Block Dojo Philippines founder story: Cohorts reflect on Libraro’s successful journey

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Block Dojo Philippines started this January, with the first-ever bootcamp taking place in Bataan. One of the key highlights of the Block Dojo Philippines opening day was the founder story by Arsim Shillova, CEO and co-founder of the Libraro app.

Promoting his love for books and as an author himself, Shillova said he was disheartened when he saw first-hand how long it takes to publish a book.

“In 2010, I wrote a book, and it was something I wanted to share with the world, but I couldn’t get an agent,” Shillova told the Block Dojo Philippines Cohort 1. “In the U.K., when you write a book, you must find an agent who works in the [publishing] industry. Fast forward to 2017, I could not get an agent, and it goes round and round and round with no success.”

However, Shillova and his co-founder built on an idea of how to publish a book faster and more efficiently, thus the birth of “Libraro,” an app that acts as a digital literary agent, connecting writers with various publishing houses.

Emerging from the success of the Block Dojo U.K. 2023 cohort, Shillova gave an inspiring keynote speech to guide the five founders of the Block Dojo Philippines remotely from his home in the United Kingdom.

Shillova revealed how he built on his ideas, which he shared with his friend, Jay Gujral—now the Global Commercial Director of the Block Dojo.

Shillova also shared some key qualities that helped him succeed as a startup founder. First, he is very optimistic about his ideas. Second, he always shows up and is always present. Third, he is a dreamer who constantly seeks ways to make things work. Lastly, he is prompt and passionate about his business.

“I don’t know this before, but in life, it’s either you build your dream or let somebody else employ you to build theirs,” the Libraro founder remarked.

Shillova shared that entering the 12-week incubator program of the Block Dojo was one of the most intense weeks of his life and also the best thing that happened to him. In a few months of being with the Block Dojo team, he had to drop everything that he was doing, and as the breadwinner for his family, it was a difficult decision to make. Although, as an optimist, Shillova took this chance as a great opportunity to learn from the program, execute better business processes, and concretize his idea.

“I took the punch, but I absolutely enjoyed every day of my Dojo life,” he said. “Dojo has helped me turn my concept into a risk.”

Reminiscing his experiences, Shillova admitted that the three months at the Block Dojo U.K. had been a long ride. In his own words, the Libraro founder liken it to building a house where changes are made day-to-day.

“You have to believe that success is a journey, but you have to be resistant,” Shillova told the Block Dojo Philippines Cohort 1. “I did not go to Dojo thinking I don’t believe this; I went to Dojo thinking I know this will work. And the passion and vision that I have for what I do led me to where I am today.”

Shillova added that not every accomplished entrepreneur has a perfect product, but instead, they were the ones who curated their ideas into success, trial and testing if their processes work or not.

Months after graduating from the Block Dojo U.K., Libraro secured £2 million ($2.5 million) in funding from nChain, and the global blockchain solutions firm took a 20% equity stake in the company.

“It’s super, super important to know where you are,” Shillova reminded the founders of the Cohort 1. “I’m a big dreamer; don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. I can 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.”

Block Dojo Philippines is the regional arm of the Block Dojo startup incubator program, originating in the United Kingdom. The program seeks early-stage startups, accelerates their businesses with extensive training, and provides them access to investing funding rounds.

To learn more about the first-ever Block Dojo Philippines Bootcamp, see this article. Make sure to subscribe to CoinGeek and follow us on social media to keep yourself updated on the latest news about the Block Dojo Philippines incubator program.

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