While the Phillipines faces a cycle of seemingly never-ending political crisis, a new breed of Technopreneur is quietly rising in the background.

Meet Prof. Gerald C. Degala, an Innovatrs entrepreneur and a self-confessed technopreneur with an arsenal of more than a hundred pending patent and unregistered Internet enabled products and services.

Degala is the founder and CEO of GDNet, a Research and Development venture firm in the field of technology and innovation based business model engineering.

In this interview, Degala reveals how he hopes to place his company (and country) on the world’s exclusive list of successful techstartups.

Innovatrs: What made you do it? Why did you become an entrepreneur?

Gerald: Since 1996, I developed a keen interest in I.T. There were a bunch of developments going on at that time, especially around the Internet, and these quantum changes attracted me. Unfortunately there were not enough job opportunities in tech firms open to those who had not taken an I.T course or degree. Even for sales and marketing teams a fully qualified technical guy was the preferred choice.

In 2000 I was given the chance. I was offered a job at a dot com and before they even started operating their marketing manager resigned barely three months in.  At that point, there were almost no staff to speak of, there was barely a business plan. They needed a new marketing head to review the business plan and with others, to form, train and lead a team to start the business.

In the end I only had a brief stint in the company – the project was abruptly shelved. For me though it was a success. We were able to convince and sell to a number of clients during the product test period with virtually no marketing program implemented. Our competitors who were even a year ahead of us and some of them logistically superior to us were amazed how we were able to outsell them. Despite that, the company was impatient, it did not see the long-term value, flexibility and agility of the business.

This experience made me discover not just the power of the Internet from a dot com point of view but I.T. as a whole - from the different software that powers the Internet to the complexities of the hardware that stores it. I caught the bug and wanted to know more. That was a priceless awakening!

It was then that I realized that all my life I’ve been a driver of change for others, to the companies I worked with. I realized it was time to do it for myself.  I understood that the Internet is a medium with boundless value in terms of storage and flexibility. I felt that the Internet was not just a perfect tool for change but an opportunity for me to help make people’s lives better. I became obsessed and the more I learned about the internet, the more I became passionate about it.Innovatrs: What was the original Idea and how has it evolved?

Gerald: When we formed GDNet originally it started as an R&D and a non-profit firm. It was primarily focused in the field of technology and innovation based business model engineering.  It was established a few years ago to conduct research to monitor and simulate the impact of current and emerging technologies affecting old economy business models. Today GDNet has converted from a purely R & D firm into a commercially driven innovation company, geared towards engineering new generation business models for the new economy.

We have identified opportunities such us niche social networks and applications delivered in the form of full-fledge portals that provide a complete range of products and services to consumers, merchants and enterprises with e-business and e-commerce capabilities. These portals and social networks will be integrated across the enterprise with information systems, established channels and emerging delivery technologies such as Grid, WiMax and 4th Generation Mobile Platforms.

GDNet has evolved from a complex R & D firm trying to find ways to come up with new structures for the new economy into a company that will develop business models which to benefit both consumers and enterprises. It’s mission is to enable customers to be able to access information anytime, anywhere and in anyway at nano-speed and at extremely low cost.

Innovatrs: What were your first steps after you fleshed out your idea? What was your first crisis or hurdle?

Gerald: Being a marketing helps when it comes to evaluating opportunities: I can distinguish between hype and market opportunity. The more time I spent researching the market, the more I saw the vast possibilities and opportunities the Internet can provide. I learned from the mistakes of others; even Internet companies that went out of business including many listed on NASDAQ.

Innovatrs: Have you experienced any great failures in the past and if so, how have they helped you get to where you are today?

Gerald: Yes, I have had great failures and learned much from my past mistakes.  Businessmen are like athletes- before they become professionals there are a lot of mistakes and challenges ahead of them. I am glad I made many mistakes early and learned from the mistakes of others as well –  after all it gets costlier later!