WASHINGTON, D.C. – Building on years of experience as an advocate and champion for bringing entrepreneurship to young people in the Philippines, Henry Ong is now working to expand collaboration among the country’s entrepreneurship ecosystem leaders as acting managing director of GEN Philippines.
The Global Entrepreneurship Network appointed Ong to guide the development of its in-country affiliate in the Philippines to support entrepreneurs, engage stakeholders in the community and connect them to their counterparts around the world.
"We aim to build GEN Philippines as a platform for sharing ideas, entrepreneurial collaboration and inspiring future startups,” said Ong. “We are looking at developing and expanding the Philippine entrepreneurial ecosystem in the next five years through educational campaigns, opportunity awareness and nation building."
At the global level, GEN operates in 170 countries worldwide, propelling start and scale ecosystems by fostering cross-border collaboration, cutting-edge research studies, and initiatives that engage entrepreneurs and ecosystem stakeholders across sectors and locations.
Initially, GEN Philippines will focus on:
- Building national awareness of entrepreneurship in different sectors of society,
- Raising entrepreneurial literacy in both private and public academic institutions,
- Strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem by identifying gaps and areas for growth , and
- Developing a startup culture in the Philippines and supporting innovative ideas.
Ong recently launched Startup Huddle, a GEN program that supports entrepreneurs through educatation, engagement and connections to one another and their community’s entrepreneurial network. The first Startup Huddle meetup will take place this fall in Manila.
About the Global Entrepreneurship Network
GEN operates a platform of programs in 170 countries aimed at making it easier for anyone, anywhere to start and scale a business. By fostering collaboration among entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, policymakers and entrepreneurial support organizations, GEN works to fuel stronger start and scale ecosystems that create jobs, educate individuals, accelerate innovation and increase economic growth. For details on the programs and communities that make up GEN, visit genglobal.org and follow @unleashingideas on Twitter.