Almost 300 Filipino developers, designers, and technopreneurs showcased genuine talent and creativity in developing fresh and novel ideas that can be turned into real, viable businesses during the first-ever Startup Weekend Manila held at the Meridian International College in Fort Bonifacio, a press release from organizers said.

Participants immersed themselves in the three-day, 54-hour event where they shared ideas, formed teams, and built potential startup businesses.

The participants pitched startup ideas, ranging from an online learning tool, a hub for music addicts, a platform for hobbyists, an internet application for farmers, a mobile application that tells you which among the nearby gas stations offer the most affordable fuel prices, among others.

On the second day, teams went into the details of their ideas and started building product prototypes with the help of their respective mentors, the press release said.

On the last day, teams presented their ideas in the form of a short pitch with a panel of judges evaluating their proposals to determine the winners.

HobbyMash was subsequently proclaimed as Startup Weekend Manila winner.

HobbyMash is a social network that connects people according to hobby and location, and allows them to meet up, create groups, collaborate on projects or showoff their collections. The HobbyMash developers will receive $15,000 to help fund their startup project and will participate in the JFDI-SingTel Innov8 Bootcamp in Singapore from January to April 2012, where they will be part of intensive product development training sessions for 100 days together with Startup Weekend teams from Australia, India, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, the press release said.

Startup Weekend is one of the most successful start-up accelerator programs from the United States.

The concept quickly became a global movement to generate breakthrough ideas in communities all over the world, taking digital start-ups businesses from ideas to investment readiness through intensive mentoring from industry experts and access to mobile markets and investors across Asia, the press release said.*

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