4th Geeks on a Beach slated on August 25-26

Geeks on a Beach (GOAB), the international tech and startup convention will have its fourth run in Panglao, Bohol, Philippines this August 25-26, 2016.

“Geeks on a Beach” (GOAB) is a unique international conference featuring the cutting-edge of the tech world in a laid-back atmosphere. With the theme “Empowering startups, leading change”, GOAB4 will once more highlight communities of startups or innovation-driven enterprises based on software or apps, which have seen remarkable growth in the Philippines in the last few years. GOAB has greatly contributed in empowering Philippine startups.

“We are looking at startups taking the lead in strategically leveraging opportunities offered by a bigger regional market of ten countries with some 617 million people and a combined GDP of US $2.1 trillion opened up by the Asean integration,” said Mon ​Ibrahim​, Innovation Consultant, Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT).

Organized by TechTalks.ph and the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) and co-presented by PLDT SME Nation, Ideaspace, PLDT Innolab and SmartDevNet, the 4th annual GOAB gathering will be held at the Bellevue Resort Hotel in Panglao, Bohol, Philippines.

Some of the brightest minds in the industry from the USA, Singapore and other countries will be on hand at the 2016 GOAB. Invited to speak in the confab are Techstars Co-founder and Managing Partner David Brown, Startup Weekend Co-founder Marc Nager, Chris McCann of Greylock Partners, Crowdsourcing Week Founder and CEO Epi Ludvik Nekaj, ​500 Startups Managing Partner/Investor Khailee Ng, 500 Startups Corporate Innovation Director Arnaud Bonzom, Zalora Philippines Managing Director Constantine Robertz, PLDT SME Nation Head of Community Partnerships Francis Oliva, Ideaspace.ph Managing Director Diane Eustaquio, ​TechTalks.ph Chief Content Officer Robert Cristobal, Citrix Principal UX Designer Philip McKay, and STAC Silicon Valley President Cristina Laskowski. 

Tina Amper, founder of TechTalks.ph who has been instrumental in conceptualizing GOAB said those who are into digital technology, web design, and innovation should not miss this opportunity to learn about the latest developments in the industry and meet the key players in the tech startup world. 

“The Philippines’ remarkable work-play environment complemented by the famous Filipino hospitality and a unique cultural mix of East and West makes it the natural cultural doorway to the ​ASEAN​ for geeks and investors alike,” said Amper.

GOAB is held in partnership with Bohol Provincial Government, Tagbilaran City, HappyGaraje, Sym.ph, and PR Works. This year's official airline partner is Philippines AirAsia. Silver Sponsors are Zalora, Mynimo, Teradoor, PouchNation, A Space and Infocomm Investments, while Bronze Sponsors are Yoyo Holdings, Payoneer, Eurekloud, USAID-STRIDE, Eastern Communications, RTI International, Piktochart, Office of Senator Bam Aquino, Department of Tourism, Launchgarage, US Embassy, Microsoft and StarTechUp Inc.

Major organizational partners are Internet.org by Facebook and FbStart. GOAB organizational partners are Philippines Software Industry Association, National ICT Confederation of the Philippines, UP CebuInit.org, CedFIT.org, Game Developers Association of the Philippines, Digital Commerce Association of the Philippines, Developers Connect, STAC Silicon Valley and GoNegosyo. Media partners are Auza.Net, Tech in Asia, Geeks in Cambodia, Hubnob.tv, InnoPub Media, Mytechisland.com, Zerothreetwo.com, Jumpstart Magazine, Mobile Ecosystem Forum, Asian Journal Publications, Balikbayan Magazine, Innovation is Everywhere, e27, Newsdesk Asia, WazzupPilipinas, Escooped.com,Istorya.net, Expat Philippines, PayPerClick.ph, TopTen.ph and Our Awesome Planet.

GOAB founding sponsors are Smart, Smart Bro, Smart Devnet, Ideaspace, Mynimo.com, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, STAC Silicon Valley, Islands, Istorya.net, GT Cosmetics, Chef on Demand and Ng Khai Development Corporation. Internet.org by Facebook will be hosting the “Happy Hour” closing party on the last day of the 2-day event.

Facebook will present Internet.org in one of the GOAB special sessions on Thursday. Internet.org’s mission is to make the world more open and connected by developing a range of solutions to address connectivity barriers such as accessibility, affordability and awareness—in hopes that one day, everyone will be connected.

GOAB participants include a mix of software professionals, developers, designers, startups, tech/startup enthusiasts, business professionals, investors, the government, academe and various organizations supporting the innovation community in the Philippines.

“We are excited to have this fruitful collaboration with Internet.org by Facebook. We are happy that an initiative by a startup that has really made it big has gone out of its way to help GOAB empower other startups,” said Dave Overton, GOAB Chief Geek and Founder/CEO of Sym.ph.

For more information, to sponsor or purchase tickets, visit www.GeeksOnABeach.com; or contact Hello@GeeksOnABeach.com. Facebook: Geeks On A Beach and Twitter @GeeksOnABeach.