Block Dojo PH’s Kristoffer Briones: The Philippines is in very good spot now for startups

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Block Dojo has officially landed in the Philippines! But before we moved on with the updates regarding the 12-week startup incubator program, Block Dojo Philippines’ Country Managing Director Kristoffer Briones talks to CoinGeek Backstage at the sidelines of the recently held Digital Pilipinas Festival 2023.

November has been a busy month for the Block Dojo Philippines team as they are not only months ahead of the official grand opening of the incubator program in Bataan but are also busy setting up networking events and attending conferences like the Digital Pilipinas Festival.

Briones sees the recent festival as a good event to champion why the Philippines is a prime market for startups and why it is crucial for investors to come here.

“I think the Philippines is in a very good sweet spot now,” Briones said, noting that if we look back 10 years ago, we won’t even witness startup events happening in the country, much less it happening in the same week.

“[Now we] have the community, the government has startup venture fund dedicated to just investing in startups. [We] have capital, and that coming in together, I think that’s something that’s quite exciting…meaning money is waiting to be invested in startups in the Philippines. It’s just that [what] we need now [are] the supply of startups to come.”

Moving on about their plans for the first cohort, starting in January 2024, Briones shared that they focus on finding quality companies to join the program.

“We’re preparing for the program,” Briones excitedly told CoinGeek Backstage reporter Claire Celdran. “We actually went to Bataan like two weeks ago to look for a really nice venue for the bootcamp.”

The Block Dojo Philippines bootcamp marks the first week of the 12-week incubator program. At the bootcamp, the startups will have a chance to get some insights into what Block Dojo has to offer, do self-discovery exercises and daily briefings, learn about the
fundamentals of blockchain, and set their visions and priorities for their companies.

Asked which cohort he is most excited about, Briones shared that he is particularly interested in real estate as it’s one of the most known investments in Southeast Asian countries.

Hinting on what to expect at the Block Dojo Philippines, the country managing director said that one of the topics they will be keen on exploring is the connection between blockchain and AI.

“The megatrend is what does blockchain and AI have in common. It’s data, right? So now we’ve got into a digital infrastructure where data is maturing essentially the convergence of blockchain and AI just changes things dramatically,” he explained. “So maybe they [can] pitch us a blockchain idea, and then we can explore an AI in conjunction with it or maybe an AI and input blockchain. But essentially, that convergence into something that we’re really betting on in the next couple of years.”

If you want to learn more about the first Block Dojo Philippines, you can visit their website
for more information. Additionally, you can stay updated with the latest news about this exciting startup incubator program by subscribing to CoinGeek and following our social media pages!

Watch: Block Dojo to give Filipino startups a blockchain boost