AngelHack Manila: Battle for Silicon Valley

MANILA, Philippines – Two days, more than 250 developers, 52 pitched projects and one winning group marked the first AngelHack Manila, one of the legs of the AngelHack Spring Global Challenge.

The 24-hour coding competition, held from the morning of June 8 until the evening of June 9, was organized by wireless services provider Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) and business incubator IdeaSpace Foundation, in partnership with US-based AngelHack.

Developing tech founders out of hackers

“AngelHack is the biggest hackathon in the world,” says Paul Pajo, Smart DevNet evangelist. “This year, it attracted 10,000 developers from 32 cities. It’s very different from the usual hackathon because it endeavors to turn hackers into founders, since the winning teams from each of the city legs will go on to pitch to angels in San Francisco in September. Not all hackathons are designed like that.”

AngelHack Manila is part of the international AngelHack program, which launched in San Francisco and now runs in over 30 countries.

The AngelHack program rewards winning teams with mentorship from expert angel investors. It emphasizes the need to support developers as they grow and develop as founders of tech projects and startups.

“Manila is a hotbed for developer talent,” says AngelHack founder Greg Gopman. “As we expanded across the globe, it was one of our top destinations. In the future, we believe there is enough demand to do multiple events in the Philippines.”

Going beyond code

IdeaSpace president Earl Valencia points out that “AngelHack is building a community determined to bring the best of the Philippines to the global stage in Silicon Valley.”

He adds that the notion of growing the hacker to the founder indicates, too, that technology solutions that the developers build can turn into legitimate startup businesses. These businesses eventually “turn into companies that will employ and grow the country,” he says.

This is why every project and pitch at the AngelHackathon needs to look at more than just code, but at scalability and profit-generating possibilities as well.

“A tech startup is a company utilizing technology to enhance our lives and grow at a rapid scale,” says Gopman. “Typically, any mobile app or website is a tech startup.”

Jim Ayson, senior manager for partnerships and developer relations for Smart, adds, “It is a young business being out together so it involves putting together a business organization around the product idea. That includes putting the team together — technical, business, marketing, finance, etc. — and getting investments to get the business up and running.”

At AngelHack Manila, winning team PageSnapp built a web application that allows businesses to instantly create an Android mobile app using content from their Facebook pages.

Team members Rolly Rulete, Marvin Consuegra, Mio Miguel Galang, Raymund Delfin and Jay Albano are no novices in the local tech scene.

Rulete, in particular, is a seasoned coding marathoner, being part of the team that won the Best Use of Smart APIs (app programming interface) award at an HTML5 hackathon organized in 2012 by Smart Dev Net. The winning project eventually became the mobile app for what is now known as Project NOAH, a disaster prevention and mitigation program.

Rulete also developed the Android version of the eLeksyon2103 app, the information and learning mobile app of the Commission on Elections.

Filipino developers off to Silicon Valley

Team PageSnapp won more than P2 million in prizes, including a US$5,000 travel grant to Silicon Valley. Here, AngelHack will introduce them to incubators and investors to help turn their big idea into a startup.

Besides the chance for investment, they also receive an invaluable form of mentorship — access to the best practices and expert knowledge that is not always available to fledgling Filipino developers.

They also win a US$20,000 investment from Asia Pacific Ventures, an incorporation grant from IdeaSpace, at least US$20,000 worth of services from sponsors, two Smart LTE iPad mini units and a 12-week mentorship from IdeaSpace and the Smart Developer Network (Smart DevNet).

Most excitingly, they get to pitch their project on the global stage. As one of the 32 winners of the AngelHack Spring Global Challenge, Team PageSnapp will present their startup to investors, influencers and media during the Global Demo Day in Silicon Valley this September.

Should Team PageSnapp succeed, they will be one of 10 who will have a booth at the TechCrunch Disrupt event in San Francisco, the number one startup conference in the world.

More talent in the Philippines

There were no restrictions on theme or platform at AngelHack Manila. The organizers said they were expecting solutions to Filipino problems. They were impressed by the pitches that resulted, many of which rose to the challenge of Josh Constine from TechCrunch, who was present at the event and urged the developers to solve big problems that can change the world.

One of the special awards went to Team ZanderTech’s entry, winning Google’s US$20,000 worth of Google App Engine (GAE) credits.

Pajo shares, “It addresses and solves the problem of fish dying in fishponds by automating aeration, among other things. That solution impacts Philippine-wide problems but it could be a regional or even a global problem.”

While there is much excitement over AngelHack Manila’s turnout, the organizers know that potential must be met by real support and hard work.

Gopman says that while Filipino developers are good, they need to catch up and learn the new technologies that other developers around the world are already employing.

Ayson, however, believes that Filipinos compensate by being “highly creative and willing to take extra risks.”

“We have some of the best developers in the world,” insists Valencia. “We just need to consistently expose them to global challenges like AngelHack so they can experience what it is like to compete in the global arena right here in the Philippines.

“The best in the Philippines isn’t enough, the best of the world is our goal.” – Rappler.com