STARTUPS developing digital solutions that can help Filipinos cope with present-day problems can turn to Globe’s corporate venture builder, 917Ventures, for possible mentorship and funding.
Under 917Ventures, startups can enjoy up to P2.5 million in funding and up to P100 million in additional seed funding, temporary employment and compensation. It announced that its batch 3 applications will reopen in October 2021. Interested startups may visit its website https://917ventures.com/.
917Ventures is the firm behind successful digital apps like GCash, KonsultaMD, HealthNow, RUSH, AdSpark and PureGo.
Its healthtech platforms KonsultaMD and HealthNow have reported a surge in transactions. Consultations made through KonsultaMD skyrocketed by 461 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year. The HealthNow app, on the other hand, has been downloaded more than 240,000 times since its launch in August 2020.
Meanwhile, its digital wallet GCash has been helping 40 million users securely send money and pay for goods and services online and empowers many small businesses to survive and thrive through cashless solutions.
“It’s going beyond business and it is using technology to enable and sustain the different facets of the Filipino lives by providing innovative solutions to everyday problems,” said Vince Yamat, 917Ventures managing director.
Yamat said 917Ventures is leading the country’s digital transformation by being the largest venture builder that ideates, launches and accelerates new digital business ideas that have the potential to grow and scale fast.
917Ventures is a subsidiary of Ayala-led Globe Telecom.
This independent entity has a Venture Builder Program called Velocity, a three-month bootcamp that brings external talent and their ideas into the 917Ventures family to provide them the opportunity to create ventures with the growth levers and network advantage of operating within 917Ventures and Globe.
It acts like a startup factory and has teams, frameworks, infrastructures and strategies already in place, proven, tested and backed by Globe, Ayala, and other partner networks to accelerate the growth of ventures.
It is also part of Globe’s 5G Hackathon, providing mentorship to participants of the nationwide competition welcoming students and professionals to innovate and pitch their solutions to help various aspects of the Philippine economy such as education, health care, livelihood and disaster risk management. (JOB)