.globe.com.ph/about-us/sustainability.html.
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There’s a Nanyang near you for all your Singaporean food cravings

August 4, 2023 6:30 p.m.
Missing Singapore’s famous Hainanese Chicken Rice, Laksa fishball, Cheesy Chicken Chop Noodles and Kopi?
Visit your nearest Nanyang Philippines branch.





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Globe powers up TOYCON 2023’s landmark 20th year

June 29, 2023 6:53 p.m.
As Toycon Philippines proudly commemorates its 20th year, the landmark celebration promises to be more electrifying than ever with the formidable support of leading digital lifestyle brand Globe.
For the first time, Globe is the title sponsor of the iconic pop-culture event, bringing a new level of excitement and engagement to the toy collector and creator community.
Globe has always been at the forefront of supporting diverse subcultures and passions, and this partnership is a testament to its commitment. As part of the collaboration, Globe will bring to life the rich world of its cinematic and theatrical partners, further enriching the TOYCON 2023 experience for attendees.
“Globe is thrilled to collaborate with Toycon Philippines, especially on such a milestone year,” said Mike Magpily, VP, Head of Segment Strategy and Subcultures at Globe.
“As the country’s most reliable network and top digital solutions platform with an ecosystem of various services, we’re uniquely positioned to foster the vibrancy of the toy collecting and creating community. This partnership underscores our commitment to nurturing a wide array of passions and interests while ensuring the best connectivity for all participants.”
Cholo Mallillin, Marketing Head at Toycon Philippines, said: “The collaboration with Globe will further elevate the Toycon experience. This partnership will bring more surprises and rewards to our community. We invite everyone to join us as we celebrate 20 years of Toycon in the most exciting way possible.”
TOYCON 2023 will be held at the SMX Convention Center in MOA from July 7 to 9, 2023. Attendees are in for a treat, as they have the chance to meet their beloved childhood characters, explore an expansive marketplace of unique toys and collectibles, and participate in exclusive Globe activities.
One of the highlights of the partnership is a series of exclusive perks for Globe customers. By using Globe Rewards points, customers will have the opportunity to win various ticket tiers ranging from Day Passes to VIP Passes. There will also be exclusive toy freebies for VIP pass holders, and unique Globe-only activities, such as paint-your-own Gudi.
At the event, Globe will also host an interactive booth featuring activities designed to reward and inspire. From earning freebies by donating Rewards points to a good cause, to free arcade plays and meet-ups with popular streamers, Globe customers are in for an exciting weekend of gaming and beyond.
To keep up-to-date with all the exciting promotions and surprises at TOYCON 2023, Globe customers are encouraged to use the GlobeOne app.
To learn more about Globe, visit https://www.globe.com.ph/.
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Love the long weekend break? Cybercriminals do, too

April 4, 2023 5:11 p.m.
There are 18 official public holidays in the Philippines. As we all know, when these dates fall close to a weekend or if the government pursues holiday economics, most Filipinos make plans in advance to take advantage of extended holiday breaks. This year, we can get to do that at least 12 times.
Unfortunately, cybercriminals get excited about holidays, too. To refresh everyone’s memory, the $81-million Bangladesh Bank heist back in 2016 is an example of a successful cyber attack, which happened on the first day of Lunar New Year, a national holiday in the Philippines and the rest of Asia.
“Now that the world has reopened, travel is back with a vengeance this year, hence the term ‘travel revenge’. Whether Filipinos are scheduling holiday trips or just staycation-ing during the long weekends, it’s important to observe simple digital security practices so you can get to sit back and relax as you take your well-deserved vacation. Security-first thinking opens doors for a more enjoyable holiday break, especially for Filipinos who are amongst the world’s most active online users,” comments Chris Connell, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky.
Both individuals and companies are advised to be extra mindful of personal cybersecurity best practices and internet hygiene when on a holiday.
For companies, Kaspersky suggests to:
- Conduct drills
- Stress to vacationing employees why data encryption, two-factor authentication, strong passwords, and locking devices when not in use are important.
- Discuss the steps to take if their device ends up getting stolen.
- Advise staff about charging smartphones in a wall socket, not through USBs at airports and other public places (these can be used to steal data from a device and infect it with malicious software, such as spyware.
- Educate employees about the dangers of public WIFI (and even hotel WIFI unless it is encrypted and password-protected) and how to use a secure connection such as with a VPN.
- Log out
- Terminate unnecessary VPN connections to the corporate infrastructure.
- End unnecessary sessions that employees have left on any devices for an extended period of time. This also applies to corporate messengers, web apps and any other services.
- Check that the list of employees with access to the corporate network via VPN or RDP include only authorized users. Revoke access from those who don’t need it.
- Create special “emergency” admin accounts for potential incident response over the holidays. The rights granted to regular admin accounts can even be temporarily restricted so that attackers cannot exploit them.
- Install patches for all key applications. This process is far simpler if your company uses security solutions with a built-in patch management system.
Meanwhile, Kaspersky encourages individuals to:
- Only browse trusted apps and websites and be careful about personal information you input like credit card numbers or home address.
- Do not click on links or open email attachments from travel sites when receiving confirmations. Trusted companies include such letters in the bodies of their emails. Malware is often disguised as an attached confirmation letter.
- Bring two or three or more credit or debit cards to have a backup plan in case of loss or needing to cancel one.
- Never leave valuables unattended. Put large amounts of cash and mobile devices or laptops in the hotel safe.
- Use a credit card as most have built-in protections against fraud. There is no protection against a scammer if you send them cash or even check or debit card payment in some cases. A money transfer service is not advisable.
- Ensure their devices has security software installed, ideally with anti-theft technology.