IdeaSpace: Incubator in the Philippines Addressing Real World Challenges

Earl Martin Valencia, President, IdeaSpace Foundation

IdeaSpace Foundation, a multi-sector early stage startup incubator based in the Philippines, was launched in 2012 by Mr. Earl Martin Valencia with the support and backing of some of the most prominent Filipino CEOs including Manuel V. Pangilinan, Chairman of PLDT, Philippine’s largest telecommunications company.

Although 70% of their first batch of 700 applicants submitted ideas in the mobile, consumer business and digital media space, IdeaSpace decided to channel its commitments towards addressing some of the most important needs in emerging markets.  Their first batch of 10 incubatees represented ideas such as water purification systems using nanotechnology, an energy startup developing a more efficient windmill design and the development of prosthetic joints for the Asian market. In his upcoming presentation, Mr. Valencia will also share his insights on the ecosystem for startups in the Philippines and his perspective on how the entrepreneurial climate is evolving in the region.

In addition to his role of helping budding technology entrepreneurs develop groundbreaking innovations at IdeaSpace Foundation, Mr. Valencia is concurrently the Head of Corporate Development at Smart Communications, the country’s largest telecom network provider.  Prior to his move to Asia, he was a Business Incubation Manager at Cisco’s Emerging Technologies Group in Silicon Valley.  He also was also a Senior Systems Engineer at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems and had worked at billion dollar VC firms, Investor Growth Captial Menlo Park and H7Q Asia Pacific Manila.  Mr. Valencia obtained a B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering, Summa Cum Laude, from Boston University, a Masters in Systems Engineering from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.  In 2012, he was named one of the Manila 40 under 40 by DevEx and Chevron, highlighting the top 40 leaders focused on economic development across the Philippines.

Join us on Tuesday, April 29th to learn more about how the IdeaSpace Foundation is empowering Filipino entrepreneurs to tackle some of the world’s most challenging problems.  There will be a short networking reception immediately following the seminar.

This is the 4th session in the US-Asia Technology Management Center’s series of public talks on “Entrepreneurship in Asian High-Tech Industries.”  Presented by the US-Asia Technology Management Center in Stanford’s School of Engineering, with series support from SunBridge Partners and Ideaspace Foundation.

Stanford University
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
4:15PM ~ 5:30PM
Gates Building, Room B01 – Hewlett Packard Auditorium