Exciting news! PayrollHero was chosen as one of the 2012 ON3 Winners and will receive a 3 month immersion package in Silicon Valley provided by Plug and Play Tech Center in Sunnyvale, California. Below is the press release that was just sent out to announce the winners. We are excited to amongst such a great group of startups!
A big shout out to Tin Sanchez and Nico Suria of the PayrollHero team who pitched at the event! Great work!
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Contact: Christina Laskowski, President
STAC Silicon Valley
(415) 425-1900
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
STAC Silicon Valley Announces 2012 ON3 Winners
NEXTIX, Payroll Hero and SpellDial Win Plug and Play Tech Center Immersion
April 10, 2013 – Palo Alto, CA and Manila, Philippines – The Science & Technology Council officially announced the 2012 ON3 winners which include NEXTIX (GroupJump and Mii Move), Payroll Hero and SpellDial. The path of the 2012 ON3 Finalists started a year ago in April when each company presented their 3-minute pitch to a panel of judges during one of the four Regional competitions held in Davao, Cebu, Pangasinan and Manila. “The judges during the coaching sessions challenged us each time to justify our technology, target market, and team.” says Bobby Suson, Founder of GroupJump. “We used their feedback to finalize our presentation for competition day and we have been looking forward to the 2012 announcement.”
The ON3 competition is one that has an extremely unique format. ON3 takes place twice a year in the Philippines beginning with the Regional competitions hosted in cities across the country. There are two competitions in Luzon to enable participants from the northern and southern communities to participate, one in the Visayas and one in Mindanao. The best performers of the Regional leg come together to compete in the final competition where they are judged by a panel of angel investors, venture capitalists and professionals for their pitch performance. The short list of companies are then required to demonstrate ability to execute their business model over a period of three months and submit monthly reports. Companies that demonstrate an ability to execute and achieve milestones are then considered for the grand prize of a three month immersion package provided by ON3’s Platinum sponsor Plug and Play Tech Center in Sunnyvale, California.
Plug and Play Tech Center is a global accelerator providing a unique platform to help international companies succeed. “As a judge during the Regionals in Manila, the entrepreneurs demonstrated their drive and approach to solving a global problem using technology and I am confident that the entrepreneurial ecosystem for the Philippines is headed toward success,” says Saeed Amidi, CEO of Plug and Play. To help facilitate their immersion, ON3 2012 winners will be supported in part through a grant from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) which will help offset the living expenses during their three month stay in Silicon Valley. The Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has championed the cross border partnership and development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem supporting STAC SV and its ON3 program. The private sector support has been led by Novare Technologies, SMART Communications, and Globe Telecom who not only support ON3 but each are active in contributing to the ecosystem independently.
ON3 is a nationwide business plan search for emerging technology companies in the Philippines. In August 2009, The Philippine Government (Departments of Science & Technology, Trade & Industry and Foreign Affairs) signed a Memo of Agreement with STAC-SV to formalize a working relationship that together would create a platform in the Philippines designed to support efforts of local entrepreneurs, scientists and graduate students with attractive global business models. The prototypeON3 competition was launched at the 2010 eServices conference serving as the first competition of its kind in the Philippines. Jojo Flores, co-founder of Plug and Play Tech Center who also serves as Vice President of STAC-SV, led the event and currently serves as the ON3 Director.
About STAC Silicon Valley. The Science & Technology Advisory Council-Silicon Valley is a 501c3 non-profit organization that serves as an advisor to the Philippine Government in the areas of Science & Technology to promote entrepreneurship, support R&D investments by DOST and foster innovation. The organization’s members operate the ON3 Acceleration Program and are building a platform that will help support viable global businesses. STAC Silicon Valley is a partner of The Global Entrepreneurship Program, a U.S. State Department-led effort to advance entrepreneurship in emerging markets and developing countries. For more information about STAC SV: www.excelr8.org. For more information about GEP: http://www.state.gov/e/eb/cba/entrepreneurship/gep/index.htm
About NEXTIX Groupjump. Groupjump is a social and mobile e-group networking site that allows users the ability to fully control and manage the security and privacy of their virtual social groups. Groupjump can easily be accessed anywhere too—through the web, and mobile devices. For more information: www.groupjump.com
About NEXTIX Mii Move. MiiMove is the app that allows seamless real-time coaching and interaction between students and coaches around the world so you can improve and master any sport you like. Its platform enables users to engage the services of professional coaches from anywhere in the world, receive real-time instruction and analytical data to improve one’s game all on a social e-learning platform. For more information: www.miimove.com
About Payroll Hero. PayrollHero is a Consumer-friendly Time, Attendance, Scheduling and Payroll app that is in the cloud built for web and mobile. For more information: www.payrollhero.com
About SpellDial. Spelldial is an app that allows customers to remember names not numbers. Its platform enables users, merchants and brands to stay connected whenever wherever. For more information: www.spelldial.com
About Plug and Play Tech Center. Plug and Play Tech Center is a thriving Silicon Valley global accelerator that hosts a community of over 300 startups from all over the world. It accelerates growth of its startups via strategic partnerships, including 170 investors who participate in regular screening sessions exclusive to Plug and Play members. For more information: www.plugandplaytechcenter.com
About Globe and Kickstart Ventures. Globe™ is a leading telecommunications company in the Philippines whose mission is to transform and enrich lives through communications by way of its vision of making great things possible. Kickstart Ventures, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Globe Telecom, is an angel fund dedicated to investing and incubating Philippine start-ups. It is committed to build innovative businesses in cooperation with like-minded individuals and organizations by providing funding, mentorship and education. www.kickstart.ph
About Novare Technologies. A Philippine flag carrier with global reach in the world of strategic consulting, Novare Technologies continuously provides business value to its customers through its excellence and innovation, driven by best-in-class people. Novare offers a comprehensive, 360-degree approach to solutions architecture through consultancy, solutions development, and support: from backend integration of various solution vendor technologies, to the development and customization of multiple front-end applications on different platforms, Novare is a trusted partner of some of the most prestigious names in the Telecommunications and the Financial Services industries. Staffed by more than 130 professionals, it is headquartered in Hong Kong, with its Regional Operating Headquarters in Makati, Philippines, and branches in Silicon Valley, USA and Beijing, China. For more information: http://www.novare.com.hk/
About SMART Communications. Smart Communications, Inc. (SMART) is the Philippines’ leading wireless services provider with 49.0 million subscribers on its GSM network as of end-December 2011. SMART has built an international reputation for innovation, having introduced world-first wireless data services, such as Smart Money (the world’s first electronic wallet linked to a mobile phone), Smart Load (electronic prepaid top-ups in sachet denominations), Smart Padala (mobile-based remittance service) and the Netphone (Android-based operator feature phone). SMART is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Philippines’ leading telecommunications carrier, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company which is listed at the New York Stock Exchange. For more information: www.smart.com.ph