GOAB was born out of an informal lunch meeting between Tina Amper (TechTalks.ph), Earl Valencia (co-founder Ideaspace.PH), Paul Pajo (Smart DevNet), and the late Jim Ayson (SmartDevNet) in December 2012. The lunch was also attended by and arranged by Mitchie Ang (Startup Academy/ShootNSell) who won Startup Weekend Cebu 2012 organized by TechTalks.ph. In response to Tina's query as to when the group could do an event together, Earl said something like "as long as it was in a beach, Geeks On A Beach!" and the rest is history!
GOAB is inspired by Geeks On a Plane, a 500 Startups event as well as South by Southwest (SXSW). Through mutual friends we alerted Dave McClure of our similar event name and he said, in short, go for it! And so, we have! Thank you all for GOAB year 5 in 2017!
This year, A Space is co-producing GOAB with A Space CEO Matt Morrison as Consultant Producer.
In addition to our advisors, we would like to thank our pioneer speakers who supported us in year 1, including, but not limited to: Bowei Gai, Ron Hose, Khailee Ng, Beryl Li, Minette Navarrete, Jack Madrid, Mark Buenconsejo, Stephen Jagger, Maria Ressa, Franco Eisma, JJ Chai, Doy Vea, Louis Casambre, Eric Su, Paco Sandejas, Martin Pascual, and many others we cannot all mention.
Geeks On A Beach (GOAB) is an international conference for
everyone who is passionate about startups, technology, design,
and making the world a better place. GOAB aims to bring
together the brightest minds in a challenging and
collaborative atmosphere.
For the last 4 years, we were able to gather over 3,500 geeks
from different countries and hundreds of speakers that were
composed of founders, entrepreneurs, business people,
investors and global heroes. There were over 550 participants
from various countries that resulted in collaborative projects
and business opportunities for many.
This year, we are setting a camp at Puerto Princesa City,
Palawan, Philippines. Voted best island by Travel and Leisure
magazine, Palawan is an ideal destination for GOAB year 5.
It's been five years since the first conference and there has
been a world of change. Join us this year to share stories of
success (and lessons from glorious failures) in the conference
that speaks the truth about startups, tech, and design.
GOAB year 5 venue is Princesa Garden Island Resort and Spa in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. Philippines. Palawan has been voted World's Best Island by Travel and Leisure Magazine. It is home to the world-famous Underground River, El Nido Island and Coron Island.
Geeks On A Beach is organized by TechTalks.ph and co-organized by the Philippine government's DOST-ICTO (Department of Science and Technology - Information Communications Technology Office). GOAB is powered by Sym.ph Studios and the creative genius behind it is HappyGaraje.com. PR Works is the official PR firm and Event Consultant. TechTalks.ph is the dynamic team behind 18 Startup Weekend workshops and other events -- all of which help educate, support, and empower people to become entrepreneurs and to help improve their ICT skills. We are a Startup Ecosystem Builder and Innovation Consultant. Clients include SlingshotPH, USAID-STRIDE, Microsoft, USAID-IDEA/Phildev and others.
Geeks on a Beach is a created by the geeks for the geeks. It’s an international conference that allows all sectors of the startup ecosystem to bond deeper in a relaxed, more personal manner while tackling serious issues of the day. Geeks on a Beach is one of the oldest pillars in this wave of the Philippine Startup Ecosystem. It is part of the bigger initiative that includes the private sector and most recently the government through SlingshotPH. SlingshotPH is a DTI brand and government platform for dialogue between the startup community and the government. It builds upon and works with DOST-ICTO in their seedPH and digitalPH programs to support digital startups. It is a positive news that encompasses the building and accelerating of startups in the Philppines. The founder of Geeks on a Beach was tasked to provide program design and assist with community engagement and messaging for the SlingshotPH event.
There will be a lot of talks by hand-picked speakers from different sectors. Panel discussions, breakout sessions, networking events, fire pitches, business matching, pitching competitions and more. And if you are dead serious in buildling your startup business, GOAB is a place to connect with the right people.
The registration fee covers all talks and panels on August 25-26. It includes buffet lunch for two days and all snacks for both days; and it also covers freebies as well as giveaways from our sponsors. All paid attendees will receive invitations to attend sponsored events such as Welcome Drinks on Wednesday night and Closing Party on Friday night, if available.
Travel and accommodations are not included. However, you can check our recommendations.
By plane:
or
By plane/ferry:
The good thing about this conference is that its at the beach. No one is forced to dress up. So, you can come as you are. But, don't forget to bring lots of business cards and sunscreen.
You can stay at the PRINCESA GARDEN ISLAND RESORT AND SPA HOTEL where the conference will be held or you can book through nearby hotels. Check our recommendations.
Yep, by all means! The conference officially starts on August 24-25. However, you can join us on Wednesday (August 23) for welcome drinks in the evening. For those interested in post or pre-event tourist-related activities, please note your interest during registration. The more the merrier.
Yes, of course! :) You're in the world's best secret beach on earth according to travel website - Travel and Leisure . Feel free to enjoy your free time to explore Puerto Princesa, Palawan and its neighboring islands. You may also visit other tourist attractions in the Philippines.
Yes, we can help you in arranging tour packages. Email us if you need additional information.
Absolutely! Bring everyone over! If they want to join the conference, just make sure that they also register.
Weather forecast in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines for August is typically around 30 degrees C or 86 degrees F. Check the weather forecast before packing for GOAB. We can control our weight but we cannot control the Weather. Cancellation policy is based on Hotel's cancellation policies.
That would be great! :) You can download the images in different sizes that you can choose from at our website's banner page.
Yes, we will send you an eletronic certificate of participation after the event. :)
Feel free to email us!