EDUCATION not only molds the foundational knowledge and skills, but also the dreams of a learner.
It’s just like Atty. Juan Paolo Villonco—the first Filipino Stanford Law graduate and president of Astro Robotics—whose mission is to put the Philippines on the global technology map. He collaborates with Jin Tomioka, chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder of Telexistence—a global leader in robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and virtual-reality (VR) technology.
Both Asian graduates of Stanford University, they share a common vision: to leverage on their education and expertise to impact the Philippines and Japan positively. What inspired them are experiences from their alma mater, where innovation and collaboration were nurtured. As such, they have joined forces to translate their vision into a meaningful partnership.
Recalled Villonco: “We share in the belief that to build a better world, we must embrace technology and inclusive growth.”
Stanford forever, excellence together
BOTH alumni of “Stanford U” possess innovativeness and leadership.
For Villonco, studying there was his goal ever since: “I admire [its interdisciplinary approach to learning, problem-solving, and life in general. Its] open-mindedness and pursuit of excellence through innovation and acceptance of disruption as a natural part of evolution greatly influenced my thinking and attitude toward work and life.”
Tomioka had a decade working in Mitsubishi Corp. and decided to enter into early-stage businesses. He shared: “I wanted to get myself involved more in the process of building businesses by commercializing game-changing unproven technologies. Stanford and communities around it, as known by the world, is the center of tech business and startups. Thus, it would be the best choice for my needs.”
Known for promoting a culture of innovation and thinking out-of-the-box, the university shaped Villonco’s perspectives on challenges and overcoming the stigma of “failure.” He learned “that difficulty is part of the path to success,” and the school encouraged him to go against the grain.
Tomioka, on the other hand, learned beyond the corners of the lecture halls. What shaped more of his perspectives, he said, were “the tech start-up communities around the university, especially from entrepreneurs and VCs [venture capitalists] I met. These experiences made me think that there is no big difference between those entrepreneurs and myself.”
Partnership beyond borders
THE tie-up between Astro Robotics and Telexistence, for them, was catalyzed by their friendship and same ambition.
“Our shared vision helps achieve a common goal of employment mobility in a new and exciting way,” said Villonco. “Our collaboration helps in providing jobs but more important, upskilling Filipino workers for the digital economy. At the same time, we complement Japan’s immediate need for a younger work force.”
“What we want to achieve is to provide opportunities for remote work even to physical workers [by leveraging on] robots and VR,” Tomioka noted. “In other words, we want essential workers like [those in offline retail stores to function] without actually being there.”
This became reality in Japan by Telexistence in 2022. Featured in Bloomberg as a global leader in the AI and robotics sector, the firm launched a fleet of robots capable of replenishing shelves in convenience stores.
“When we apply this vision to the Philippines and Japan, it seems it is a perfect combination,” said the Telexistence CEO. “One big innovation is that people in the Philippines do not have to move to Japan. They can work remotely from their home country through our technologies including robots.”
Empowering Pinoys
ASTRO Robotics and Telexistence collaborate not only for technology, but also to unleash the full potential of the Philippines, according to Villonco: “There is an opportunity for Filipinos to be global leaders in tech, but we need to upskill our work force on a massive scale and provide technology jobs for [them]. Through this partnership, we hope to expand more technology job opportunities locally, and bring the global technology ecosystem to the Filipino work force.”
The exclusive partnership between the two companies aims to commercialize robotics, AI, AR, and VR technology services. Dedicated to inclusive growth, Astro Robotics seeks to encourage young Filipinos’ participation in the global shift toward Industry 4.0.
“We continue to explore opportunities with various institutions to help determine how our technology can develop the robotics/AI/VR industry further, and help educate and upskill Filipinos through internship programs in the emerging tech industry,” the Astro Robotics president said.