The beginning of a hackathon is chaotic—but it’s also the most critical phase. In this episode, we zoom in on the first 6 hours: ideation, team alignment, and early decisions that can make or break the entire project.

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This episode is edited by:

Bea Blando

In this special combined episode, we talk with the founder of Josie AI and the CTO of PDAX about building products, leading teams, and making high-stakes technical decisions. We explore the startup journey from idea to execution, creating engaging platforms for Filipinos to upskill, and lessons from launching in fast-moving markets. The conversation also covers engineering leadership, scaling systems, architecture choices, and how top tech leaders think under pressure. A high-value session packed with founder insights, executive experience, and practical lessons for builders and developers.

VSTECS Phils., Inc. has officially become the distributor for Fastly in the Philippines. This is a big win for local businesses that want their websites and apps to run faster. Instead of data traveling long distances, Fastly uses edge computing to process information closer to the user. This means less lag and a much smoother experience for everyone.

Security is another major part of this partnership. With more hackers using AI and automated bots to attack websites, VSTECS is bringing in Fastly’s tools to fight back. These tools help block DDoS attacks and other threats in real-time. It is all about being secure-by-design so that speed does not come at the cost of safety.

Jimmy Go, the head of VSTECS, pointed out that the digital world is getting more complex. By adding Fastly to their lineup, they are helping local partners build high-performance systems. For developers and IT teams, this means better visibility into how their apps are performing and the ability to fix issues immediately.

Fastly’s platform is built for modern workflows. It helps companies handle huge spikes in traffic without crashing. Whether it is a big online sale or a popular streaming event, the goal is to keep things running perfectly even when millions of people are clicking at once.

In a separate interview with Fastly VP APAC, Rachel Ler held on April 15, 2026 — Shangri-La The Fort – The ICT Tech Summit 2026, she discussed more on why speed is no longer a luxury but expected. Whether it’s streaming, e-commerce, or banking, users expect everything to load instantly. But behind that experience is a complex infrastructure most people don’t see.

The Philippines is a fast-growing market with high digital expectations. Rachel Ler from Fastly mentioned that their technology, combined with the local reach of VSTECS, will help Filipino companies compete on a global scale. It is a major step forward for the country’s digital infrastructure.

Overall, this partnership makes advanced tech more accessible to businesses of all sizes in the Philippines. By making the local internet faster and safer, VSTECS and Fastly are helping build a more reliable digital future for the entire tech community.