BUSINESS reality show The Final Pitch (TFP) launches its 8th season with an all-tech lineup of startups and entrepreneurs. And after two years of filming remotely because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the show will be filming episodes on-site this season.
The Final Pitch Season 8: Tech Edition is accepting applications until June 24. Interested participants are to pitch their ideas for their prospective startups or for the next stage of growth of their existing startups.
A report by venture capital fund Foxmont Capital Partners (FCP) and global management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group, “Philippine Venture Capital Report 2022” said startup businesses in the country raised over $1 billion in funding in 2021, a 179% increase from 2020.
“The eighth season of the show is a very deliberate slant towards [technology] and we are looking forward to backing startups that will help our economy transition back to pre-pandemic growth levels,” the show’s creator and host John Aguilar said in a statement.
Returning to the show as investor judges this season are John Janusczcak, president and CEO of fintech company UBX; former TFP mentor Amor Maclang of the public relations firm Geiser-Maclang; and Rosemarie Bosch-Ong, SEVP and COO of Wilcon Depot. Joining the show this season as investor judges are Wei Zhou, CEO of crypto wallet Coins.ph; Francis Plazaco, founder and CEO of PayMongo; and Avin Ong, founder and CEO of the Fredley Group of Companies.
Kaiser Estrada, managing director of Streamlined Campaigns Philippines, will serve as one of the mentors. Mr. Estrada will provide his expertise to help maximize the benefits of online strategies and social media platforms for the competing businesses.
UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITIONS
The investor judges said that they are looking for technological solutions in specific industries and startup business ideas that can potentially grow to have a global market.
“New technologies like blockchain, guarantees of authenticity, immutable data, etc. These are the types of things that technology addresses. We’re looking for startups that have creative solutions for real problems. We want to work with a founding team with a strong vision, clear goals, and the drive to get things done,” said Coins.ph’s Wei Zhou during an online press conference on June 6.
“What I hope to do on this experience, is not to just bring products and services and startups to users in the Philippines, but maybe even bring those products to a much larger global audience,” he added.
Wilcon Depot’s Rosemarie Bosch-Ong said that her previous experience as an investor judge was very rewarding. “[Being a digital immigrant], I got to learn more from those who presented. It’s [about] continued learning and being inspired by the promising startup companies,” she said.
“I want to see a solution that focuses on digital technology and some applications that can enable us to provide that same experience virtually. For example, augmented reality and automated business operations, and the incorporation of technology in finance,” she said of this season’s applicants.
The Fredley Group’s Avin Ong advised participants to “stay hungry, stay curious, and do more to achieve more.”
The show will be filmed on July 5 and 6 at the Okada Manila. Okada Manila SVP for Hotel Operations Ivaylo S. Ivanov will also participate as a guest judge on the second day of the participants’ pitches.
This season will be a prelude to The Final Pitch: ASEAN, which will involve participants from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam in 2023. It will be filmed and broadcast across Asia.
“We are aiming for the show to be the regional platform that will enable cross-border investment and cooperation across Southeast Asia. Proudly Filipino produced, for a global audience,” Mr. Aguilar said.
To join The Final Pitch Season 8: Tech Edition, interested parties may fill up the application form at TheFinalPitch.ph/application or get in touch with the show via e-mail at [email protected] or [email protected]. The deadline for submission of applications is June 24.
The Final Pitch 8 premieres on July 31, 8:30 p.m., on CNN Philippines. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman
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