Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Wanted: Innovative, Disruptive and Sustainable Ideas in Mobility


Wazzup Pilipinas!

Do you have a smart and entrepreneurial idea or enterprise related to mobility? Get support and the chance to win more than P1 Million in start-up prizes! Applications are now open for the “Impact Hub Fellowship on Innovation in Mobility with LBC.”

Aside from the prizes, you will also earn guidance from a community of professionals and supporting corporations through Impact Hub Manila's incubation and mentoring program. 

Impact Hub Manila, a startup incubator, and coworking and events space provider for a membership community of entrepreneurs, activists, creatives, and professionals taking action to drive positive social and environmental change, is looking for potentially world-changing ideas in the field of mobility.

In partnership with LBC, the Philippines' market leader in payments, remittance, courier products, mail, parcels and, cargo logistics, Impact Hub Manila is now accepting applicants that could offer innovative, disruptive and sustainable ideas for their very first fellowship program.

At a press conference held at the Impact Hub Manila office at the 5th floor of Green Sun on October 6, 2015, the key people from both Impact Hub Manila (LizAn Kuster and Matt Jaeggi, co-founders) and LBC (Fernando Araneta, CEO and Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer), presented the details of the fellowship program, plus a special speaker, Benjamin de la Peña, Director of the Knight Foundation and former Associate director at Rockefeller Foundation, gave us a general overview of the global trends and issues regarding mobility.





I requested for some short and sweet video messages from these people so be sure to watch out for them as soon as they become available in our YouTube channel.


The ‘Impact Hub Manila Fellowship on Innovation in Mobility with LBC’ aims to discover and cultivate the most innovative business ideas that provide sustainable development in order to promote, support, and implement adaptive solutions to issues of logistics and mobility. “We recognize that there is a great need for a global-minded incubator, which focuses on social enterprises, to support and reinforce the growing and hugely talented sector,” explains LizAn Kuster, one of the co-founders of Impact Hub Manila.






The grand prize includes a twelve month stimulating workspace at Impact Hub Manila, living stipend, and access to seed funding, focused skill development and valuable networks. “We are supporting entrepreneurs, without taking any shares, to ensure the growth of the companies,” LizAn Kuster is highlighting. 


Impact Hub Manila and LBC partnered up to initiate collaboration among established corporations and emerging start-ups. The two realized that collaboration is key to the advancement of mobility innovation and its continued development in the future. Because worsening traffic conditions in Metro Manila contribute to several major problems encountered by Filipinos in their day to day lives, the Fellowship program has decided to focus on finding opportunities and creating innovative solutions to such logistical challenges. These solutions could address the following areas, not limited to the constant dilemma of commuting: energy & resources efficiency in general transport, methods to optimize traffic flow, smarter transportation management, value chain innovation, and improvements to supply and distribution channels.

“As a company that prides itself in continuously seeking ways to transform the industry and pioneer new ways to improve our service, we wanted to become part of the Impact Hub initiative that will cultivate ingenuity and help participants focus it into something tangible,” says Fernando G. Araneta.

The application is open for individuals or teams anywhere in the world. However, they should be able to work in Manila, where the fellowship will take place. Interested innovators may apply at: http://www.impacthub.ph/program-fellowship

Furthermore, on October 15, 2015 the idea development workshop is taking place, which supports innovators to improve their concept, they can register now: http://on.fb.me/1NiOlau 





The Fellowship will be executed in three phases: 

PHASE 1: CAMPAIGN & APPLICATION Application starts from October 1 until November 15, 2015. During this phase, we invite everyone interested to benefit from an ideation workshop, where participants will learn how to conceptualize their ideas with a clear business approach. From all applications received, up to 12 candidates will be invited to a pitching workshop, to prepare them for a presentation in front of a professional jury panel where 3 finalists will be selected. These finalists will then enter the cohort phase.

PHASE 2: COHORT The cohort phase is an intensive 3-month acceleration phase, targeting the development of a full-fledged business model and/or prototype, as well as other key competences and start-up skills. Furthermore, finalists gain access to a personal coach, valuable networks, and a stimulating workspace at Impact Hub Manila. At the end of this phase, the Impact Hub Fellow will be selected, who will then enter the Incubation phase.

PHASE 3: INCUBATION The goal for the Fellow during the 9-month Incubation phase is to build a management team, found a legal entity, develop/test a prototype and/or enter the market, and secure additional funding as well as customer contacts. During this phase, the Fellow receives significant seed funding as well as connections to peer entrepreneurs, mentors, and other beneficial contacts. These relationships, combined with focused skill development and access to a vibrant community of change-makers in an inspiring work atmosphere, will help facilitate the start-up of a thriving social business. 

 
For more photos, please visit http://www.Facebook.com/wazzuppilipinas  

For YouTube channel, please visit http://www.YouTube.com/wazzuppilipinas

For more details about the Fellowship, please check their website at: www.impacthub.ph/program-fellowship.

Visit them on www.impacthub.ph and follow Impact Hub Manila (Facebook, Twitter and Youtube).

Located at: Impact Hub Manila, 5th Floor Green Sun, 2285 Chino Roces Avenue Extension, 1231 Makati, Philippines

For more information on the Fellowship and Impact Hub, please contact LizAn Kuster, lizan.kuster@impacthub.net, +63 915 431 04 54

LBC can move it for you: visit them at www.lbcexpress.com, or call telephone +632 8585 999 (Metro Manila), 1 800 10 8585 999 (Provincial), and follow LBCExpress (Facebook and Twitter). 

For more information on LBC, please get in touch with Rea L. Gomez, rlgomez@lbcexpress.com