SOCIAL SET

Manila’s digital vanguard

Attendees moved through a dynamic, high-energy venue engineered to showcase the immediate future of local commerce, marking a monumental shift from early-stage enterprise experimentation to full-throttle, market-ready business execution.

Luis Espiritu · Aug 17, 2026, 12:04 AM

THE Department of Trade and Industry, in partnership with the Converge ICT Solutions Inc., opened its highly anticipated flagship AI and Scale-Up Center in Makati. — PHOTOGRAPHS courtesy of DTI/Converge ICT Solutions Inc.

Go Digital Philippines chairman; Gorriceta Africa Cauton and Saavedra chairman and managing partner; and Global AI Council Philippines co-founder Atty. Mark S. Gorriceta.

Teach for the Philippines co-founder and vice chairman Margarita Delgado.

Kings Group of Companies executive director Camille Makasiar and Kings Group of Companies director Neil Makasiar.

The DTI Filinvest Building in Makati transformed into a bustling epicenter of innovation last 11 August, as the Department of Trade and Industry, alongside Converge ICT Solutions Inc., officially cut the ribbon on its highly anticipated flagship AI and Scale-Up Center. The launch event served as the grand realization of a strategic digital pact signed back in November 2025, drawing an elite gathering of startups, local enterprise leaders, and policy architects under the banners of the Tatak Pinoy Strategy and the Philippine Innovation Act. Attendees moved through a dynamic, high-energy venue engineered to showcase the immediate future of local commerce, marking a monumental shift from early-stage enterprise experimentation to full-throttle, market-ready business execution.

Catz Jalandoni and Melvin Mangada.

Clara Hagedorn, Philip Hagedorn, CEO, ATRAM Asset and Wealth Management, president and CEO, Wildflour Hospitality Group Ana de Ocampo and Techie Hagedorn.

Raffy Bariso, Raymund Sison, Alan Fontanilla and Kit Disini.

KC Montero, vice president of Marketing and head of Content, KUMU, Susie Quiros, Mia Borromeo and Julie Boschi.

Ada Marchadesch, Leo Capinpin and Lee Abadia.

The energy of the inaugural day centered around interactive, live demonstration zones where guests experienced real-time artificial intelligence workflows and collaborative spaces, including a premier Converge Booth and specialized Accelerator Pods. Industry pioneers and tech providers took center stage, hosting hands-on workshops and live consultation sessions to give visiting entrepreneurs a firsthand look at customized digital tools. As the doors officially opened to the public, the event concluded with the immediate rollout of technical consultation schedules and scaling programs, establishing the center not just as a static facility, but as a living, breathing launchpad for the next generation of competitive Filipino businesses.

DTI Assistant Secretary Nylah Rizza D. Bautista, Converge ICT Solutions Inc. CEO and co-founder Dennis Uy, DTI Secretary Cristina A. Roque and SVP and head of SME Group Dindo Marzan.

ETX Ph founder and CEO Rico Bautista and GMA New Media Inc. president and chief operating officer Dennis Augusto L. Caharian.