Going into Start Up After Master’s in France: Meet Michiko, ESCP graduate

Please tell us your story: what do you do now?

I have just recently ventured into my own business with some partners — a collaborative ecosystem called WeCube. It was borne out of the need for a lot of local and foreign startups to grow and for me personally it’s marrying that with my passion to promote investments in the Philippines.

Please share with us the highlights of your Master experience at ESCP: What was the most exciting experience, and what was the most challenging experience?

It was an interesting experience because of the diversity of the class in terms of educational and professional backgrounds. Ethnicity-wise, naturally half were French and the rest were a mix — I was the only Asian though out of 58 students.

The most exciting experience was going on an international seminar to either India/China or Brazil/Argentina. I chose the former though because I saw my career/life path back in Asia (and true enough I am back here).

I would say the most challenging were the classes I did not have any background in at all so it took double the effort (plus a minor class in law in French!), but eventually it was all about working on my strengths in each one and asking for help when I needed it. Again much of this is really the people you’re with so it was great because we all helped one another in some way.

What made you decide to study in Paris? As far as we know it is not the most common destination for Filipino students.

It isn’t the most common but it is actually starting to be because I believe a lot of French schools adjusted their medium of instruction to English as well.

I essentially chose Paris because of the city. At the time of choosing, I had already been living there for my one-year working contract in a franco-american telecommunications and technology company. Before it ended I searched online for different schools and chose the program most-suited for me at the time and also taking into consideration the reputation of the school and the gains out of it.

I had considered the US as well, but the application process was a bit more grueling for me and also the tuition fees were more expensive. To have applied for scholarships or loans, I would have needed to have a direct relative who’s a US citizen as my guarantor (student loans were not available in the Philippines yet).

What words of encouragement would you give to young, aspiring potential applicants back home in your country who want to study overseas?

I would advise them to go for it while having the “end in mind” as well to be able to choose the most-suited program, school, and location. Once they know their personal and professional objectives then it may be clearer. Many though may not know completely, so I would say to connect with people who have done the MBA they’re choosing themselves to better assess if it is for them. In terms of finances, I am sure they can get creative with that, too.

What is your future goal?

One of my goals is to elevate the Filipino and be a good “ambassador” of Philippines. May that be the spirit, the image, a Filipino product or service, and the Philippines in general. So I know that starts with me and it’s challenging in itself but it would definitely be a different world for the future generations if the Filipino and the Philippines are automatically considered as world-class.

As business education professionals, we have a keen interest in understanding better how the tech industry can benefit from business education graduates. We also want to understand better what MBA grads could potentially achieve if they were to take a path leading them to the Philippines. We have a special interest in the tech industry and we try to have a holistic understanding of a value of business education for people who work in tech like you. What would you say since yourself work in the tech industry?

The startup ecosystem is growing very fast in the Philippines and there is a quite huge number of early stage startups. However, it is true that we haven’t witnessed yet a large number of those startups transitioning in a more mature stage. We hosted two weeks ago the first pitching sessions of a new initiative launched by a newly established Filipino VC fund called Original Pitch. This group is extremely committed to support the growth of promising local startups. Manila is certainly not Singapore yet, but with the concentration of talent we have in the Philippines and a growing number of such initiatives, I am convinced that the Philippines has the potential to become a major tech hub in the region, also with a few more ease of regulations for startups.

However, I would also say that Tech is definitely an area I would want to be improved in the Philippines and it starts in basic education and strengthened in the further education. There are efforts geared towards this but more support from both private sectors and the government are needed. The startup ecosystem is growing very fast in the Philippines and there is a quite huge number of early stage startups.

Tech and business go hand in hand in starting anything these days. One would need the combination of that to be continuously innovative and creative while staying close to the needs of the market. I am sure that there are plenty opportunities for business education graduates and MBA graduates more specifically. Local startups will need more scalability capabilities and I believe (based on my own experience) that a business background is extremely valuable in that aspect.

I definitely want to see more MBA grads moving into the tech ecosystem here and I would be delighted to see more international students exploring the endless opportunities that are here in the Philippines (especially in the tech industry). There’s more to be done in the Philippines, as there are second-tier cities growing too.

Please describe yourself in one word or one sentence.

110% personified with the passion to elevate the Philippines.