Sip & Scale Baguio Launches Episode 1 to Support Local Startup Ecosystem in Baguio City
Famous as a UNESCO Creative City, Baguio is known for its cool breeze, vibrant art scene, and pine trees. On September 5, the city showed that it is also developing into a hub for technological innovation.
The Baguio start up ecosystem took a step forward with the launch of Sip & Scale Baguio. This global social mixer started in Manila and expanded to 35 cities before launching its Baguio chapter.
This Moment in Time
Sip and Scale Baguio Community Leaders identified one of the shortfalls in the Baguio Start Up Ecosystem was limited access to enablers such as ‘angel investors’ and plotted our ecosystem as in transition from Nascent to Foundational. Rather than a dampener on the atmosphere, this provided a sense of Bayanihan, and a call to connect with each of the start ups.
Bridging History and the Future at the DICT Digital Transformation Center
Episode 1 was held at the newly renovated DICT Digital Transformation Center (DTC), turning a standard networking gathering into a functioning start up incubator.
Located inside the historic Baguio Post Office building, the venue connects the city’s past and future. The recent rehabilitation project preserves parts of the century old building while upgrading the space into a modern digital center and co working space. In the same location where people once connected through physical mail, we now collaborate digitally.
Supporting Local Founders and Tech Talent
The event was attended by 25 local startups, government representatives, experienced founders, and industry mentors. During the main segment, the 25 start ups introduced themselves to outline what they need from the community and what they can offer in return.
Building a sustainable ecosystem requires physical and digital infrastructure. One key piece of this ecosystem is Incubator Baguio. Ready to support this the event were representatives from incubation hubs at University of the Cordilleras, Saint Louis University, and University of the Philippines, Baguio and government agencies such as DICT CAR and DTI Baguio-Benguet. The event also brought business mentors and established start up founders to help facilitate group conversations.
Start Ups Supporting Start ups
While we are still in our first year, Alam Mo Ba Baguio was on hand to provide immediate support, giving all participating start ups a package of premium visibility and business services. We also raffled one of our website banners to one lucky start up
Sip and Scale Baguio thanked us along with their partners
A Monthly Meetup for Baguio’s Tech Future
Sip & Scale Baguio Episode 1 showed that local tech builders are no longer working in isolation. By connecting these start ups with government frameworks, the event established a foundation for future collaboration.
The active participation in the room confirmed the community’s interest in Baguio’s tech and creative development. Sip & Scale Baguio will operate as a monthly meetup. Details for Episode 2 will be shared soon.
All photos by JPA Carino https://www.instagram.com/jpacarino/
About the Author
Josh is a community builder and co-founder of Alam Mo Ba Baguio
