Block Dojo Philippines bootcamp opening day: A day for startup founders

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Block Dojo Philippines is kicking off 2024 with the official start of its first startup incubation program in the country. On January 8, six startup founders gathered in Morong, Bataan to showcase their companies, learn from the success stories of founders from around the world, and win the hearts of investors.

Day 1 of their 12-week journey has officially started, and the Block Dojo Philippines team isn’t slowing it down, as the opening day has unlocked the doors on what these cohorts shall expect—dubbed the “Founders’ Day,” Day 1 focused on getting to know the six founders, as well as highlighting two startup success stories from London and, of course, the Philippines.

The Block Dojo Day: Get to know the team behind the incubator program

For their first plenary, the cohorts share their expectations about the Block Dojo Philippines bootcamp. A couple of the participants said they’re most excited about the network and connections they would be building, others said they’re looking forward to the mentorship and prototype processing, and are eager to learn how to incorporate blockchain into their businesses.

Block Dojo Philippines Managing Director Kristoffer Briones reminded each of the participants to be open, curious, proactive, respectful, present, and, most importantly, collaborative.

“One thing I learned in life is it’s risky, and so it’s easier to do scary things with people that we trust,” Briones remarked, before introducing the fundamentals of the Block Dojo Philippines and the incubator program’s structure.

“I would describe the business model of the Dojo, at its essence, as an intersection of investment, technology, and education,” he said.

Compared to looking for venture capitalist who want to invest in any business, the Block Dojo is unique since, in this 12-week incubator program, the cohorts will get to learn and resolve their business cases’ problems, articulate their business in numbers investors could convey, source potential clients, learn to build pitch decks and finally secure pre-seed funding.

“For us, we’re not just investing in your business model. We’re really investing in you,” Briones pointed out. “And we know when it’s investing on people, [what’s important is] not actually the money. It’s the learning experience.”

Let our success stories guide you on your journey

Before wrapping up for dinner, Block Dojo Philippines’ Cohort 1 has a chance to meet the founder and CEO of Libraro, Arsim Shillova, as well as the successful businessman, doctor, and founder of AC Tech Repair PH, Regil Martinez.

Speaking first was Shillova, who did a video conference from the other side of the globe. Shillova was one of the many entrepreneurs who joined Block Dojo U.K.’s cohort in 2023. His business, Libraro allows the public to access unpublished books and helps publishers decide which authors to support.

In a 47-minute video call with the Philippines cohort, Shillova shared his experiences with Block Dojo U.K.—which he said was the greatest 12 weeks of his life—and conveyed a few words of encouragement to the startup founders.

“I am a big dreamer,” Shillova told all the founders and attendees of the Block Dojo Philippines bootcamp. “I tell you guys have dreamed of being in the Dojo because you are dreamers. You are not here to see if it works. You’re here because you find ways to make things work.”

On the other hand, Martinez shared how he balanced his life building a tech repair company while attending to his medical practice and all the mishaps he had to resolve to keep AC Tech Repair going.

This is just the beginning of the 12-week incubator program Block Dojo Philippines has prepared. To keep yourself updated on the latest news about the program, make sure to subscribe to CoinGeek and follow us on social media!

Watch: Block Dojo Philippines bets big on blockchain tech startups