Aspiring and active entrepreneurs will get a chance to win cash to either start and grow their businesses as non-profit Go Negosyo launches the "Digital Sign Up Now 2022", its biggest digital transformation event this year, on Monday, Oct. 24.
Organized by Go Negosyo together with the United States (US) Embassy in the Philippines, the event promises to bring together the two growth drivers in the country's economic development: micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and digital technology.
A few days before the event, Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion pointed out that digitalization has proven a "great equalizer" after many businesses and transactions went digital or online during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"The pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation of many MSMEs. They were the ones who benefited immensely from the e-wallets, the delivery apps, and social media, which allowed them to compete alongside the big players," he said.
"The coming together of these two drivers of growth will redound to so many benefits down the line," he added.
Concepcion said the "Digital Sign Up Now 2022" will teach MSMEs how to use digital technology to make their operations efficient, reduce costs, and expand their markets.
In a Facebook post, Go Negosyo said they would be giving away P500,000 worth of "puhunan pang-negosoyo" at the event, which will start at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 24, at the Mall of Asia Music Hall in Pasay City.
According to Go Negosyo, the event is designed to be a free learning platform for MSMEs where they can learn from the experiences and best practices of other entrepreneurs who have successfully transformed their businesses using digital platforms.
It will also introduce attendees to possible business collaborations with the different digital technology companies in the country and impart knowledge from professionals specializing in creative services, brand imaging, fintech, and cybersecurity.
During the event, attendees will have their pick from the eleven 30-minute sessions. They will also receive one-on-one mentorship from big-brother companies and digital experts.
Curated exhibits and activation booths will also be featured during the event, including Go Negosyo's Angat Lahat sa Digital Alliance, where MSMEs and attendees can sign up on-site.
"Lucky aspiring and active entrepreneurs in attendance will also go home with cash to start and grow their businesses," it said.
Expected to join the "Digital Sign Up Now 2022" are MSMEs, founders of digital startups, key executives from leading digital technology companies and incubators, experts in the creative industry, innovation experts, startups, and young professionals and students in the field of digital technology.
Go Negosyo noted that MSMEs account for almost all enterprises in the Philippines and generate as much as 65 percent of jobs. Moreover, the Philippines has been cited as the area with the fastest growth in digital consumers, according to the 2021 report "e-Conomy SEA" by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company.
Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and until the first half of 2021, the country recorded 12 million new digital consumers, 63 percent of whom came from the rural areas.