Whadup. You’re invited to the Entrepreneur’s first Networking Night for the year. And since the April issue is The Big Food Issue, our guest speakers will also come from the food industry: food blogger Anton Diaz (www.ourawesomeplanet.com), restaurateur Anabelle Wisniewski of Raintree Restaurant, and Chef Tony Elepano of Chef Tony’s Popcorn.

Attended the launch of Cordlife the other day the UP Ayala Technohub in Quezon City. It’s the Philippines’ first cord blood processing and cryopreservation facility, where clients can have their baby’s umbilical cordblood containing stem cells stored for later use. Cord blood stem cells can help treat more than 80 diseases such as lymphoma and leukemia. Amazing.

CordLife was established in May 2001 as the first private cord blood bank in Singapore and among the first in Asia. CordLife collects, processes and stores cord blood stem cells, which may later become potential source material for life-saving treatments.

Headquartered in Singapore, CordLife owns the largest network of private cord blood banks with facilities in Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, China and the latest facility in the Philippines. It also has marketing offices in Macau and Thailand. CordLife is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange under the symbol, CBB.

As of December 2009, over 25,000 families have entrusted their baby’s cord blood stem cells with CordLife Group.

In the CordLife laboratory at the UP-Ayala Technohub, they can house up to 20,000 cord blood samples. Here the laboratory technician prepares the cord blood for processing.

Cord blood can be collected from the umbilical cord which is usually thrown away following the delivery of the baby. It does not interfere with or obstruct the birthing procedure, and pose no risk to mother or child.

The blood bag is CordLife’s preferred method of cord blood collection, as this method has been proven to provide a simple and straight forward system, while drastically reducing the chance of contamination.

A CordLife qualified representative will retrieve the child’s collected cord blood after birth for processing and cryopreservation at CordLife’s facility

The first transplant using umbilical cord blood was in 1998 for a boy with Fanconi’s Anemia. Since then, approximately 14,000 cord blood transplants have been performed for over 80 different diseases. These transplants are done for the same indications as bone marrow transplants, however with cord blood as an alternative source of stem cells.

The processed cord blood passes through the pass box, directly into the cryopreservation laboratory for freezing down and preservation. The laboratory is equipped with controlled rate freezers that freeze the cord blood unit down gradually, preventing any damage.

The temperature for cryopreservation is kept at below -165°C. The tanks are directly attached to liquid nitrogen supply tanks that automatically top-up liquid nitrogen as needed.

Today there are over 160 private cord blood banks worldwide that cryogenically preserve newborn babies’ cord blood stem cells for parents in case the need arises in the future.

CordLife Medical Philippines, Inc.: Unit 101, Building H, U.P.-AyalaLand Technohub, Commonwealth Ave, Diliman, Quezon City, 1101 Philippines

It’s every child’s dream to jump into a pool of foam. I didn’t get to do it, but the experience I had was close enough.

Together with other people from the press, I was recently invited to visit the 60,00 square-meter factory of Uratex in Muntinlupa City. Uratex is the leading foam manufacturer in the Philippines. They started making foam in 1968 and have since grown and expanded. Today, Uratex’s world-class foam products—from really comfortable mattresses and pillows, to kitchen sponges and car seats—have permeated almost every Filipino home and have thus become a successful local brand.

The plant tour was especially interesting as they showed us how they made foam. It was, in a word, magic.

This is their research and development department. I know this because they’re wearing stereotypical pristine white lab coats. Here they formulate the specific foam mixtures to create specific foam products. I never thought foam was this complicated.

Here they burn the foam to test its flammability (or lack thereof). It’s important because a burning bed or pillow in your house is simply unacceptable. In another station they pull foam apart to test its strength. One girl’s job is to bounce a metal ball all day to test the foam’s “bounciness.” They’re serious about their foam.

After getting the perfect foam formula, they proceed to create the foam. And it all starts out in liquid form. The Hennecke–the foam-making machine they imported from Germany–is the source of everything. Streams of chemicals are sprayed using computer controlled metering pumps on a paper-covered conveyor belt. The smell is awesome, like permanent marker and candy.

As the belt and the paper move along the length of the machine, the liquid spreads and forms into a thin layer. Through an exothermic process, the less than one centimeter of liquid slowly rises as it goes through the machine. And this is the magic part–in less than two minutes all that turns into this…

A warm block of foam about a meter high emerges at the end of the line. It’s already safe to touch, but on the surface it’s still a bit moist.

The foam is then cut into 30-meter blocks for easy handling. At this point the outside of the foam block is already dry, but the inside is still warm and wet. The foam, i mean.

A giant crane then picks up the 30-meter block of foam and lays it down in a warehouse for curing. The foam block sits there for 24 hours until it cools down. After that they proceed to cutting the foam into the specific product it was designed to be. It can become a mattress,  a piece of kitchen sponge, or even the 1mm foam disk you see inside a hard drive. Uratex makes those as well.

Foam! They make bra padding too. So the next time you see a bra, imagine that a worker at Uratex had, at one point, his hands all over your underwear.

I’ve been doing a fro-yo story for an upcoming issue. Tried them all in a span of two weeks. If you want something sweet that still has that tart yogurt flavor, I’d recommend The White Hat. Plus, it’s a local company.

On Saturday, February 13, 2010, the Ateneo Blue Eagles will team-up with AHON (Acts of Hope for the Nation) Foundation and The White Hat–Italian Frozen Yogurt to show their love towards Filipino public school students. Together, they will raise as much money as they can by selling & serving authentic Italian frozen yogurt at The White Hat’s Shangrila store. TWH has pledged to donate half of the entire day’s sales to AHON Foundation who, in turn will use the money to build more libraries for public schools to raise literacy rates among the poor.

According to AHON Foundation, more than 90% of our students currently study in public schools, but only 10% of the 37,000 public schools have adequate libraries. This is then the mission of AHON, to inspire future leaders of our country by making sure they are literate. AHON has already helped build 30 libraries, the latest one in Pateros (Sto. Rosario Elementary School) which luckily escaped the wrath of typhoon Ondoy.

On the other hand, the Ateneo Blue Eagles have generously agreed to volunteer themselves as guest celebrities in The White Hat’s Celebrity-For-Charity event whereby customers get served the best-tasting frozen yogurt by celebrities. To make the event even more fun, customers who buy yogurt on this day can have souvenir photos taken and even ask the Blue Eagles to autograph memorabilia on the spot.

A week before I started working, I was lucky enough to be given a free media pass to last year’s Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival at the Cultural Center. The only requirement was that I watch every movie. I was more than happy to oblige. I would trek to the CCP every morning, shuttle between screenings (sometimes run), and go home late at night satisfied and with a lingering headache from staring at a screen the whole day. That’s my version of a movie marathon. And I did that for six days. My finally tally was 22 movies.

The Ateneo Video Open, now on its eleventh year, is an annual nationwide film competition open to collegiate-level filmmakers. It’s organized by the Loyola Film Circle, the Ateneo de Manila University’s premiere film organization.

The event aims to highlight the effective use of aesthetically pleasing films as media for social discourse. There are four categories: short narrative, music video, documentary, and experimental.

Screenings of entries will be on the weekends of February and March. Venues will be announced. The competition will end in an awards night where cash prizes await the winners of each category judged by renowned persons in the field of film and art.

Visit the official website: http://ateneovideoopen11.multiply.com to view the rules, regulations and mechanics. Application forms are also available in the website. Deadline of entries is on January 22. 2010.

For inquiries, contact the AVO Team at ateneovideoopen11@yahoo.com and at ateneovideoopen11@gmail.com, 0916-228-45-67 or 0917-327-70-55.

Held at The Loft @ Manansala in Rockwell, Makati City, the country’s top ten entrepreneurs of the past year were recognized in Entrepreneur Philippines annual Entrepreneur 10 Awards Night 2009 last December 15.

In what has been—to say the least—a challenging year not only for business-owners but for all Filipinos, the night was a farewell to the year that was and a glimpse of hope into the next year. While to have survived the past year is an achievement in itself, to have gone way and above the rest deserves a very classy AVP with a kick-ass soundtrack–not a business term, but that succinctly sums everything up.

10 Outstanding Entrepreneurs of 2009

The seventh batch of Entrepreneur 10 winners are Patricia Besinga of Prestige Labels Co., they provide affordable R&D for start-up businesses; Junie del Mundo of EON Stakeholder Relations Firm, he has managed to transform the PR scene with his “stakeholder” concept; Benjamin Liuson of The Generics Pharmacy, he has over 600 outlets all over the country; Roberto Locsin of Locsin International, am uber-successful furniture exporter; Jerry Perez de Tagle of Integrative Learning International Inc., a genius; Jovita Romero, co-owner of Danilyn’s Enterprises, also exports furniture; Dr. Vivian Sarabia of Vivian Sarabia Optical, eyewear outfitter to the stars; Edgar Injap Sia of Mang Inasal, `nuff said; Carson Tan of Aquabest, `nuff said; and Kerwin Tansekiao of Jimini Foods and Pizza Pedrico’s, ’nuff said.

Before the night ended, Entrepreneur 10 awardee, Jerry Perez de Tagle spoke on behalf of his fellow winners, summing it up succinctly, “We all followed our DAD: pursued our dream, took action, and had discipline.”

Check out www.entrepreneur.com.ph for more on the event.

Entrepreneur 10 Awards Night 2009 was co-presented by Globe Business, Nokia, and Western Union.

Monday was a national holiday. But instead of spending the day at home I found myself getting up from bed at five in the morning for a whole-day seminar in Manila. I only wake up early for very few things: work, a book sale, or if my room is on fire. Seminars aren’t my thing. The idea of having someone say, “This is what you should do” doesn’t appeal to me. I’d prefer to just do it myself. This seminar was different.

Known as the most in-demand business workshop in Asia, Rich Dad Asia was hosted by Bellum Tan, once a student of, and now colleague of business genius Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad and other hugely popular books on how to make money. He’s also the creator of Cashflow, a boardgame designed to teach you accounting, investing, and finance while you play. My concept of finance is not spending my paycheck on a new pair of shoes. Their concept of finance involves investing in stocks and property.

Up until a few years ago, I had absolutely no idea who Tan or Kiyosaki was. A friend of mine was obsessed with the “Rich Dad” philosophy. He read the books, bought the boardgame (which costs about 20 thousand Pesos), and became a hermit. I was skeptical. But in our third year in college, that friend earned his first million.

The organizers of Rich Dad Asia gave several complimentary tickets to Entrepreneur. Now who am I to say no to a gift?

The first half of the seminar was spent talking about Kiyosaki’s business philosophy. And one of the things Tan pointed out was something he called the “Rich Dad Financial Warning.” In 2002, Robert Kiyosaki published in his book several predictions on the future of business around the world. In it he predicted the collapse of big financial institutions like Lehman Brothers and AIG. Unless you’ve been in a comatose for the past six months, you’ll know that in September of last year, global financial-services firm Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy (the largest in US history) and, AIG, United States’ largest multi-line insurance company, requested for a bailout of (as of October 2008) more than $90 billion. The effect of those events was global and the phrase, “global financial crisis” has since become part of pop culture. People called Kiyosaki crazy. Now he’s a god.

Rich Dad Financial Warning

• All currencies will eventually go to zero.
• You can’t depend on saving for your retirement.
• After the recession, the greatest opportunity to invest is right now.
• Your greatest expenses in life will be paying your taxes, paying off debts, inflation, and preparing for your retirement,
• The rich will get richer while the middle class and the poor will be gone.
• The Dollar will crash.
• Cash is the worst place to put money.
• Change your mindset about money by being financially educated.
• The friends you have will determine your financial future.
• It would be wise to invest in the following: gold, silver, and real estate.

The next three hours were then spent playing Cashflow. It’s similar to Monopoly but not really. There are no Get Out Of Jail cards, but you can get downsized. You don’t claim $200 from the bank every time you pass by start, but earn a monthly paycheck. There are no houses or hotels to put up, but stocks and properties to invest in. You have to diligently maintain a balance sheet of your debits and credits so stealing from the bank isn’t an option. You may, however, take out a loan. There’s no such thing as Boardwalk, but buying a two by three bedroom sounds even better as long as the cashflow is good, the return on investment is reasonable, and the downpayment is low.

I generally like money, especially if it’s my own. If there’s one thing I learned from the seminar, it’s that money isn’t everything, it’s a lot. Still, it’s just a piece of paper.

From serial-entrepreneur, Lex Ledesma, founder of The One School and the School of Fashion and the Arts (SoFA).

November 21-22, 2009
T-Shirt Design by AJ Dimarucot: Winner of the prestigious international t-shirt design contest, Design By Humans

December 5-6, 2009
Silk Screening by Team Manila: The group that has helped to bring t-shirt design and production to the next level
Music Video Production by Marie Jamora: MTV Pilipinas Best Director
Film Production by Raymond Red: Winner of the Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival

December 12-13, 2009
Music Packaging Design bu Inksurge: Behind the packaging of Sandwich, Taken By Cars, Rico Blanco, Pupil, Sugarfee and more
Basic Animation by Ricky Orellana: Winner of the Best Documentary at the 13th Gawad CCP Awards and Head of the Audiovisual Archives of the Mowelfund Film Institute

With the Pacquiao-Cotto fight, today is the best day to go out as the streets will be deserted like it’s the end of the world. See you at the iBlog Summit.

Image Nation Holiday Sale at Cel Manila 2009
November 13-15, 2009
World Trade Center, Pasay City

What is CEL Manila?

It’s the biggest electronics show in the country that brings together all the latest gadgets under one roof.

What makes it bigger and better than last year’s?

The products were just on display last year. This year, you will get the chance to see, test, and buy the latest gadgets.

What are some of the interesting things we’ll be seeing at CEL Manila?

• Electric-powered vehicles
• The first dancing iPod speaker (an Ozaki)
• A karaoke microphone system from Memorex that lets you sing along to any song on your iPod or music player
• Dell’s super-thin laptop
• One Philips, a model-sized, fully furnished home that features the latest in Philips technology

What are some of the activities that both techies and non-techies can enjoy at the show?

• Launch of, ehem, Techie.com.ph
• Mini iBlog Summit for aspiring bloggers
• [Get the chance to] watch the Pacquiao-Cotto fight live
• A demo by the Philippine Robotics Team
• Techno-Anime Cosplay Contest

Drop by CEL Manila 2009 at the World Trade Center, Financial Center Area, Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue corner Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City this weekend.

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Toys R Us Big Toy Sale at Cel Manila 2009
November 13-15, 2009
World Trade Center, Pasay City

The place is five minutes away from the Summit Media office. I plan on going to work extra early.

Anvil Publishing Early Christmas Book Sale
November 17 – December 12, 2009
Monday – Saturday (8am to 9pm)
8007-B Pioneer Street, Brgy. Kapitolyo, Pasig City