IndieCo

EP #1 | Alexandro "Xandro" Khemlani, Co-Founder & CEO of TaskMango: On Creating Opportunities for the Filipino People

The wait is finally over! Here is our first episode of the year featuring Alexandro "Xandro" Khemlani. Xandro is the Co-founder and CEO of TaskMango— a company that “sources top remote talent from the Philippines to help one grow their team.” It aims to relieve the intricate and complex processing of not only searching but also hiring and negotiating potential employees from the Philippines. It is available to international prospects looking into the Philippines' talent pools. In turn, it also provides a wider range of opportunities for Filipino professionals.

He specializes in Management (Project & Operations) and is very well-versed in Marketing. He is also an Accounts Director in 5th P Advertising which is a highly dynamic organization that aims to provide excellent marketing, advertising, promotions, and research services to individuals and institutions which require such. 5th P Advertising has had over two decades of experience, handling over 100 brands with 500+ projects completed. It continues to accomplish more and receive testimonials from satisfied clients.

In this feature episode, Xandro talks about the roots of TaskMango and how their journey has been as a startup company. Was there a certain “lightbulb” moment for him? How is TaskMango unique compared to similar companies? He also highlights the creativity and passion that the core team of TaskMango exerted to establish and create a name for themselves in the headhunting industry. Just like any other startup, he reflects on the challenges and setbacks that TaskMango had to endure in its first years. Acknowledging this, he shares a Cinderella story on how they were able to recover after hitting rock bottom in their operations, proving that there’s no way to go but up. Such adjustments benefitted not only the company’s success but also individual progress as well.

In line with this, he discusses the product roadmap that TaskMango is currently focusing on, to provide sounder working environments and opportunities for its peers in the next few months. Having the international scene as their primary audience, TaskMango pushes for fair working compensation for professionals to break the stigma that Filipinos are “cheap”. With such advocacies and success, Xandro shares his most notable takeaways from his experiences for young and aspiring entrepreneurs to learn from.

EP #2 | Jason Deniega and Dan Arambulo of Lyon, on the Art of Building a Successful Online Platform for Virtual Learning

In this episode, we feature yet another successful company that sparks inspiration in aspiring startup founders. Lyon Co-founder and CEO Jason Deniega with Business Development Executive Dan Arambulo talk about building their Brainspace Venture to life. From financially bleeding for their startup, walking for an hour to meet investors, to convincing each other to pivot, they went through it all. Now, at four years old, Lyon is a force to reckon with, backed by big-time angel investors and VCs from all around the world.

Jason and Dan reminisce about their humble beginnings with Lyon, how they met and how the idea of creating an online space for learning came about. How long did it take them to conceptualize Lyon? What are the steps that they took to successfully launch their idea? What challenges did they face as a startup company? The two share about how they were able to overcome hindrances brought by the pandemic during the early years of Lyon. 

Fast forward to 2022, Lyon is slowly emerging as one of the top platforms for online learning, content creators, and businesses that are heavy on virtual setups. However, their success was not always an upward slope as problems in their strategy cannot be avoided. Despite this, Jason, as the CEO, makes sure he does his role as the vision setter to find ways to work around tremors encountered along the way. After their affiliation with Brainsparks, they were able to expand their horizons and boost the competency of their startup. Telling their notable experiences with Brainsparks brought them closer to their connection with their own company. They also share some recommendations on how to maximize startup ideas, and how to make them work from the ground up. 

Tune in as Jason and Dan talk more about their visions as they continue to improve Lyon’s usability and introduce new concepts that could change the way we see virtual service forever. 

EP #3 | Roland Ros, Founder and CEO of Kumu on Building What Could be the First Filipino Unicorn Company

Roland Ros is the founder of KumuMedia Technologies, a live stream technology company for over 10+ million GenZ & Millennial Filipinos. Since its launch in 2018, Kumu has reached the #1 Grossing Social App in the Philippines. It has also cracked the Top 10 in Canada, Hong Kong, Kuwait, UK, and Norway, as well as the Top 20 in several other markets like the United States, Saudi Arabia, Italy, and Australia. He also currently serves as an investor and advisor for several start-ups; and is passionate about helping others. 

Prior to KumuMedia Technologies, Roland was Vice President of Spark Revenue, an Inc. 500 listed performance marketing & growth acquisition platform. Roland started his career as a Business Development Associate with GE Money Bank, overseeing a $400 million book of business. Roland will also be one of our panel participants for our event this January 31, 2022, so make sure to register below.  

About our partner, the University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level. This year's BBB will be held on March 5 and 6, 2022 (Saturday and Sunday) and will cover the following topics: business planning, digital marketing, brand positioning, finance and accounting, legal matters, and corporate social responsibility.

In this episode, Roland tells us about his early influences in life, explaining how he sees the needs of the world first before his own. Thanks to his mother, he was able to explore greater horizons and have a good foundation in his career. His unwavering nationalism continues to drive him to become better and grow more as a Filipino. He also had early exposure to the business culture in the country which prompted him to be part of the growing technological ecosystem. With this, he mentions that one of his goals is to find passionate Filipinos all around the world that can help in sustaining the advancements of the country. 

Driven by market trends, Roland hopes that Kumu (short for Kumusta) grows to become a company as large as Apple or Ayala Corp. As a technology-based platform, he believes that conglomerate companies must be treated as partners rather than competitors, given the difference in target market and strategies used in their businesses. This brings better enterprise value and offers more content to users worldwide, which then translates to more funding and financial returns for them. Given that business is not always an upward slope, Roland also unfolds the challenges that Kumu has experienced over the years, and how they were able to resolve these issues.

As the founder, he envisions the platform to be more than just an app—but a medium for change and communication to bring people closer together, one Filipino at a time.

EP #4 | Cliff Eala, Founder and Serial Entrepreneur, on Work and Life Design "That Gets You Out of Bed" for Entrepreneurs

For this episode, we invited tech entrepreneur and author, Cliff Eala, to share with us some valuable insights regarding his platform, Synerbyte Limited which launched Life and Work Design. Life Design is an iterative process to understand yourself, challenge and reframe beliefs and assumptions about your life and work, and try new ways of living and working that are more attuned to your happiness. In this conversation with Cliff, we explore how the life design process and how it applies specifically to startup founders. 

His company provides last-mile delivery optimization with big data and AI. They also offer energy efficiency technology solutions for commercial and industrial customers across Asia. These include smart optimization for large HVAC systems using AI, IOT alert systems, intelligent lighting, and smart voltage control. 

Prior to this, he founded and managed a software company, and sold it to a VC fund in 2007. He sits on the Board of software company Magenic and was Senior Partner at AI consulting firm ADDO AI. He is an innovation consultant, with exposure in telecom, banking, healthcare, and supply chain. He is also a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional and a software technology resource person. Cliff is the author of the book Sh*tty Places & Selfish People: 7 Rules of Engagement. 

Cliff opens about how Life Design is imperative in the development of oneself, a process that helps us redesign our lives and gives us a better track of our goals and achievements. He also gives advice on how a person can discover and work for their passion, especially in entrepreneurship. For him, passion is not the only factor that can help someone reach their dreams, but also the availability of resources (such as skills and capital) and the priorities of a person. Practicality and reality are also a priority when it comes to choosing a career to build. In the context of entrepreneurship, a person cannot simply be a successful businessperson overnight, on the contrary, it would take lots of effort, skills, and management to achieve.

Building a startup requires maximum mental presence, rationality, and positivity. Roland shares some character skills that a good entrepreneur must possess in order to effectively run a company. Being aware of market conflicts is also vital in pronouncing which type of business to prioritize, to have a better tradeoff between available resources. He also emphasizes some must-have founder skills that every entrepreneur needs to be effective in starting their own business. 

EP #5 | Dela Kate: On Achieving Your Dream Body and Developing a Healthy Relationship with Food

In this episode, Health and Fitness Influencer Dela Kate joins us to talk about how important mental health and fortitude play in achieving fitness goals. Dela Kate is most known for being a fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle influencer with more than 240,000 followers on TikTok (as of February 2022). 

On her social media platforms, she promotes an active and healthy lifestyle by offering her followers advice and support. She often talks about the blood, sweat, and tears that she puts in to achieve the great shape she is in today. Dela Kate makes it a point to use her platform to always inspire and motivate her followers with her own story of how, if you set your mind to something, nothing is impossible.

Dela Kate also shares some personal experiences and what motivated her to have a better mindset about her health. She mentions that positive pressure is what keeps her going and that we should value every minute that we have. Adjusting her diet to what her body needs is also a silver lining that she took advantage of to maximize her gains without having to restrict herself too much. Dela Kate finally gives some tips to those starting their fitness journey, emphasizing the fact that goals must be long-term, and there are no shortcuts. 

Now that the pandemic has really stricken most of our fitness goals, it is time to be inspired to get up and move again. It’s not a coincidence that you came across this episode today, go get that beach bod!

EP #6 | Gigiboy Jose: On Learning About the Man Behind the Skits

Gigiboy is a sensational Tiktok and Youtube content creator. On Tiktok, he creates funny and relatable content, and he’s most known for his “POV” or point-of-view videos and skits about student life. On Youtube, he shows another side of himself by showcasing his interests and hobbies through vlogs. 

Today, we also want to show what Gigiboy is like behind the scenes as he’s definitely more than just his skits. He’s here to share some fun facts and stories about his life, and like his videos, provide nothing but laughter and joy to everyone who is listening right now. 

Gigiboy starts by sharing how he started making content on Tiktok, pointing out that it was mostly because of the influence of his friends. He also revealed which among his famous roles is his favorite, explaining that for him it was the most relatable persona. As an influencer, he emphasizes how important it is to be relatable, as he looks up to comedians such as Michael V., who he dubs a “comedic genius”. Skits, over-the-top parodies, and real-life depictions are just some of Gigiboy’s favorite types of comedies, and these are evident in his content. Looking back, he reflected on his past experiences that inspired the characters in his Tiktok videos. 

Asked about his plans after graduating, he says that he will attempt to pursue his dream career, all the while still creating hilarious content for the entertainment of his followers. Lastly, he wraps up by sharing his New Year’s resolutions, and a piece of short advice for aspiring Tiktok content creators.

The IndieCo Debate #1: Can Exes be Friends?

The Indiependent Collective (IndieCo) presents: The very first IndieCo debate where we tackle the question, "Can exes be friends?" For the affirmative team, we have Genilson and Derrick. Meanwhile, for the negative team, we have Raya and Nina. What if the relationship ended one-sidedly? Is there a right time to be friends again? Tune in as they debate it out and find out whether YOU could be friends with your ex.

What about you? What are your thoughts? Let us know by commenting on our episode campaign or by recommending us on Apple Podcasts. We'll get back to you with some cool opportunities and a chance to get featured on the show.

EP #7 | Gianna Abao: On Becoming A Better Version of Yourself

Today, our episode features Gianna Abao. She is a graduate of consular and diplomatic affairs with Latin honors from the De La Salle College of St. Benilde. Her passion for the arts led her to start her venture in content creation and to establish her clothing brand, Touchic.  She aims to deconstruct stereotypes about women and help Filipinas embrace their own bodies by accentuating their best features. She's also a content creator on TikTok with over 400,000 followers creating public speaking, writing, self-help, and motivational content for her TikTok platform.

She will also give us a little insight into what she is like behind the scenes. She's also here to share some fun facts and stories about her life and provide some advice to everyone who listens.

In this episode, Gianna talks about the beginnings of Touchic, and how she was able to convert setbacks into opportunities to express her creativity. She also imparted how important storytelling is in boosting her market, and how her works carry pieces of stories that has made imprints on her life and the lives of others.

The IndieCo Debate #2: Is it Possible to Find Love Online?

The Indiependent Collective proudly presents its second debate, where we delve into the question: "Is it possible to find love online?" Taking the affirmative stance, we have Mickael and Alyssa, who believe that it is possible to find true love online. On the other hand, we have Jean and Cody argue from a negative perspective. Is the digital realm a viable path to true love? Are online connections authentic? Tune in as they engage in a passionate discussion to determine the feasibility of discovering love through online platforms. Explore whether YOU can indeed find love in the virtual world.

Ep #8 | Pio Silva, On Discovering One's Passion to Create and Educate

Pio Silva is a junior at the Ateneo de Manila University taking up BS Management. He has been a video creator since 2015 and garnered a significant following on TikTok in 2020 for spreading awareness about religion and education to his audience. His work transverses topics from the humanities extending towards motivation content and personal development. In today’s podcast, we will get a peek at what his life is like behind the scenes.

The IndieCo Debates #3: Can Friends With Benefits Work

Join us in the third installment of IndieCo Debate as we explore the intriguing question: Can Friends With Benefits truly work? In this thought-provoking discussion, moderated by Natalya Patolot, two contrasting viewpoints collide. Anj, a firm believer in the potential success of friends-with-benefits relationships, goes head-to-head with Kaye, who remains skeptical about the sustainability of such arrangements. Tune in for a lively debate filled with personal anecdotes, insights, and the quest to unravel the complexities of modern relationships. 

Whether you're curious about the dynamics of FWB or simply seeking a fresh perspective on love and intimacy, this episode is bound to spark your interest and challenge your beliefs. Listen now and decide for yourself: Can friends with benefits truly work?

The IndieCo Debate #4: Should you doubt the girl/guy bestfriend in a relationship?

Join us in the fourth episode of The IndieCo Debates as we explore the intriguing question: Is it right to doubt your partner's guy/girl best friend? Today's discussion is moderated by Natalya Patolot. The affirmative will be taken by Sophia and Jez who firmly believe that there's no need to be doubtful of platonic relationships between best friends while Patrick and Sam, remain skeptical about the implications of such relationships. Tune in for a lively debate filled with personal anecdotes, insights, and the quest to unravel the complexities of friendships.

Whether you're curious about the dynamics of male-female best friendships or simply seeking a fresh perspective on platonic relationships, this episode is bound to spark your interest and challenge your beliefs. Listen now and decide for yourself: Should you doubt the girl/guy best friend in a relationship?

Ep #9 | On Succeeding in STEM, Social Media and the Startup World with Natalie Barbu

In this episode, we feature Natalie Barbu, a content creator with over 350,000 YouTube and Instagram followers. She is also an engineering major and the CEO of Rella, a digital workspace for creators to manage and organize their businesses in one place. In today's episode, we will explore how Natalie manages her life and overcoming challenges both in STEM and in the startup world.

The IndieCo Debates #5: Can Men and Women Be Close Platonic Friends?

Welcome to the fifth installment of The IndieCo debates, where we present yet another riveting IndieCo debate, where four people take the stage to tackle whether men and women can be close platonic friends. Join us as we delve into the depths of this age-old conundrum, with Austin and Kriska passionately championing the affirmative side, while Simon bravely defends the negative perspective. Our debaters will dive into the complexities of human relationships, challenging preconceptions and sparking conversations that will leave you pondering the intricacies of friendship like never before.

Tune in to witness a lively exchange of ideas and gain fresh insights on a topic that's as relevant today as it has ever been. Welcome to The IndieCo Debates' latest episode, where we unravel the enigma of platonic friendships.

Ep #10 | Athena Abe On Empowering The Next Generation Through Content Creation

Welcome to a brand new episode of our podcast, where we delve into the captivating world of content creation and its profound impact on educating people about the fascinating realms of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Today, we have a special guest who not only excels in this arena but also champions the cause of education with unparalleled passion and dedication. Join us as we sit down with Athena "Atcha" Abe, a renowned content creator whose work has been transforming the way we engage with STEM subjects, making them accessible, relatable, and undeniably exciting.

Athena's unique approach to content creation stands out as a beacon of knowledge and inspiration. From captivating YouTube videos to engaging social media posts and thought-provoking blog articles, she has harnessed the power of storytelling to ignite the curiosity of learners of all ages. Through her tireless efforts, Athena has not only built a dedicated following but has also become an emblematic figure in the educational space, advocating for the importance of STEM in our ever-evolving world. Join us as we delve deep into Athena's journey, uncovering the driving forces behind her commitment to STEM education, her creative process, and the challenges she's faced along the way.

Ep #11 | Grace David on Owning Your Femininity in a Male-Dominated Field

In this episode tied to the Women's Month Special, we feature the CEO of Edukasyon.ph, Grace David. Edukasyon.ph is a startup that offers an online marketplace to search, compare, and apply to higher-education institutions and online courses; a platform to engage with leading corporations, and foundations, and advice to pursue a successful path from education to career. 

Grace has more than 15 years of experience in brand management, marketing, and sales in local, regional, and global institutions. She is a staunch education advocate, Grace leads Edukasyon.ph into the next phase of youth-centered engagement and product innovation to guide students toward a successful and fulfilling future.

Join us as we embark on an exploration of Grace's journey, discovering the inspiring factors propelling her commitment to advocacy, her inventive approaches, and the challenges she has faced along her path.

The IndieCo Debate #6: Do Looks Matter in a Relationship

In this episode of The IndieCo Debates, which talks about whether looks matter in a relationship. In this episode moderated by Leah Cioco and guested by Ericel Mari who believes that life and love are far beyond what is seen in the surface. To Ericel, love means having a pretty heart, pretty mind and a pretty soul. To represent the affirmative side, Akio will represent the affirmative side. He believes that looks should matter, like all other animals with instincts to go for the beautiful (strong and healthy).

The IndieCo Debate #7: Should Men Pay on the First Date?

Join IndieCo on the seventh episode of The IndieCo Debates, where two guest debaters will talk about whether men are supposed to pay on the first date. This thought-provoking episode will tackle the age-old question: Should men pay for food on the first date? Hosted by Leah Cioco, our guests, Jean Beatrice Biscocho argues for traditional chivalry, while Joana Bartonico challenges the status quo. Tune in for a dynamic conversation that explores dating norms, equality, and the evolving dynamics of modern relationships.