Harvard alumni to mentor Filipino entrepreneurs
Filipino entrepreneurs will be mentored by alumni of the Harvard Business School in a free entrepreneurship event organized by non-profit group Go Negosyo this weekend.
Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion said the Harvard alumni will mentor micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) during the 3M on Wheels entrepreneurship event at SM Megamall on Saturday, Aug. 24.
“They bring to our MSMEs the benefit of the discipline and dynamic world view that the school provides. It is a privilege to have our small entrepreneurs receive mentoring from the alumni of such a prestigious institution,” Concepcion said.
According to Concepcion, the mentors from Harvard Business School are products of the Owner/President Management Executive Education Program (OPM), which is designed to train executives to become entrepreneurial leaders with the skills to maximize their impact and take their company to the next level.
Former Ambassador Joey Antonio, board adviser to Harvard OPM Philippines Alumni Association, said the Harvard Business School alumni are eager to share with the MSMEs the lessons they have learned from running their own businesses.
“Many successful OPM graduates were once SMEs themselves, which is why many of them are excited to provide support and guidance to SMEs and startups,” he said.
Leading the Harvard mentors are chemist-turned-entrepreneur Pinky Tobiano of Progressive Laboratories, Esquire Financing’s Raj Uttamchandani, and Lloyd Laboratories’ Lloyd Balajadia.
About 30 Harvard OPM alumni are expected to mentor active and aspiring entrepreneurs during the event.
They will be joined by Go Negosyo’s mentors including restauranteur Rikki Dee, Womenbiz’s Rosemarie Rafael and Rhoda Caliwara, PR Gaz’s Siu Ping Par, RestoPH’s Eric Teng, Filipina CEO Circle’s Marife Zamora, Packworks’ Ibba Bernardo, Vivian Sarabia Opticals’ Dr. Vivian Sarabia, Nature Wellness’s Cathy Turvill, Prudential Guarantee’s Peter Coyiuto, Plato Wraps’ Kamela Seen, Luxe Beauty’s Anna Magkawas, and inspirational speaker Francis Kong.
Go Negosyo’s 3M on Wheels is an on-ground, nationwide mentoring roadshow conducted in malls nationwide.
It was started in 2018 as "Mentor Me on Wheels" and was inspired by the growing number of Filipinos turning to entrepreneurship to lift themselves out of poverty. It covers the full scope of entrepreneurship to aspiring entrepreneurs, emphasizing the three M’s – Mentorship, Money, and Market – that are essential in successful entrepreneurship.