10 Most Inspiring Filipino Techno Entrepreneurs.

These successful Pinoy entrepreneurs

include (list is through Touched by an Angel):

1. Diosdado Banatao (Computer Chips - Mostron and S3).

2. Nonoy & Ben Colayco (Online Gaming - Level Up)

3. Joey Gurango (Software Development - Webworks OS)
4. Danilo Manayaga (Biotechnology - Servac Philippines)
5. Dennis Mendiola (Wireless Technology - Chikka Asia)
6. Manny Pangilinan (Telecommunications - First Pacific, PLDT)
7. Dr. William Torres (RP Internet Pioneer - Mozcom)
8. Peter Valdes (software development - Vinta Systems)
9. Orlando Vea (Mobile Communications/New Media - SMART founder, MediaQuest)

I was reading GoNegosyo and I read about the life story of Dado Banatao. He
was considered as the Filipino version of Bill Gates since both came up from a technical
background, introduced technologies that transformed the computer industry, and built large
successful companies from the ground up.

I was really amazed on how far Dado already went in pursuing his dreams especially knowing
his roots. And as such, he was the featured story for today in the rags to riches entrepreneur
section of this blog. I hope you would find another inspiring success story.

Dado Banatao was born on May 23, 1946 to a rice farmer and housekeeper where he grew up in
a little barrio named Malabhac in the farming town of Iguig in Cagayan Valley Province. When
he was a kid, Banatao used to walk barefoot to school along the dirt roads. He then went to
Ateneo de Tuguegarao and at 15 pursued college education at Mapua Institute of Technology
where he graduated cum laude with an Electrical Engineering degree.

Dado was then offered a job after graduation at Meralco but then he turned down the offer after
knowing the starting salary. He instead applied as a pilot trainee at Philippine Airlines, which
paid much more. Little did he know that a turning point of his career will come when Boeing
pirated him as a design engineer and brought him to US.He then enjoyed engineering and later
on pursued further studies taking a Masters in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at
Stanford University, which he completed in 1972 to be trained properly on his craft.

After graduating with his Masters degree, Dado then worked at some of the leading-edge
technology companies that include National Semiconductor, Intersil, and Commodore
International where he designed the first single chip, 16-bit microprocessor-based calculator. In
1981, while he was working at Seeq Technology, the inventor of Ethernet approached the
company to look for a more efficient way of linking computers. Banatao was then assigned with
the task that led him to his breakthrough discovery of by putting the Ethernet controller on a
single chip instead of big boards. That was then the first 10-Mbit Ethernet CMOS with silicon
coupler data-link control and transreceiver chip.

With that breakthrough discovery, Dado then decided to start his company and be his own boss.
With US$500,000 seed capital that came mostly from friends, he put up Mostron i 1985 to
develop chip sets. As a start up company, he had to be cost efficient and resourceful. He then
used equipment from another company that wasn’t used on weekends to debug chips. Later his
hard work and dedication paid off when his company developed the first system logic chip set
for the PC-XT and PC-AT, which lowered the cost of building the personal computer and made
it much more powerful.

About the same time, Dado started his second company named Chips and Technologies (C&T),
which created enhanced graphics adapter chip sets. With its success, sales during the first quarter
amounted to US$12 million. In less than a year, the company went public by listing its shares in
the stock market and the market’s response was remarkable. It was one of the fastest Initial
Public Offering (IPO) listings in the history of US stock market. In 1996, multinational
semiconductor giant Intel bought C&T making Banatao richer by US$430 million.

But even before this huge success, Banatao had already reached millions when he started his
third company named S3. It was a company that pioneered the local bus concept for the PC in
1989 and introduced the first Windows accelerator chip in 1990. Way back in 1993, S3 was then
considered as the third most profitable technology company in the world when it went public
having an IPO worth of US$30 million.

Dado Banatao is now a multimillionaire investor. He invested in a lot of networking companies

that were eventually sold before he joined the venture capital firm Mayfield Fund in 1998. After
two years, the company offered him to promote to a general partner but Dado refused it and
instead decided to start his own venture capital firm named Tallwood Venture Capital with a
capital of US$300 million, all of which came from his own pocket. He then believed that
independence is more important than security.

Today Dado Banatao manages several businesses. His Cielo Communications is developing the
vertical cavity surface emitting laser or Versel, which speeds the transmission of data along
optical lines. His SIRF Technology is designing a chip for a global positioning system which
utilizes satellites to locate objects. His Marvell Technology had a highly successful public
offering with the stock price soaring more than 300% during its first day of trading. He has
proven to be a master investor and venture capitalist. He invests, oversees, and sells several
companies that include Cyras Systems acquired by Ciena; Newport Communications acquired by
Broadcom; Acclaim Communications acquired by Level One; Stream Machines acquired by
Cirrus Logic; Marvell Technology Group and New Moo software.

He has more than three homes in the US, including resort properties in Lake Tahoe and Sonoma
San Francisco. From his childhood roots of walking barefoot, he now drives his high-
performance luxury cars and he flies his own fast jets. Yet despite these blessings, Dado Banatao
still contributes to the society and to the country. His Banatao Filipino American Fund assists
Northern California high school students of Filipino heritage in pursuing a college education in
engineering. Aside from this, he also went back to his childhood town of Iguig in Cagayan
Valley where he built a computer center at his grade school making it the only public school with
the most modern computer network.

Truly Dado Banatao has come along way being a veteran entrepreneur and venture capitalist of
Silicon Valley. May his successful life story continue to inspire us to pursue our dreams,
ambitions and aspirations despite adversities in life. Keep the fire burning. As this blog says,
Dream… Believe… Act… Achieve.

Joey Gurango | Founder/CEO

Tarcs Taruc | Managing Director
Manny Tanseco | Director for Services
Joey Gurango has been in the software development industry since
1987, when he co-founded Match Data Systems USA, a Microsoft ISV
specializing in database applications in Seattle, WA. launched and
successfully grew the company's Philippine and Australian operations
until 1999, when Match Data Systems merged with Great Plains
Software. Gurango served as Managing Director of the Philippine R&D
facility for Great Plains Software before taking on the role of Regional
Director for Product & Services for Microsoft Business Solutions, after
Microsoft acquired Great Plains Software in 2001.

As a Great Plains and Microsoft executive, he had senior leadership

responsibilities in product development, support services, and sales &
marketing, and managed teams in various countries throughout the
Asia Pacific region.

The Philippines can be a major supplier of raw materials for the world’s natural ingredients
industry but government must provide ample investment and protection to keep enterprises
engaged in promoting such economic activity, a Filipino entrepreneur said yesterday.

Danilo Manayaga, president of Secura Philippines, Inc and Secura International Inc. reminded
the government to invest more in research and development to develop crops and plant varieties
that produce more nutrients and natural ingredients in demand by both cosmetics and
pharmaceutical companies worldwide.

Manayaga suggested that a regulatory process be established to guide the planting and
propagation of crops and plants that have great potentials in the largely competitive trade in
natural ingredients.

"The presence of regulations or standards like the prohibition of the use of pesticides on crops
grown locally would improve the confidence of foreign importers," he said.

Manayaga said government must restrict the importation and planting of imported varieties to
maintain the quality and integrity of local crops and plants.
He added that such stringent restrictions are the key to safeguarding the purity of the country’s
malunggay, which yields better nutrients like vitamin A, iron, zinc, calcium, potassium and good
cholesterol than similar plants anywhere in the world.

This is similar to the superiority of local garlic over the same product propagated in Taiwan and
other countries.

Secura has been offering contract to grow malunggay for more than a year but has yet to secure
adequate supply from growers. The company processes dehydrated malunggay leaves for tea and
additives for other medicinal plants.

"We are involved with contract growers from different towns and all over the country like
Valencia in Negros Oriental, Masinloc and Botolan in Zambales, Alaminos and Infanta in
Pangansinan and Bamban in Tarlac. They account for 150 hectares of land that supplies our
market. It is not enough to sustain the demand for other products like Moringa or malunggay
oil," he added.

Manayaga said Secura needs at least 20,000 hectares to be able to supply the market for
malunggay products like the leaves for food fortification and animal feeds, moringa oil from its
seeds for cosmetics and as edible oil, and moringa seed-cake extracts for water treatment.

Dennis Beltran Mendiola (born September 1, 1967, in New York City) is an entrepreneur and
investment banker oft cited for pioneering technology ventures that have been mobilized for both
real profit and invaluable service to people and communities.

Contents
[hide]

• 1 Chikka
• 2 Work for the Red Cross
• 3 Chief Imagination Officer
• 4 Educational and Professional
History

• 5 Personal Life

[edit] Chikka

Chikka, a company he co-founded in 2000 with Alexandra Roxas and Chito Bustamante, built an
instant messaging (IM) application that was the first to seamlessly integrate full mobile functions
via text messaging. The service launched in 2001 allowed millions of Filipinos who did not have
Internet access, to become part of an instant messaging community using their mobile phones.

The service called Chikka Text Messenger would be driven by millions of overseas Filipinos
who embraced the service as it united them, reliably, economically, with their families and
friends back home. Chikka has thus been downloaded from the US to the Middle East and every
corner of the world where Filipinos could be found (including the open seas for which a Chikka
version was specifically developed for access via the INMARSAT by Filipino seamen who man
the world’s ships). Mendiola indeed envisioned Chikka to address a strong need for
communication (itself resulting from a Philippine Diaspora that began decades back, as Filipinos
were compelled to look to foreign shores for a better life). With over 45 million registering to use
the service since its commercial launch in 2001, Chikka today is one of the most widely used
communications tool that bridges Internet and mobile communities.

Presently Chikka is a diversified company powering mobile communications, content, commerce

and corporate solutions available across the globe in countries such as the US, UK, Italy, Spain,
Peru, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, and Hong Kong.

“Chikka” is Filipino colloquial for “small talk,” and indeed the nature of billions of text
messages exchanged around the world.

[edit] Work for the Red Cross

Mendiola has also inspired the mobilization of mobile technologies for humanitarian causes. In
late 2004 as twin killer typhoons Yoyong and Winnie (international code names: Nanmadol)
ravaged Southern Luzon in the main Philippine Island, “Donate-a-Load” was launched whereby
millions of Filipinos where encouraged to donate their call credits by simply texting variable
amounts to a Red Cross short code. The ingenious scheme allowed people from all walks of life
to give selflessly and anonymously to victims of the typhoons, raising millions of Pesos in a
matter of hours. As the country celebrated National Heroes Day in December 30, 2004, the
phenomenon was cited in the Editorial of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Donate-a-load would
later be mobilized again for victims of the Great Asian Tsunami with the UNICEF as
beneficiary.

In June 2008, Mendiola was inducted as Governor of the Philippine National Red Cross with the
specific mission to wield technology to advance the cause of the humanitarian organization.

“This is remembering and going back to my roots for me. As volunteer No. 001 at Subic of then
SBMA Chief Richard Gordon in 1992, we had little more than our idealism to try and make the
former US Naval facility, play a key role in RP’s bid to become an Asian Tiger,” said Mendiola.
[1]

“A sound sense of providing a valuable service has always fired us up at Chikka. As for me, I
feel that I’ve paid my dues to corporate business, and the Red Cross has given me this
opportunity now to re-channel my energies, to wield best practices in technology towards
relieving extremely urgent humanitarian crises happening everywhere in the world today,”
Mendiola added.[2]

For inspiring technological innovations that have translated to valuable services for the Global
Filipino, and put the Philippines on the map as a global hub for mobile applications
development, he had been cited through 2006 and 2007 by:
 • Ernst and Young as Entrepreneur of the Year (2006)

• The Go Negosyo Movement of the Presidential Adviser for

Entrepreneurship as one of the Ten Most Inspiring techno
entrepreneurs (2007)

• The Philippine Marketing Association for the Agora Asia-Pacific

Marketing Excellence Award (2007)

• Junior Chamber International Philippines as one of the country’s

Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM)

[edit] Chief Imagination Officer

Even as CEO of Chikka, Mendiola has always been referred to more as the company’s “Chief
Imagination Officer” and de facto Head of Product Development. From 2000 to 2008 he had
pushed for various versions of the Chikka Text Messenger and scores of mobile applications that
“text-enabled” every conceivable aspect of daily life from commercial transactions to finding
dates, from entertainment to prayer. So compelling were some of these services that “warring”
executives from competing mobile networks once found themselves “breaking bread” at no less
than the house of the Archbishop of Manila (the Philippines is 95% Roman Catholic) to jointly
launch Chikka’s “Catextism.”

But real testament to Mendiola’s innovative are eleven (11) patents filed; 34 applications
granted; over 40 applications pending for Chikka’s various mobile communications related
products covering 24 countries.

[edit] Educational and Professional History

Mendiola attended primary and secondary schooling at the Ateneo De Manila before heading to
the US for college.
He graduated double summa cum laude with degrees in BS Economics (Wharton) and BS
Electrical Engineering (Moore) from the University of Pennsylvania, and later earned his MBA
from the Harvard Business School in 1995. He was gainfully employed through 1992 to 1997 as
a consultant and investment banker at such institutions as McKinsey Consulting, Morgan Stanley
and Bankers Trust, at some of the world’s most important financial capitals.

Twice however, country beckoned: Early in 1992 to volunteer at the Subic Bay Metropolitan
Authority in order to attract international investments in the former US Naval Base, and give the
country new hope of joining the ranks of Asian Tigers; and then again in 1996, to form Next
Century Partners, a venture capital firm that would call the attention of more international
investors to more investment opportunities in the country.

The emerging “New Economy” also beckoned to Mendiola, firing up a new passion. He saw an
opportunity in marrying Instant Messaging, wildly popular among a global Internet community,
and in text messaging, the rage in this part of the world. It was an ambitious project, requiring
intricate solutions to cater to the habits of what was even then, the most advanced “texting”
culture in the world, Filipinos.

In 2001, Mendiola, together with a group of young entrepreneurs, responded to the challenge of
creating a messaging solution that would withstand SMS volume in a country sending 30 million
messages daily, and claiming the title ‘Text Capital of the World.’ Mendiola launched the
Chikka Text Messenger, the world’s first instant messenger with integrated mobile features via
SMS, beating world players such as AOL, Yahoo and MSN to probably the world’s most
coveted mobile messaging market.

The Chikka Text Messenger became an integral part of Filipinos’ lives everywhere, including
overseas Filipino workers, and a diverse online community that quickly embraced and enjoyed
Chikka for its ease of use and reliable mobile connectivity.

Since the launch of the messenger, Mendiola spearheaded the creation of various wireless
applications, including a prolific line of mobile messaging solutions. Distinguished by their high
and universal utility, Chikka’s services include: mobile IM and email easily accessed and
managed via SMS, mobile payment systems utilizing call credits, Free-Reply SMS that aids
prepaid subscribers in need of “top-up,” mobile-enabled auctions and matchmaking, and the
most relevant, informative and entertaining text, voice and visual mobile content.

Mendiola has led Chikka and the Philippines to become a world-class mobile applications
services provider.

[edit] Personal Life

Mendiola is currently in a relationship with Kara David, a Filipino journalist who currently
works for GMA Network as one of the presenters of i-Witness and host of OFW Diaries. They
first met during the awarding ceremonies of The Outstanding Young Men Awards by Junior
Chamber International Philippines at Malacañang Palace in 2007, where both of them were co-
honorees.

Manuel V. Pangilinan (born July 14, 1946 in Manila, Philippines), also known as Manny
Pangilinan and MVP, is a Filipino businessman. He is the Chairman of the Philippine Long
Distance Telephone Company, from 1990 up to the present. Pangilinan spent his elementary and
high school days at San Beda College. He graduated cum laude from the Ateneo de Manila
University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. He received his MBA degree in 1968
from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.[2].He is also the owner of ABC/TV5
network, Cignal Digital TV and Smart Communications. He was the former Chairman of the
Board of Trustees of Ateneo de Manila University.
Contents
[hide]

• 1 Current investments
• 2 2010 Ateneo commencement
address
• 3 Company Ownership
• 4 North Harbor Management
• 5 Meralco Leadership
• 6 References

• 7 External links

[edit] Current investments

Manuel V. Pangilinan, founded First Pacific in 1981 and served as its Managing Director until
1999. He was appointed as Executive Chairman until June 2003, when he was named CEO and
Managing Director. Within the First Pacific Group, he holds the positions of President
Commissioner of P.T. Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk, the largest food company in Indonesia. He
was named Chairman of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), after serving as
its President and CEO until February 2004. He also serves as Chairman of Maynilad Water
Services, Inc., Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation, Medical Doctors, Inc., Metro Pacific
Investments Corporation, Landco Pacific Corporation, Pilipino Telephone Corporation, and
Smart Communications, Inc.

[edit] 2010 Ateneo commencement address

An editor has expressed a concern that this article lends undue weight to
certain ideas, incidents, controversies or matters relative to the article
subject as a whole. Please help to create a more balanced presentation.
Discuss and resolve this issue before removing this message. (August 2010)

During the Ateneo de Manila University graduation rites on March 26 and 27, 2010, Pangilinan
was invited to deliver a speech for the graduating class, after being awarded an honorary degree
in recognition of his services and contributions to the University. The speeches caused
controversy as various parts of them were found to have been lifted from similar graduation
speeches made by Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, JK Rowling, and Conan O'Brien.[3][4][5]
Pangilinan openly admitted to the act in a written apology to Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, SJ,
President of the Ateneo de Manila University, and offered to resign from his official duties in the
Ateneo out of "deep personal embarrassment." [6] Fr. Nebres's immediate reaction was not to
accept Pangilinan's resignation, but to defer judgment to his board.[7]
[edit] Company Ownership
President/CE
Company Position Share
O

Napoleon L.
PLDT (MY DSL) Chairman 100%
Nazareno

Associated Broadcasting MediaQuest Holdings, Rey C.

Chairman
Company (TV5) Inc.100% Espinoza

SMART Telecommunications Napoleon L.

Chairman 100%
(SMART BUDDY) Nazareno

Rey C.
ePLDT Ventus Inc. Chairman 100%
Espinoza

PLDT
President
Meralco 26.7%/MPIC/PilTel
and CEO
Group total 40% above

Stradcom International ePLDT 9.5%=172.8

Chairman
Holdings Inc. million [8]

Cure Inc. (Connectivity

Unlimited Resource Enterprise, Chairman 100% Eric O. Recto
Inc.)(RED MOBILE)

Chairman
Fr. Aloysius
San Beda College Board Of
Maranan, OSB,
Trustees

First Pacific Company Ltd.[9] Chairman

MediaQuest Holdings,
Cignal Digital TV Chairman
Inc.

Pilipino Telecommunication
Napoleon L.
Corporation Piltel (TALK N' Chairman Smart Tel. 99.5%
Nazareno
TEXT)

Metro Pacific
First Pacific Tollways
Chairman Investment
Corporation
Corporation

Metro Pacific Investment

Chairman
Corporation
[edit] North Harbor Management

The management of Manila North Harbor is under the Harbour Port Inc., a joint venture of
Harbour Port Terminal Inc., of Reghis Romero II and Metro Pacific Investment Corporation of
Manny V. Pangilinan[10].

[edit] Meralco Leadership

Manny Pangilinan is planning to build a sky-way connecting North Luzon Expressway and
South Luzon Expressway, however all of this are merely proposals through his company, the
Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation. Pangilinan-led company Metro Pacific Investment
Corporation had invested in different utility companies in the Philippines such as Makati
Medical Center in Makati City, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Davao Doctor's Hospital in
Davao City, Maynilad a water utility system serving eastern Metro Manila and the biggest
competitor of Manila Waters Incorporated a Ayala-led company which is serving the western
part of the metro., Manila North Harbour Management, Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation, and
Meralco or Manila Electric Company a Lopez-led Company which is reported that effective on
July 1, 2010, Manuel V. Pangilinan is the new President and Chief Executive Officer of the
company while Manolo Lopez is the chairman. MVP owns more than 40% of Meralco through
PLDT/MPIC/ and Piltel Group with Ramon S. Ang, the President and CEO of San Miguel
Corporation, who also has a 27% share of the company. Meralco has announced that on the next
season of PBA or Philippine Basketball Association they will include their second team after
Talk 'N Text.[11]

William Torres

Profile.
Bill Torres is the president and co-founder of MosCom Internet
(together with Dr. William Gan). He is also the current chief
executive of the Philippine Internet Service Organization (PISO). But
his commitment to the development of the local Internet scene
didn't start there but goes way, way back.

"I was there at the very beginning when it all came up," he said.
Bill's affair with IT started in 1966 when he was chosen and sent on
a Fulbright Hays grant to pursue a graduate's degree in computer
science in the United States. "I was the first Filipino to obtain a Ph.D.
in computer science." In the Cory Aquino government years (1986-
1992), he was appointed as the managing director of the National
Computer Center (NCC) and chaired the Information Technology
Coordinating Council (now called the National Information
Technology Council or NITC).
Why he's influential. The Internet's
10 Most Influential
What he and others consider as his greatest Filipinos
contribution in the industry happened in 1992
when he initiated the first informal negotiations The Survey
with the US National Science Foundation to
bring the Internet to the Philippines. He was • Manny Amador
• Jim Ayson
also the first to approach government agencies
• Fernando
to sponsor the project. "During those years the Contreras
government had very little money, fortunately • Joel Disini
there were other people like Ricardo Gloria and • Willy Gan
William Padolina who believed as I did that we • Ken Ilio
• William Padolina
should not wait to get the Internet into our • William Torres
country," he said. Today, his pioneering efforts • Leandro Verceles
have earned the unofficial title among his Jr.
circles as "the father of Philippine Internet," and • Rodolfo Villarica
said he has no qualms about the results. "I
believe the industry is enjoying a healthy
growth in our country despite many difficulties (i.e., very expensive
leased lines and dial-up lines) and uncertainties (metering,
convergence policy issues, e-commerce, etc.)."

Visions for the Net.

"The Internet will be the main information and communication
system for the world and for our country." 1966 to 1999 seems to be
such a long time to be in the business, and we wondered if this has
tired or hindered him from playing in a field dominated mostly by a
younger lot. "Not at all," he said.

"What is perceived by most are the actions, events, happenings and

implementation, but few ever notice and experience the visioning,
planning, study, negotiating and startup. I was there at the
beginning when the opportunity came up and I was prepared to
explore it!"

MANILA, Philippines—Morph Labs Inc., a Cebu City-based world leader in Software as a

Service (SaaS) operations, announced Monday that Orlando Vea, Lorenzo Tan and Martin
Lichauco had been notified of their nomination to its board.

Vea is the founder and currently chief wireless adviser of Smart Communications Inc., a unit of
Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT). He is also president and chief executive of
MediaQuest Holdings Inc., where he is responsible for the PLDT group’s initiatives in traditional
and new media platforms.

Tan is president and chief executive of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) and vice
chairman of RCBC Savings Bank. He is also a director of RCBC Bankard, Great Pacific Life and
Smart Communications.

Lichauco is managing director of AO Capital Partners Ltd., an investment and financial advisory
services firm. He has 14 years of private equity and venture capital experience and is a member
of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) in the US.

The three executives are expected to be formally elected to the Morph board this week, Morph
Labs said.

The company has filed its registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission
and its listing application with the Philippine Stock Exchange in preparation for an initial public
offering of stock in the second quarter.

Morph Labs is a leading enabler of SaaS for Web applications. The Morph AppSpace service
allows developers to quickly deploy applications into an enterprise quality on-demand
environment