PLDT-SME Nation, TEDx promote nation building with entrepreneurship

MERGING cutting-edge ideas and entrepreneurship, PLDT-SME Nation recently played host to TEDx (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) Fort Bonifacio’s “Imagine-Nation Philippines” for inspiring and informative talks on innovative nation-building held at the STI Academic Center.

With PLDT-SME Nation linked with the generation of ideas and ideas worth spreading—TEDx’s key goal—guests and small-and-medium business owners were treated to inspirational discussions from free thinkers heading the talks.

“PLDT-SME Nation is committed to helping SMEs be successful--but we are also working to encourage the spirit of entrepreneurship among a new generation of entrepreneurs. It’s heartening that we are able to do this by spreading ideas such as that of TEDx,” says PLDT-SME Nation Vice President and Head Kat Luna-Abelarde.
TEDx is an annual international event. Its conferences bring in passionate speakers who are experts on a wide range of topics to inspire more like-minded individuals. CEOs, scientists, creatives, innovators, and philanthropists such as Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Sir Richard Branson, Philippe Starck, and Bono, among its long listing of guest speakers, have participated in TED.

“We have been a fan of TEDtalks and continue to introduce TED to individuals and groups that could most definitely benefit from the ideas presented in the TED events and conferences. Through TED, we help individuals develop an environment of respect for even the most out-of-the-box and absurd ideas via methods such as parallel thinking and play,” says Gene Battung, one of the TEDx Fort Bonifacio organizers.

Leading the discussions were Reyes Barbecue co-owner Inez Reyes, detailing the struggles they went through in turning their business into one of the top franchises in the country.

“Before any business can succeed, an entrepreneur must survive the struggles of that could make or break one’s venture during the start-up stage” says Reyes.