Block Dojo Philippines to harness Filipino startups with its incubator program

The startup landscape in Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines has undergone a remarkable transformation over the years, according to The Manila Times report, emphasizing that the country offers a fertile ground for aspiring entrepreneurs.

A nation of talented and creative minds, the Philippines has continued to invite investors and entrepreneurs to capitalize on the workforce that it has to offer. In the startup space, nChain—a global leader in Web3 and blockchain solutions—announced the official launch of the Block Dojo Philippines on August 8 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Manila in Bonifacio Global City. With the launch, nChain aims to help the homegrown talents in the Philippines increase their blockchain skills to a top global level.

📣 We're at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Manila for the official launch of @Block_Dojo Philippines!

⬇️Follow this thread to get access to the launch highlights! #BlockDojoPhilippines #BlockDojo @RealCoinGeek @nChainGlobal pic.twitter.com/f2KOmUvRB8

— CoinGeek Philippines (@RealCoinGeek_PH) August 8, 2023

Block Dojo is finally in the Philippines

The Block Dojo Philippines seeks to transform the country’s local startup ecosystem with a 12-week incubator program that promises extensive training, networking, and guidance for early-stage startups and entrepreneurs as they find investors to help them bring their unique ideas to market.

“Part of what the Block Dojo does is we start identifying the problems and understand the problems that they want to solve,” James Marchant told CoinGeek on the sidelines of the launch.

The executive chairman at Block Dojo noted that the Philippines has a lot of entrepreneurs, yet there are also many problems to settle. For him, the foremost issue that startups must address is solving the daily problems that Filipinos encounter and developing different solutions around them.

Sharing his expectations with the incubator, Marchant hopes for this program to bring massive change to Filipino startups.

Block Dojo’s appetite for Asia’s talents

“The Block Dojo will help with upskilling,” says the Global Program Director of Block Dojo, Alex Ball. Speaking with CoinGeek, Ball emphasized that the incubator program would not only help entrepreneurs get their standing but also assist them with their weaknesses regarding their branding, marketing, or even blockchain if they are delving into the space.

“We try to provide necessary tools and training for [startups] to become successful entrepreneurs,” Ball said.

Prior to bringing the Block Dojo in Southeast Asia, the incubator program has been successfully helping startups accomplish their vision in London. Launching its first-ever program in Asia, Ball tells CoinGeek that he is very excited about the potential talents that would be joining them in the Philippines.

“I, for many years, am more interested in innovations that are happening in Asia compared to the West. I think that Asia is moving at a more faster pace,” Ball remarked. “We’ve done it before, and we’re sort of confident. We’re gonna do it with the homegrown talents in the Philippines, requiring Filipinos to build out the team and fostering Filipino entrepreneurs to be part of the program.”

Following the successful launch, Ball encourages any startups out there interested to be part of the program to apply now.

Expectations from the local government

Assistant Secretary to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Edwin Ligot, commended the efforts of nChain in bringing the incubator to the country.

“These guys are good,” Ligot said as he shared his experience during the London Blockchain Conference, where the Block Dojo team also presented.

Regarding supporting the startups, Ligot voiced that the government is always at their back as they shift to be the pioneers of this golden digital era.

“I encourage everyone to apply and to seize this opportunity to prove that Filipinos are more creative among Asian people,” Ligot said. “This is a big thing.”

The Block Dojo Philippines will provide training, educating, upskilling, and cross-skilling Filipino talents and produce a pioneering generation of blockchain companies and professionals in the Southeast Asian country.

The incubator program will start in January 2024 in the province of Bataan. To learn more about the Block Dojo Philippines launch, check the recap here.

Philippines has the most to gain with blockchain adoption: nChain’s Stefan Matthews