Startup Labs to pay the Philippines a visit this February

Startup Labs is visiting 25 countries this year as part of its co-investment program in emerging markets. First stop is the Philippines, with a pitching session in February.

Startup Labs, a global co-investment program for technology startups, has announced that it will come to the Philippines in February. The fund is currently in talks with partners that have expressed interest in opportunities in the Philippines, such as ICCP Venture Partners, Siemer & Associates and independent angel investors.

Startup Labs is seeking interested startups and entrepreneurs to be part of the pitching session. Applications are until January 20, while the pitching sessions are scheduled for the first week of February.

Startup Labs director Tugce Ergul has expressed optimism in the Philippine startup ecosystem, saying the market is exciting and full potential can be reached once the ecosystem and investors are aligned. “We will be mixing the local investors’ expertise with a global Silicon Valley and the Philippine context. The ecosystem is very young and there’s a lot of market fragmentation but this only makes things more exciting for us.”

The global seed-stage investment fund focuses on emerging markets and co-invests with local investors in their respective markets, while running post-investment bootcamps for entrepreneurs. For 2013, the fund plans to visit 25 cities around the world, with an aim of bringing together at least 100 local investors to fund 125 or more deserving startups in emerging markets.