For more information, contact:
Jonas Macapinlac
Director of Integrated Marketing Communications
University of Guam
Tel: (671) 735-2944
Cell: (671) 787-1010
Email: jmac@triton.uog.edu

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A team of budding entrepreneurs from Pohnpei with their business pitch Drop & Drop has been announced the overall winner of this year’s Startup Weekend Micronesia, a three-day entrepreneurial event associated with Google Techstars Startup Weekend. The event was held beyond Guam and Saipan for the first time on seven total Micronesian Islands and organized by Professional Master of Business Administration students from the University of Guam in partnership with the Pacific Islands Small Business Development Center Network.

Drop & Drop is a delivery service for Pohnpei residents for everything from food items to laundry that is designed to be convenient and efficient. The team members included Michelle Kamber, Bernarda Mathias, Yolanda Waltu, and Yuchi Leopold. The team will receive $5,000 in seed money courtesy of Bank of Guam to start their business.

This year's event was held from Nov. 7–9. Startup Weekend events have been launched in more than 150 countries globally. The first one held in this region was in Guam in 2014, and it expanded to Saipan in 2016. This was the first year it has been offered in Palau, Chuuk, Kosrae, Yap, and Pohnpei.

The Micronesia-wide event had a total of 119 participants, making up 30 teams that competed for the best business idea in their event location.

“In just 54 hours, participants experienced the highs, lows, excitement, and pressure that contribute to the life of a startup,” said Cheery Yeban, a PMBA student at the University of Guam and the assistant program manager for the event. “The Startup Weekend Micronesia team was able to accomplish our goal for this project — to inspire and give the participants a fun and experiential environment to work on their business ideas.”

The idea behind the Startup Weekend events is to provide participants with opportunities to connect with other driven individuals, discover what tools and resources are available to them in starting a business, and learn how to apply the skills and knowledge acquired by creating a business plan over the span of three days.

“The participants in the islands where this event was launched for the first time were very open, and they were willing to learn and be active as much as possible during the event,” Yeban said.

Each island had its own winning team, all of which received prizes from local sponsors. The winning teams were:

● Chuuk: BioVerse, a business to make eco-friendly bags out of taro and tapioca as an alternative to plastic bags to fight ocean pollution. Team members: AM Johnson, Deondre Anne Zaldivar, KM Edwin, Mark Mathew Tammad, Aliksrue Tolenna, and Kiva Rinae Meno.
● CNMI: Islander RC, a remote-control car race-track business idea by Korky Aguon that would offer a new activity for Saipan residents.
● Guam: IslaCor, Damen Michael Borja’s business startup idea for a mobile tour guide application that provides the locations of Guam’s hidden gems.
● Kosrae: Carve with Heart, a business idea that specializes in hand-carved cutting boards and utensils using mahogany and reclaimed wood. Team members: Greg George, Paliknoa Sigrah, and Srue George.
● Palau: Alii Blengur, an authentic Palauan restaurant idea by Yoslau Victor that is designed to cater to tourists while also promoting the Palauan culture.
● Pohnpei: Drop & Drop, a business idea to offer convenient and efficient delivery service for numerous items from food to laundry. Team members: Michelle Kamber, Bernarda Mathias, Yolanda Waltu, and Yuchi Leopold.
● Yap: 691 Mogethin Buffet, a buffet restaurant business that will partner up with local farmers and fishermen to offer dishes made with local ingredients. Team members: Abigail Mongon, Arleen Tretnoff, Jaret Tailigtog, Jesher Elab, and Beriteiti Margie Teburea.

The PMBA cohort includes Christina Thai, Nicole Mesa, Kylene Hsieh, Cheery Yeban, Erica Pangelinan, Aubreeana Taylor, Christiana Tuck, Jenna Leon Guerrero, Ione Skye Llagas, and David Kamai.

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