Meeting Pinoy techpreneurs

First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos had the chance to meet the people behind one of the Philippines’ most sought-after social media platforms.

In a social media post, Mrs. Marcos shared a photo with the people behind Kumu, a Filipino-owned video sharing and e-commerce social networking platform.

One of the main features of Kumu is its live stream capabilities using a mobile phone which is then used to showcase and sell merchandise. It is widely used by popular brands and known live sellers.

“It was truly a joy to meet the brilliant minds behind Kumu — a proudly Filipino live-streaming platform that has become a fun, safe and uplifting space for our kababayans to connect, create and share their stories with the world,” she said.

Kumu became available to users in 2018 and focused solely on the Filipino market, as the Phillippines is recognized as the social media capital of the world with nearly 87 million active social media users, as of 2024.

This represents 73 percent of the total population of the country. 

In 2020, Kumu was one of the social media platforms that were able to connect Filipinos with one another despite the COVID-19 lockdown.

Users were engaged with various activities such as singing, dancing, and other fun activities.

According to their website, Kumu has been downloaded 10 million times with over 60 million livestreams watched per month.

Reports show Kumu has amassed 10 million users across 55 countries from 2018 to 2023.

Mrs. Marcos praised the Kumu executives underscoring the significance of Pinoy talent, particularly to the global stage.

“What you’ve built goes beyond technology -- it’s a community that empowers, inspires and celebrates Filipino creativity and identity across the globe,” she said.

“Thank you for giving back to the country,” she added.