"We are here to create bridges between Israel and the Philippines. These bridges can be in our government, doing businesses, organization, and between people. Also, one important thing is the bridges of innovation," Nir Balzam, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Israel in Manila, said during the Davao-Israel Innovation Night: Davao Startups Spotlight event at the Acacia Hotel on Thursday, August 11.
According to Balzam, Davao City is one of the first cities to support innovation.
He believes the city's startup scene is promising, given to the growing number of startup creators.
Furthermore, he stated that they saw a growing potential in other parts of the country as another potential startup cluster.
According to Itamar Gero, Vice President for External Affairs at the Israel Chamber of Commerce, the collaboration between the two fields is also a method for the parties to exchange their best practices for innovation, notably in agricultural and food production.
With Israel being branded a "startup nation," Gero stated that they intend to share their country's success story and form connections with the country's innovation sector.
He also stated that this is an opportunity for the younger generation to demonstrate their entrepreneurial capabilities.
According to Miguel Carlo S. Guillermo, Project Leader of IDEAS Davao, innovation night is one of the events where prime startups in the region are recognized.
"The startup ecosystem now has grown over the years, especially with some of the startups in Davao Region now being assisted by the technology business incubators," he said.
He said the start up scene in Davao City and neighboring regions in Mindanao has been thriving discreetly.
However, he stated that due to a lack of assistance in recent years, numerous firms have struggled to flourish, while some ideas for influential ventures have developed behind closed doors.
Guillermo stated that the city administration and other relevant organizations have been addressing the gap by constructing infrastructure and establishing a conducive environment for new businesses in order to put the city on the "startup map in the Philippines and around the world."
He believes that developing a startup ecosystem is an excellent method to address existing social issues.
"This is the drive that we need from our Filipino people. We believe we can create this ecosystem [where] all of our society's pressing problems can be addressed," Guillermo said.
Ten startup groups pitched their projects to the Department of Science and Technology during the event (DOST).
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