Dennis Anthony Uy’s Tech City Hopes to Become a Catalyst for PH Tech Industries

Dennis Anthony and Grace Uy kicked off the discussions on the Tech City in Pampanga with his advisers and technical team. In the session, Dennis Anthony Uy articulated his vision for the Tech City to his project team composed of the Egis Group, 10Design, SGV & Co., B-Global, Rurban Strategic Development Planners Inc., GFP Architects, and Colliers

Converge CEO and Co-Founder Dennis Anthony Uy, aptly nicknamed in business circles as the ‘Pampanga Dennis Uy’ is about to put in motion his larger-than-life vision of creating a Tech City in his hometown - expected to be the birthplace of the next Amazon, Google, and Facebook.

In this personal venture, Uy envisions using the 117-hectare land in Pampanga - straddling Mexico and Angeles City, to attract the right industries and spur the growth of innovation-led sectors. The Tech City is seen to be a catalyst for innovation and technology education and practice in the country. 

He has tapped expert consultants and technical advisers to kick off the multi-billion peso project, including the Egis Group which is a global construction engineering company that designs and operates intelligent infrastructure and buildings. Other consultants in the Tech City project are 10Design, EY Philippines - SGV & Co., B-Global, Rurban Strategic Development Planners Inc., GFP Architects, and Colliers. 

“I dream of creating an ecosystem for technology. In this venture and will concentrate on innovation and tech-related sectors. Software programmers, animators, game developers, and even semiconductor designers - we want to attract downstream tech fields in the Tech City. At the same time, we want to nurture the business side of innovation, hence our pitch to start-ups as well,” said Uy, at a recent meeting with the project team of the tech metropolis. 

Silicon Valley is undoubtedly the inspiration for this tech city for Uy but with distinct “Filipino” foundations - meaning education and enculturation will be informed by local know-how. 

“I want this technology hub to have training institutes that will certify Filipinos as IT engineers and professionals, the education will be from the ground up and produce the workforce with the necessary technology skills. Tech City will be an incubation hub as well for this industry which encompasses sub-sectors like fintech, e-commerce, and digital content creation,” added Uy. 

True to its vision to become the home of cutting-edge technology, the Tech City will also house the headquarters and data centers of Converge.

“We’re moving into value-added services or products that go beyond connectivity. We have the digital highway in place so in the future, there will be apps like OTT services, software, and cloud solutions that need to be housed in our data centers,” said Uy. 

Converge President Grace Uy is one of PeopleAsia's "Women of Style and Substance" honorees

Converge President and Co-Founder Maria Grace Uy was among this year’s “Women of Style and Substance” awardees of PeopleAsia. She was lauded for championing digital democracy in the country and for transforming the lives of women through her advocacies

Converge ICT Solutions, Inc. President and Co-Founder Maria Grace Y. Uy is one of PeopleAsia's "Women of Style and Substance" honorees this year, joining a list of extraordinary women who have been creating waves in their respective industries - with style.

Uy was recognized for exemplifying the right blend of straightforward leadership with her distinctive grace, as she champions digital democracy in the country through Converge with her husband Converge CEO and Co-Founder Dennis Anthony Uy. 

In her acceptance speech during the awarding ceremony on Tuesday, Uy underscored the role of information and communication technologies, highlighting that digitalization means pushing beyond technologies and transforming the way people live, work, and connect. 

IN PHOTO (from left): Converge CEO and Co-Founder Dennis Anthony Uy, Converge President and Co-Founder Grace Uy, US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, with her husband Aubrey Carlson.

“Through Converge, we have helped shape the digital lives of Filipinos these past few years, and we’re grateful that they continue to choose us everyday, as their technology and internet provider. Recently, we announced that we just hit our two million subscriber mark and we want to say that we’re not done yet in our journey to serve Filipinos,” Uy said. 

She also mentioned the improvements in the online experience of Filipinos with the country’s fixed broadband median speed at over 90 Mbps as of February 2023, from 25.68 Mbps in November 2019, according to Ookla. 

“This is in no small part due to Converge because we were the first to offer 100Mbps - and now 200Mbps - with no data cap for our base FiberX plan. We’re just starting. We can’t wait to bring more innovation into peoples’ lives - whether in their homes or their businesses,” she added. 

Uy leads Converge as its president, chief resources officer, and chief risk officer. Her co-leadership at Converge ushered the delivery of innovative connectivity solutions in the country, despite the company being a relatively young operator in the local telco industry. 

Recently, Converge launched two trailblazing products that will serve the residential mass markets – its most affordable postpaid internet plan, BIDA Fiber, and prepaid fiber internet called Surf2Sawa. The company is also offering value-added services for their subscribers to further enrich their digital experiences.

PeopleAsia’s “Women of Style and Substance 2023” Awardees. Converge President Uy (sixth from right) with fellow women awardees (from second on the left): Raffles and Fairmont Makati hotel manager Aubrey Ada, Juju Glow founder and CEO Acee Sayson-Paita, 3-time PVL MVP Tots Carlos, Luminisce Skin and Laser Clinic founder Dr. Kaycee Reyes, MediaQuest Holdings president and CEO Jane Jimenez-Basas, Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Marquez Dee, Megastar Sharon Cuneta, US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, FVP and chief reputation and sustainability officer for Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. (AEV) Ginggay Hontiveros-Malvar, environmentalist Mache Torres-Ackerman, Philippine Airlines’ AVP for catering operations Chef Vallerie Castillo-Archer, and Creamline Cool Smashers team captain Alyssa Valdez. Also in photo are Stargate PeopleAsia Board Member Sara Soliven-de Guzman (left) and PeopleAsia Editor-In-Chief Joanne Rae Ramirez (extreme right). 

“I want to express my gratitude to all the women here today, who have paved the way and continue to inspire others. Let's continue to champion diversity, mentor the next generation, empower them, and work together to create a more inclusive and digitally enabled society,” she said. 

This year’s “Women of Style and Substance” awardees included US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, Megastar Sharon Cuneta, Actress Dolly De Leon, Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Marquez Dee, Creamline Cool Smashers team captain Alyssa Valdez, and three-time Premier Volleyball League MVP Tots Carlos, among others. 

Read Maria Grace Uy’s story here.