BGC Opens ‘Season of Passions’ with Two Festivals

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Let the festivities begin in Bonifacio Global City!

Join the BGC community as it brings you its biggest, grandest celebration – the “Season of Passions” as a way to cap off another great year. It will kick off with its annual city fiesta Passionfest, alongside the BGC Arts Center Festival’s “Champions of Passion” from November 24 to 26; followed by a slew of amazing Christmas surprises from November 29 to December 25, and an exhilarating welcome to 2018 with a New Year’s Countdown on December 31.

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Experience the four seasons in BGC’s Passionfest

Recognizing the vibrant global community, Passionfest 2017 is themed “FestivALL in Seasons,” where everyone will get to experience summer, winter, fall, and spring along the whole stretch of Bonifacio High Street.

Gear up and bask in pure, unadulterated fun at the Summer block (starts at 11th Avenue) – explore the street of lost clock, enjoy games and loads of other activities here; As the cold brings in a new spirit, find warmth as you watch soulful performances at the Winter block (9th Avenue); With everything around us changing, celebrate new shapes, new colors, and new life by learning crafts for Holiday gifting at the Fall block (7th Avenue); and like a whiff of fresh air, feel alive and join fitness playoffs, as well as taste what’s cooking by exploring new dishes and gourmet finds at the Spring block (BHS Central) from 11am to 9pm.

Also, watch out for R&B artist Quest’s free concert on Nov. 25, Saturday, 7pm at the Globe Iconic Bonifacio High Street Amphitheater and the community parade on Nov. 26, 3pm at Bonifacio High Street.

Expect surprises from Katipunan Weekend Market, Gourmand Market, Haribon Foundation, Go Pro, The Mind Museum, Bungee Bungee, National Bike Organization, Volkswagen, Locally, Mang Tomas, Nutriasia Philippine Obstacle Sports Federation, Embassy of Denmark, Smile Train, Globe, Makeup Factory, The BookStop Project, and many more.

Admission is free! Just present your passport which may be redeemed at the main activity center. 

BGC Passionfest 2017 is brought to you by Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation in partnership with Huawei and Citibank.

Feel the passion at BGC Arts Center Festival

Spark your creativity!

Happening simultaneously with the Passionfest is the BGC Arts Center Festival with the theme “Champions of Passion: Soulful Feats of Art.” Don’t miss this chance to watch an array of plays, dance, musicals, improvs, workshops, and music from various artistic productions and an Art Tour to visit this year’s newest Art BGC Murals.

Love arts and crafts? Do drop by the BGC Art Mart at the Alveo Central Plaza and support the products of many of our local artists!

BGC Arts Center is located at 26th St. corner 9th Ave. 

For more information and updates on the Season of Passions, stay tuned to BGC’s official Facebook pages at Bonifacio Global City, Bonifacio High Street, and BGC Arts Center.

Schedule of Events

BGC Passionfest [Calendar of activities attached]

November 24-26, 2017 | 11AM onwards

Bonifacio High Street and city center

BGC Arts Center Festival 

November 24-26, 2017 | 9AM onwards

BGC Arts Center 26th Street corner 9th Avenue

For tickets, visit TicketWorld or the BGC Arts Center TicketWorld Box Office.

BGC Art Mart

November 24, 2017 | 4PM-10PM; November 25-26, 2017 | 10AM-10PM

Alveo Central Plaza

Gugmang Giatay: Manila (musical)

November 28-30, 2017 | 8PM

Globe Auditorium, Maybank Performing Arts Theater

Car Guide for Filipino Travellers, Working Professionals and Immigrants in the US

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Wazzup Pilipinas!

According to wikipedia  statistics  as of 2016 there were 3.92 million Filipino-Americans in the US. That's around 1.1% of the last year U.S. population stats. Mostly in LA, San Francisco, San Diego, Hawaii, Illinois and Texas area.  Around 5.7% are Asians and then 17.8% were Hispanic and Latinos. That's more than a quarter population of Americans originally came from foreign land or race. 

Not to mention the facts that those Naturalized immigrants and US citizens. Have family and friends that visit them regularly from Philippines or in any part of the globe.  My Filipino-American sister, uncles, aunts, cousins, grandma and family members also lived there.  Although the US mainland have great transportation system. 

Still Car is consider as a necessity, even though you are just travelling for weeks or months of work or business trip. You still need to lease, buy or sell it after you travel or when your job was done. Mobility works as cars.com provides million of listing for new and used vehicles. Across all the cities and towns of those 50 states. See Redhead mom test drive, research, budget and tips for purchasing here.

It provides you on the go price drop alerts, VIN scanning capability to drive your perfect car that will suit your lifestyle. They have the list of all car brands you may buy, lease or sell. A user friendly site and app in which you can search for your perfect car. See videos of test drives and related product review content. Now if you like to sell your car they have also car calculator feature. 

So you know your car current market value and learn the selling steps. On how to find buyers real fast like booking your uber trip. same goes in buying the car that you need according to your need and budget. Also if you have company or fleet of vehicles a Black Book value provides wholesale auction value which dealer might pay for it.  

As black book data acquires its pricing from wholesale auctions nationwide. Used car prices on a weekly basis  that frequent updates to for faster market response fluctuation. So you can see your car value based on its  mileage, cost of reconditioning or any vehicle damage.  That will affect the overall value of your car.

It also shows hundred of dealers names and address. So after you shop online you around can always do a test drive or go see the condition. And ask for other dealers better offers. Finance calculator and financing interactive site section can be very helpful for you to calculate your budget loan or lease terms. Transparent credit score and interest rates based on the make, model and time frame that you going to pay or use the vehicle. 

Also cars.com stop fraud in any Car sales as buyer and seller both party protection as a trusted contest provider. Cars.com is more than just a site. But its also a one stop shop buy, sell, lease, video, repair, business, auction and anything under the sun. Beneficial for both user and car business dealers. - @jbiadog 

‘Tis the Season for a Holiday Blend and Festive Treats at FamilyMart

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The holidays are coming up, and that means we’re going to be in for all of the season’s celebratory treats. But we don’t have to wait for Christmas day to indulge in some of our favorites. Popular Japanese convenience store FamilyMart is spreading the warmth and happiness with holiday goodies you can enjoy any time of the day.

Christmas coffee has definitely become part of the most wonderful time of the year. You can enjoy a warm cup of the rich and buttery Toffee Hazelnut Latte for only P75 for 8oz and P85 for 12oz.

The taste of the toffee hazelnut flavor is also great with Santa-worthy Christmas Cookies. You can grab one of these delectable cookies for only P22. But, when you purchase a Toffee Hazelnut Latte, you can get your hands on a tasty cookie just by adding P10.

Get into the spirit of the holidays with delightful treats only for P39 like the Cinnamon Roll with Almond Caramel, the Cinnamon Roll with Chocolate, and the Christmas Chocolate Cupcakes.

FamilyMart brings you even more cheer with the Holiday Savers deals happening until November 30. Your FamilyMart Meal Savers gives you P10 off your go-to rice meals. Now you can treat yourself by getting the Bagoong Tinapa Fried Rice with Lumpiang Gulay for only P74, the Yang Chow Friend Rice with Pork Siomai for P79, or the Japanese Fried Rice with Ebi Tempura for P98. Plus, you can also get up to P7 off on the Taro Slush.

Visiting FamilyMart might even win you a special holiday gift. From now until December 31, every minimum spend of P50 on a single receipt earns you an entry to the Let it Snow! Christmas Raffle Promo 2017. Who knows, you might be one of the lucky winners who will receive the prize of a trip for 2 to Hokkaido, Japan, Seoul, Korea, or Beijing, China!

What are you waiting for? Feel the warm and joyful spirit of Christmas by heading over to FamilyMart any time and any day for a tasty Toffee Nut Latte and your favorite go-to meals at great prices.

For updates, exciting products, and awesome deals, like and follow FamilyMart Philippines on Facebook, @familymartph on Instagram, and @FamilyMartPH on Twitter. For store locations or more information on FamilyMart Philippines, log on to www.familymart.com.ph.

FamilyMart is the 2nd largest convenience store chain in the world with over 18,000 stores across Asia. In the Philippines, FamilyMart has branches in Makati, Fort Bonifacio, Quezon City, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Pasay, Alabang and Laguna.

Aruba Named as ‘Leader’ in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant and Tops All Six Use-Cases in Critical Capabilities Report

Wazzup Pilipinas!

For the first time ever, Aruba is positioned furthest overall in the ‘Leaders’ category in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Wired and Wireless LAN Access Infrastructure. Aruba is also ranked number 1 in all use-cases in the accompanying Critical Capabilities report, which scores 16 vendors on a variety of networking capabilities across six enterprise use-cases. This is the first time any vendor is leading in all the use-cases.

Gartner also notes that Aruba has scored higher than Cisco in every use-case, the first time in the four editions of this research, positioning Aruba as the top networking vendor in the world for wired and wireless LAN access. According to the report, Aruba has one of the broadest wired and wireless access layer portfolios in the market, and Gartner recommends organizations to consider it for all campus deployments globally.

This is the 12th consecutive year Aruba has been positioned as a Leader in the market, including the prior Gartner Magic Quadrant for the Wireless LAN Access Infrastructure[1].

In addition,

• Aruba’s AirWave and ClearPass remain as some of the most complete solutions in the market
• Gartner indicates that its clients report a high degree of satisfaction with Aruba’s ClearPass, which provides guest access, device profiling, posture assessment and onboarding
• Aruba’s management and service applications (Airwave, ClearPass, IMC, and Meridian) support for non-HPE devices such as ALE and Cisco, which simplifies orchestration with multi-vendor environments, has been indicated as a key strength
• The acquisition of Niara and Rasa Networks strengthens Aruba network traffic and security monitoring capabilities

DOE: All Systems Go for 13th Fuel Economy Run

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Department of Energy (DOE) in cooperation with Petron Corporation is all revved up for the 2017 DOE Fuel Economy Run to be held on November 20-21 at Clark, Pampanga.

Already on its 13th run since its inception in 2002, the Fuel Economy Run serves as a platform for the DOE as well as the consumers in determining the fuel consumption rating of different brand-new vehicles available in the market based on actual highway driving conditions.

This annual event invites participants to test the fuel efficiency of sedans, SUV’s, MPV’s and pickups of the different car manufacturing companies, brands and models.

Participating entries will be divided into two categories: those vehicles running on diesel and those running on gas. Each vehicle will have a driver, a navigator, and an auditor who makes sure that the performance and settings of the car strictly follow the activity’s guidelines throughout the whole run.

This year, participants will take a route with a standard distance of 216.6 kilometers. The flag-off will start at the Petron Service Station Clark, pass through SCTEX and TPLEX Binalonan, then make a U-turn to get back to the Petron Service Station Clark.

Announcement of results will immediately follow to determine which vehicle from each category is the most fuel-efficient. Each participating vehicle’s fuel economy rating will be recorded in kilometers per liter.

The 2017 Fuel Economy Run is in line with the DOE’s “E-Power Mo” Campaign which gives consumers the power of choice in putting premium on energy efficiency when it comes to purchasing vehicles.

Over the years, the Fuel Economy Run has gained a bigger following which shows that car companies realize the positive impact fuel efficiency has on their vehicles and how consumers start to consider this as one of the main criteria in choosing their ride.

Fortinet Philippines Bags the 12th National Product Quality Excellence Award for Best IT Security Solutions Provider

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Fortinet Philippines, a global leader in high-performance cyber security solutions, was recently recognized as the Best IT Security Solutions Provider during the 12th National Product Excellence Awards held at the Crown Plaza Hotel Manila in Quezon City.

The said Awards was spearheaded by the National Council for Product and Service Quality and QAsia Magazine. It aims to recognize companies that exemplify product and service excellence, and that has won the admiration of consumers and the general public. The products and services that received the awards are conferred with the Seal of Product Quality or Seal of Quality Service, a symbol of having met rigorous standards set forth by the award-giving body.

This year, the National Product Excellence Awards received hundreds of nominations from across the country. Out of all the submissions, Fortinet emerged as the recipient of the Product Quality Excellence Award for the Best IT Security Solutions Provider category.

Through the years, Fortinet has demonstrated excellence in the field, especially with its vision to deliver, broad, truly integrated, high-performance security across the expanding IT infrastructure.

“As a company, we are determined to shape the future of security by empowering our customers with intelligent and seamless protection across the expanding attack surface. This award serves as an inspiration for us as we continue advocating this drive,” said Jeff Castillo, regional director for Fortinet Philippines.

Since its inception, 17 years ago, Fortinet foresaw the move of IT systems to the Internet of Things (IoT), the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) revolution, and the cloud and built a security strategy to address the unique challenges brought about by these changes.

Through its Fortinet Security Fabric architecture, the company is now one of the frontrunners in addressing the security issues faced by today’s enterprises, such as complex network ecosystems; public, private, and hybrid clouds; and parallel networks encompassing IT, OT, and IoT.

To date, Fortinet has already surpassed its competitors with its more than three million deployed devices, making it the number one network appliance vendor globally. More than 330,000 customers worldwide, including the majority of the Global Fortune 100, rely on Fortinet for protection.

Fortinet is also the industry’s most independently tested and validated security vendor. With its Fortinet FortiGuard Labs global research team, which consist of over 200 threat researchers. It monitors 50,000 threat events and resists more than 470,000 network intrusions every minute.

Photo Caption (L-R) Jeff Castillo, regional director for Fortinet Philippines, together with Jessica Jugo, inside sales representative, Fortinet Philippines and Nap Castillo, regional pre-sales consultant for Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, during the gala of the National Product Quality Excellence Awards.

DOE Highlights Energy Safety and the Transition to Smart Grid Technology

Wazzup Pilipinas!

E-SAFETY NATIN: DOE Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella delivers his Keynote Address calling for a safer energy sector and wiser energy consumers during MERALCO’s K-Ligtas Awards on 17 November 2017 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

The Department of Energy (DOE) underscored the importance of electrical safety in the workplace and the transition towards a smart grid regime by promoting the E-Safety Mo Campaign.

The DOE emphasized this during the K-Ligtas Awards of Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) held last Friday (17 November) at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City.

The DOE said it shared the same ideals of MERALCO in giving recognition to organizations and businesses that promote electrical safety in the workplace.

“The delivery of electricity is vital, but the safety of our people is more important. Giving attention to safety and the energy sector’s move towards the adoption of smart grid technologies will benefit both the industry participants and the consumers,” DOE Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella pointed out in his keynote speech.

The DOE sees K-Ligtas as a venue for industry players to showcase their best practices, especially since the government is currently formulating the policy on the performance assessment and audit of power generation, transmission and distribution systems and facilities.

“We want not only to make our energy facilities more efficient through the use of emerging technologies, but also safer for our people,” Fuentebella said

“When we talk of safety, it means both private utilities and electric cooperatives should be updated in terms of knowledge, capabilities and skills,” he added.

Fuentebella said there is also a need to tap the academe by incorporating energy safety in the curriculum, especially in engineering courses.

The energy official also underlined that new and emerging technologies should be safe to use thru higher standards, proper regulations and multi-party cooperation.

The DOE’s E-Safety Mo campaign seeks to promote safe energy practices across the whole energy sector, including educating stakeholders and consumers of their options for a safer, wiser and more intelligent utilization of energy resources.

"The DOE's E-Safety Mo campaign is part and parcel of our mission to expand knowledge and enhance capabilities in the industry as we work for all power sector participants to set higher safety standards," Fuentebella stressed.

"The DOE will continue to collaborate with both the public and private sectors to provide safe and secure energy for the public as a contribution to President Duterte’s vision of a globally competitive and inclusive economy," he said.

DLSU-MaFIA Kicks Off Global Finance Convention 2017

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Exceed your visions as the De La Salle University - Manila’s Management of Financial Institutions Association (MaFIA) gets geared for its major event of the term, Global Finance Convention (GFC) 2017.

With the theme, Exceeding Vision: The Cornerstone for Business Enthusiasts, gear up this November 25, 2017 from 12 PM to 4 PM at the Teresa Yuchengco Auditorium.

GFC will allow participants to absorb helpful information pertaining to international finance, business and economics. Its vision is to transform its participants so that they will be able to integrate their ideas about these topics from a global perspective which in turn can create a more productive and stimulating discussion on the multifaceted subject.

This convention’s missions are to delve into comprehensive lectures and discussions on international finance, business, and economics, facilitate a communicative learning expedition for today’s student leaders, and supplement knowledge to the respective delegates and motivate them to become economically and financially responsible members of society.

This event will feature:

Mr. DENNIS LAYUG, the CEO and President of East West Education Specialist Inc. as well as a Certified Financial Markets Professional (CFMP), as he talks about the current Global Business setting. 

He is an advocate of Bloomberg for Education, founding director of G. Ragazzi Inc. and president and CEO of East West Educational Specialists.

Dr. RONILO BALBIERAN, the Vice President for Operation for the Research, Education and Institutional Development (REID) Foundation.

He is currently an infrastructure and national budget consultant to DOT and DPWH under a USAID Project entitled Advancing Philippine Competitiveness (COMPETE) which aims to provide technical assistance to government and business associations in doing economic reform in the... field of infrastructure.

Mr. Ronilo also conducts macroeconomic briefing, strategic planning, forecasting, and economic trainings to several public and private institutions and associations. He teaches part-time at the University of Asia and the Pacific Strategic Business Economics Program (UA&P-SBEP). He is also part of the team of experts for the UA&P-Southeast Asia Business Studies (SEABS) Leadership Development Program.

As the founder of ARSOKOS, a company that focuses on the arts and economics combined, these are merely few of the many achievements this man has procured.

Get geared as we also feature Ms. Doreen Cooper of Salt & Light Ventures.

Cooper is an International Learning Facilitator, an Award-winning Speaker, the Star of a weekly Youtube show, and an Event and Lifestyle host.

She is the first Manila-based trainer for practical IT skills (for professional effectivity) of the world’s top management consulting firm, with a scope focusing on the Asia Pacific region. With a background in organizational communication, Cooper facilitates learning... sessions in the areas of practical communications strategy and self-leadership.

Also, she is currently the President of the Executive Toastmasters Club of Makati, a graduate of Organizational Communication at De La Salle University, and now, on a Masters Degree Program in Communications at Ateneo de Manila University.

and last but not the least, 

Mr. RANDELL TIONGSON, the current Director of the Registered Financial Planner Institute – Philippines, and one of the most respected personal finance coaches in the country today, as he lectures about Wealth Management. 

An advocate for financial education that has inspired various audiences from educational institutions, churches, and other organizations. He also motivates OFWs, conducting lectures outside the country 15 times and counting.

He regularly appears on TV as a resource person for show...s such as TV Patrol, On the Money, Umagang Kay Ganda, and many more as he guides the viewers of their financial concerns.

Finally, he is the author of best-selling finance books: No Nonsense Personal Finance, Money Manifesto, Everyday Manifesto, and Build Your Future Today where he provides several solutions to finance problems.

Gain Financial Clarity by listening from one of the 12 Most Influential People in Personal Finance as he talks about Wealth Management at the Global Finance Convention 2017.

Hundreds of external participants from several schools such as the University of Asia and the Pacific, St. Scholastica’s College, University of Sto. Tomas, Bulacan State University, Chiang Kai Shek, Dr. Filemon and many more are expected to attend the said event.

DLSU-M participants may buy their tickets for as low as Php 230 starting from November 6 until November 10, 2017 at St. Joseph Walk Bench 2 from 9 AM to 4 PM.

For more details, like us on Facebook at https://buff.ly/2A057HR and follow us on Twitter at https://buff.ly/2zZUVii

For more inquiries and ticket concerns, non-DLSU attendees may contact Mr. RJ Ruiz, one of the project heads at +639175430806 or raymond_ruiz@dlsu.edu.ph.

Ready for the First Sunset Marathon at Clark Pampanga on Dec. 9

Wazzup Pilipinas!

For the very first time, RUNRIO partners with Tourism Promotions Board Philippines (TPB) and Clark Development Corporation (CDC) for a running event that aims to promote night running in the Philippines.

At a media launch held at Burgoo Mall of Asia on November 16, 2017, representatives from RunRio and CDC announced to the media the first collaboration between the two which will be held at Clark and ongoing for 10 years starting with the first Sunset Marathon event. The two parties have not revealed their other planned activities yet but would definitely be targeting sports, running and fitness enthusiasts from both local and foreign visitors in and out of Clark, Pampanga.

With the partnership of the TPB, it is also an opportunity to introduce tourists to what Clark has to offer for tourism campaigns especially for our foreign visitors whom they are hoping would join the Sunset Marathoin.

As the name implies, this will be a run held during sunset and will culminate with an after-event party highlighted by DJs and bands to perform immediately after the run.

TPB and the CDC boasts that the upcoming Clark Sunset Marathon happening on December 9, 2017, at the Parade Grounds of Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga at 4pm, is the first of its kind ever conceptualized in the Philippines, to highlight Clark as an ideal venue for such activities since the roads are well-lit and convenient even for night activities.

The Clark Sunset Marathon is a race conceptualized and organized by RUNRIO, Inc. and was inspired by the fact that in tropical countries like the Philippines, the weather is mostly hot and humid. A night run is the perfect running event for running enthusiasts to have a more cooler and more exciting race experience.

Clark Sunset Marathon features running categories in 5KM, 10KM, 21KM and 42KM with the full marathon’s gun start happening at 5pm. The 21KM, 10KM and 5KM follow shortly at 5:15pm, 5:30pm and 5:45pm respectively.

The race event is expected to attract a total of 5,000 running enthusiasts coming from all parts of the country, as well as runners from other parts of the world. “The Clark Sunset Marathon comes at an opportune time when we are being very aggressive in promoting Clark Pampanga as one of the country’s premiere tourist hub.” Said Noemi Julian, manager, Clark Development Corporation, Tourism Promotions.

This landmark running activity is inspired by other world-famous famous running events such as the Boston Marathon, New York Marathon, Singapore Marathon, and the Tokyo Marathon, and is expected to put the country on the global map as a destination for running enthusiasts.

 

In partnership with Tourism Promotions Board Philippines and Clark Development Corporation the Clark Sunset Marathon aims to establish Clark, Pampanga as a venue of world-class running events in the Philippines. The activity also aims to establish this event as a premiere international marathon foot race in the country by securing route standard accreditation from AIMS/IAAF, the international governing body for distance races in the world.

"The development of Clark International Airport, including the construction of a P12-billion passenger terminal will not only provide running enthusiasts easy access to attend this event, but will also open new opportunities for both tourist and business groups in Clark Pampanga” added Julian.

Running coach Rio dela Cruz of RUNRIO Events, Inc. is proud of this ambitious running event that will not only promote the sport of running, but more importantly, promote the country as well and boost tourism.

“When we started conceptualizing the Clark Sunset Marathon, we wanted to have a first class running experience that targets not only local runners but also foreign running enthusiasts. We thought of a running event that can be compared to world-renowned marathons such as Boston Marathon, Singapore Marathon, New York Marathon among many others. And our goal is not just a one-time event. But to have an annual running event that will make our country one of the top running destinations” said dela Cruz.

For the inaugural year, runners can choose five categories and their cut-off times. 42K-7 hours, 21K - 4 hours, 10K – 2 hours and 5k – 1 hour.

Since Clark has an international airport, Clark Sunset Marathon is also targeting foreign runners to join the race that will culminate with the Clark Sunset Marathon Music Festival, an after party celebration at the finish line. The activity will showcase DJs that will provide the party atmosphere of the running event. “We at RUNRIO want to give a one-of-a-kind experience to all the participants. We staged this running event on a Saturday evening so that the participants will have a relax and “chill-type” of an experience. It will be a night of running and partying with DJ Ashley Rivera and DJ Tom Taus dishing out the coolest music. This will make sure that participants, their families and friends will have a good time,” said Andrew Neri, managing partner, RUNRIO Events, Inc.

Clark Sunset Marathon is made possible by Gatorade, the official sports drink, ActiveHealth, the official sports system solution, Garmin, the official timing partner and Solar Sports as the official media partner. The first running event of its kind in Clark, Pampanga is also made possible by Nizoral and Nyxsys.

For more information, visit www.runrio.com or like the official Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/runrioeventsinc/.


Photo Caption: Franco Bambico (race director) and Andrew Neri (managing partner) Runrio Events Inc., and Noemi Julian, manager of CDC-Tourism.

KKR-Backed Emerald Media Leads US$65 Million Series B in aCommerce to Drive Southeast Asia’s Retail and Ecommerce Ecosystem Forward

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The region’s leading ecommerce enabler and e-distributor will continue to build successful multi-channel retail, distribution and marketing strategies for brands such as Samsung, Unilever, Nestlé, L’Oreal, Philips and Mars.

aCommerce Co. Ltd. announced today that it has closed a US$65 million Series B funding round. The company is Southeast Asia’s leading ecommerce enabler and e-distributor in four markets that enables over 260 brand clients such as Samsung, Unilever, Nestlé, L’Oreal, Philips and Mars to sell to the world’s fastest growing consumer markets.

The newest funding round is led by Emerald Media, a pan-Asian platform established by global investment firm KKR to fund growth investment opportunities across Asia. Participants to the round also include existing backers Blue Sky, MDI Ventures and DKSH, with North Ridge Partners advising.

The US$65M investment in aCommerce will be channeled into:

Further augmenting the company’s brand centric tech platform that allows clients to “plug in” and distribute through an integrated network of Business-to-Consumer (“B2C”) (e.g. online brand stores, e-marketplaces like Lazada and Shopee) and Business-to-Business (“B2B”) channels, with real time data analytics;

Scaling strategic partnerships within the retail ecosystem in current markets: Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines; and

Enabling client expansion into new markets like Malaysia and Vietnam.

Brands going multi-channel, demanding “Business-to-All” (B2A)

Given the rapid growth of the B2C market and retail industry in ASEAN, more brands are looking to launch on multiple channels to reach new audiences such as B2B that include specialty retailers, resellers, business-to-governments (“B2G”), and business-to-corporate employees (“B2E”)

“At the beginning of the region’s adoption of online, it was enough to simply have a website,” says Paul Srivorakul, aCommerce Co-Founder and Group CEO. “Fast forward a few years later and brands are realizing in order to stay ahead of the retail game, they need to be omnipresent and data hungry to fully control all pricing and consumer touch points.”

“Customers want to reach their favorite brands at any time through any platform,” continues Paul. “Clients leverage our ecommerce expertise, data-driven approach and local footprint to effectively distribute their products to become business-to-all.”

aCommerce is the driving force behind some of the notable new B2B and B2E initiatives of global brands in ASEAN such as Samsung and L’Oreal.

“Our platform covers the entire customer journey online, from product sample distribution, collecting customer data to driving and attributing purchases across channels like the brand’s own webstore and the region’s top marketplaces,” added Paul. “Having a strong partner like KKR and Emerald Media with their years of investment experience in the region will provide capital and critical connections in content and demand generation across Southeast Asia, which we see a great deal of convergence in. We can provide our clients an even better level of transparency and accountability hard to find elsewhere.”


All eyes on Southeast Asia’s consumers

The region’s residents are moving to online shopping at an increasingly exponential pace, growing 32% year-on-year for the next 10 years according to research by Google and Temasek. The surge in online activities has caused giants such as JD.com, Amazon and Alibaba to expand their presence in Southeast Asia’s retail market.

In 2017 alone, brands such as Mars, Nestlé, and Unilever, have all established a stronger official ecommerce presence with aCommerce across the region in addition to selling through existing offline channels.

aCommerce is an important part of the ecosystem by enabling these companies to collect and own valuable consumer data, develop strategic partnerships with the region’s top marketplaces/retailers and access actionable data through its ecommerce market research arm, ecommerceIQ.

“What gives us confidence in aCommerce is the company’s highly brand centric technology platform that enables clients to simply plug in and use all operating systems, channel distribution methods and demand generation applications across the region,” said Paul Aiello, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Emerald Media. “This provides new entrants a quick way to roll out multi-channel operations in these exciting markets without building large local operations.”

“In four short years, aCommerce has established itself as a leader in Southeast Asia working with the world’s top brands,” says Rajesh Kamat, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Emerald Media. “We look forward to accelerating the expansion of the business as a key player in moving Southeast Asia’s retail ecosystem forward.”

Photo Caption: Paul Srivorakul, aCommerce Co-Founder and Group CEO