Brand Ambassador Feature: Kyra Ann Dianon on Community, Mentorship, and the Entrepreneurial Advantage of Being a Cat
This is the first article of a new weekly series we’re starting on our blog featuring IdeaSpace’s five brand ambassadors. Check back every Tuesday for new posts!
Kyra Ann Dianon, 24, is the Marketing and Sales Manager of Mavericks, a digital marketing agency that helps small and medium-sized businesses establish, manage and promote their brands on the internet. She hails from Iloilo City, where she is the Community Manager of Dojo 8 Coworking Space and Co-Community Manager of Google Business Group Iloilo. Kyra is an avid believer and supporter of social entrepreneurship, positive psychology, and community building.
I interviewed Kyra to learn why she decided to become an IdeaSpace Ambassador, what her local community is like, and why as an entrepreneur she would want to be a cat.
Kimberly: Why did you decide to become an IdeaSpace Brand Ambassador?
Kyra Ann: Being with Ideaspace helps me get connected to diverse institutions; inspiring, innovative and intellectual people; and knowledge and resources which will definitely help me and our community here in Iloilo.
What role do you think technopreneurship plays in the Philippines?
A game-changer. Technopreneurship can stimulate economic growth and help provide employment to a lot of Filipinos. Any Filipino — rich or not, can build a product which will become a multi-million industry, helping fellow Filipinos have jobs and later on alleviate poverty.
How did you get involved in your local community?
When I started working at Mavericks, my bosses were very active in supporting different organizations and events — tech and non-tech — which created positive and sustainable impact in the local community. I was inspired by them and the people I met during events like Geeks On A Beach and Startup Weekend to be more active in community-building activities.
What’s the best thing about your local community?
The people. Not everyone yet — we are growing — but there are these few very supportive, inspiring individuals. I consider them friends. Right now, our community needs very dedicated people to start this “movement.”
How will you contribute as an Ideaspace Ambassador?
I believe in inspiring our new generation for it is the young kids out there that are born to be tech-savvy. They must be inspired to see that nowadays, everything is possible. It all starts with being inspired and getting a mentor in life who can guide you. I may not be that mentor but I can help connect these young Filipinos and Ilonggos to a really good set of IdeaSpace mentors.
What advice do you have to technopreneurs just starting out?
Be innovative and a risk-taker but first validate your market. Start with solving a specific problem. Believe in yourself. Be tough yet respectful and down-to-earth.
Now onto a round of quick-fire questions. If you were an animal, what would you be?
I want to be a cat. With nine lives, I will have enough time to test out my startup ideas and see which works!
What business would you love to start?
An uncensored decentralized search engine.
What crazy new invention do you want to see built by the year 2050?
Flying vehicles based on clean-tech such as magnetism without regulatory restraints.
If you could have a conversation with anyone, alive or dead, who would it be?
Nikola Tesla to ask him about the Wardenclyffe Tower and worldwide wireless power transmission. Leonardo DaVinci about his currently unknown ideas and would like to ask Aristotle whether he’d like to have a drink with me to talk about life.
