What changed
How operating models shift when small teams can do more with better tools, clearer workflows, and fewer layers.
25-26 Aug 2026SMX Aura
Age of theAI-PRENEUR
For founders, funders, and operators shaping how Philippine startups work, raise, buy, and grow in the AI era.
Presented bye27in partnership withBrainsparks3rd Philippine edition
3,000+expected RSVPs
1,500+startups and SMEs
1,000+corporates
500+investors
2026 planning targets
What is Echelon?
Echelon is a tech business conference for Southeast Asia's startup ecosystem.
The Philippine edition brings startups, investors, corporates, SMEs, government institutions, and ecosystem partners together for market insights, growth programs, product discovery, brand visibility, and practical collaboration.
market insightsgrowth accessecosystem connections
Get involved in Echelon Philippines 2026
— whether you're here to learn, sell, show, or teach.
2026 focus
The useful questions start after the AI demo.
This year is about the work that comes next: what teams change, what adoption costs, who funds it, and how the Philippine ecosystem can move with more focus.
What it costs
The hidden work behind adoption: training, downtime, process changes, governance, and time from senior people.
Who gets involved
Where founders, talent, buyers, suppliers, investors, and public-sector partners now need each other.
Where to begin
Practical sessions for teams deciding which workflows to test first and how to learn without stalling the business.
Content pillars
The questions behind AI adoption.
These pillars organize the agenda, topic voting, and speaker curation around practical decisions.
01
Operating shift
Then vs. Now
Compare older startup playbooks with AI-native ways of building teams, workflows, and early operating leverage.- Team design
- Workflow changes
- Founder leverage
02
Adoption reality
True Cost of Change
Look at the costs that do not show up on a software invoice: training, downtime, governance, and process changes.- Hidden costs
- Change management
- Enterprise adoption
03
Market signals
Talent & Capital
Understand how AI changes hiring, fundraising, corporate buying, and the proof investors now expect.- AI-era hiring
- Capital discipline
- Buyer readiness
04
First steps
Pragmatic Deployment
Move from blank page to first test through workshops, roundtables, and practical implementation examples.- Sandboxing
- Workflow tests
- Implementation playbooks
Formats you can expect
- AI-native operationsKeynotes · operator panels
- Capital and scaling readinessInvestor talks · founder sessions
- Deployment sandboxWorkshops · private sessions
- Ecosystem partnershipsRoundtables · showcase
Topic voting
Help shape the agenda
Suggest practical questions, vote on topics, or nominate people with useful lessons from AI adoption work.
The topic board opens on a separate site. Suggestions are reviewed before publishing, and votes guide curation without guaranteeing a session slot.
Agenda topics
Suggest a practical session
Add questions, pain points, or examples that should shape the content pillars.Suggest a topicSpeakers
Nominate someone with a useful lesson
Point us to operators, founders, investors, or policy voices with something concrete to share.Suggest a speakerEvent map
Event experience
Know what each space is for.
Use the event to hear the big ideas, compare products, join smaller conversations, and meet people working through shared constraints.
The Summit
Main-stage talks and panels for the questions the wider ecosystem needs to hear together.
The Showcase
Product demos, startup visibility, and booth-side conversations for teams with something concrete to show.
The Sandbox
Workshops, roundtables, and private sessions for smaller-group discussion and partner discovery.
The Marketplace
Booths and ecosystem presence for people comparing tools, services, programs, and possible partners.
Sponsor value
Why sponsor
Reach the room where AI adoption decisions are forming.
Echelon gives partners stage presence, content tie-ins, and smaller formats for conversations with founders, operators, investors, corporates, and ecosystem groups.
expected RSVPs
A 2026 planning target across founders, SMEs, corporates, investors, and ecosystem partners.
2026 planning targetPhilippine edition
A returning Echelon platform for the local startup and innovation community.
event edition contextdecision-makers
Sponsor-deck proof point covering founders, C-suite leaders, investors, enterprise buyers, and public-sector stakeholders.
sponsor-deck proof point
What sponsors can build from the room
Stage visibility · curated sessions · content placements · lead reporting