Wazzup Pilipinas!
“We make documenting life addicting.” With this simple statement, Eric Clark Su sums up what new mobile application Lifebit is all about.
Eric, the co-founder and CEO of Twidle, Inc. which developed Lifebit, wants an exciting and extraordinary mobile diary that is a far cry from the usual tedious type which contributes to about 95 percent of online journals being abandoned in the first four months of use.
Lifebit makes journaling a delight through a game-like system of scoreboards, creative editors, and quests that levels up passion badges.
“We boiled down the essence of the best games, injected it into the old boring journal and came up with an experience – a sort of game layer on top of one’s life. We can capture life’s moments freely through photos, doodles, text, and later on, even through video and link them to Twitter, Facebook, and Tumbler wherever we may be,” said Davao-based Eric who leads a 13-man team.
He added that Lifebit users are also given badges on various life aspects by doing tons of real-world quests such as bungee jumping, scuba diving, sand boarding, among others. Through the various activities in Lifebit, members gain points that put one on top of the scoreboard and make him or her a mini celebrity in social media.
Lifebit does not compete with Facebook and other social networking sites as it sets its eyes on the journaling space where there is no dominant player yet. Although Lifebit has a lofty dream of conquering the world, Eric believes that having a massive community in the Philippines, and later on in other Southeast Asian countries, should be done first before anything else. This is where incubator-accelerator Kickstart Ventures, Inc. steps in.
Kickstart, a wholly-owned subsidiary of leading telecommunications company Globe Telecom, not only provides mentoring and capital assistance but also exposes its portfolio companies to various markets for further funding and experience.
“In the Philippine context, it’s hard to get enough funding to start, or to find people to work with; and large established companies are not configured to do commercial deals with small firms with no track record and thin capitalization. Kickstart develops trusted mentor and business relationships -- bridges to help the startups sign and execute commercial relationships across the region. We have the network and market access from our Kickstart, Globe, SingTel and Ayala relationships, coupled with an authentic partnership with our portfolio company founders,” said Minette Navarrete, President of Kickstart.
Navarrete added that local startups are facing similar challenges that globally-recognized startup founders would have faced in the early days. “If we help build out this more supportive business ecosystem -- bridges all over the world -- why would the next great young innovator, the next Larry Page or Mark Zuckerberg, not come from the Philippines?” she said.
The Lifebit team which will visit Silicon Valley next month as prize from a previous pitching competition has already made the mobile app available for iPhone and android. Although still in Alpha stage, it is expected to smoothen out all the rough spots by next year.
“We all have a single unique life to live. So we built Lifebit for everyone to consistently capture this rare story and present it beautifully as day cards. At Lifebit, we are actually a community of people that have chosen to be proactive about enjoying life,” Eric said.
PHOTO CAPTION: Lifebit founder Eric Clark Su demonstrates how the new mobile diary app works
Lifebit does not compete with Facebook and other social networking sites as it sets its eyes on the journaling space where there is no dominant player yet. Although Lifebit has a lofty dream of conquering the world, Eric believes that having a massive community in the Philippines, and later on in other Southeast Asian countries, should be done first before anything else. This is where incubator-accelerator Kickstart Ventures, Inc. steps in.
Kickstart, a wholly-owned subsidiary of leading telecommunications company Globe Telecom, not only provides mentoring and capital assistance but also exposes its portfolio companies to various markets for further funding and experience.
“In the Philippine context, it’s hard to get enough funding to start, or to find people to work with; and large established companies are not configured to do commercial deals with small firms with no track record and thin capitalization. Kickstart develops trusted mentor and business relationships -- bridges to help the startups sign and execute commercial relationships across the region. We have the network and market access from our Kickstart, Globe, SingTel and Ayala relationships, coupled with an authentic partnership with our portfolio company founders,” said Minette Navarrete, President of Kickstart.
Navarrete added that local startups are facing similar challenges that globally-recognized startup founders would have faced in the early days. “If we help build out this more supportive business ecosystem -- bridges all over the world -- why would the next great young innovator, the next Larry Page or Mark Zuckerberg, not come from the Philippines?” she said.
The Lifebit team which will visit Silicon Valley next month as prize from a previous pitching competition has already made the mobile app available for iPhone and android. Although still in Alpha stage, it is expected to smoothen out all the rough spots by next year.
“We all have a single unique life to live. So we built Lifebit for everyone to consistently capture this rare story and present it beautifully as day cards. At Lifebit, we are actually a community of people that have chosen to be proactive about enjoying life,” Eric said.
PHOTO CAPTION: Lifebit founder Eric Clark Su demonstrates how the new mobile diary app works
Lifebit: Capturing Life’s Moments Via Mobile
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
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