AXN Asia’s business reality series Project Go, which is sponsored by GoDaddy, has named the winner of a Php 1 million cash prize in the show’s finale that aired on 17 December.

Present at the virtual event held on 18 December were George Chien, President and CEO of KC Global Media Asia; James Carroll, President of GoDaddy International; and mentors Maggie Wilson, who also hosted Project Go; Tina Shieh, Marketing Director of GoDaddy Asia; Bea Cupin; and the Tung Brothers (Mikko, Mark, and Macky).

The show, which aired on AXN Asia and streamed over AXN’s YouTube channel, called aspiring Filipino entrepreneurs to pitch their business ideas and to turn that idea into a reality. Mounted in the middle of a pandemic, Project Go had its online Open Auditions in August and was shot in Manila, Philippines in September in the midst of a lockdown.

Project Go winner Pearl Janine de Guzman, who represented outsourcing solutions portal Staffz, beat three other teams in a final pitch to an international panel of judges who emerged as the winner of the show and is the recipient of the Php 1 million cash prize.

With the guidance of Project Go Mentors who put the show’s top four contestants through rigorous boot camps, Pearl made a final pitch to the show’s panel of judges which were comprised of seasoned business veterans Lyrna Esmeralda-Hewitt, President & Co-Founder of Bona Fortuna Farms, Inc; Carlo Buenaflor, CEO of Biggs, Inc; James Carroll; and Jodi Valenta, Vice President of Global Marketing at GoDaddy.

The judges followed a scoring system that graded each of the top four contestants’ final pitch on a variety of criteria, including originality, the potential for growth and profit, and feasibility of plans.

What sets Staffz apart from the three other contestants is that apart from being an outsourcing solutions portal is their advocacy. The roster of skilled workers that carry out SEO, copywriting, and graphic design services for their clients are all underprivileged youths trained in these specialised skills by the core team of Staffz. The business model allows them to offer cost-effective services to small and medium enterprises around the world while opening inclusive job opportunities to those who may not otherwise have them.

George Chien said, “This project was certainly fun for us. We are very honoured and lucky to have partnered with GoDaddy on this journey. We came together, went into the thinktank and the pandemic came along, and we thought about how we could be innovative, fun, proactive, and we created Project Go. This production was certainly a challenge with all of the social distancing and all of the various requirements. But with the thinktank and all the resources that GoDaddy has and with the creativity of our production team, we pulled off a pretty exciting project.”

He continued, “For us, we always enjoy doing original productions and we always like to find new, creative, innovative ideas and delivering them in different ways to the audiences. What KC Global Media and GoDaddy were able to deliver to the Filipino community is something that is very unique and will benefit everybody even during this pandemic. If we help one individual, I think we did a great job.”

James Carroll added: “I’m delighted to have been part of Project Go and GoDaddy to be a sponsor for KC Global Media and AXN. This project was a first for GoDaddy in the APAC region, and as a brand and company that thrives on empowering everyday entrepreneurs around the world, the series was a celebration of the Filipino entrepreneur spirit. It is also a true testament: When you have an idea, you have the power within you to make that idea real. At GoDaddy, we are very grateful to be part of that journey with all the contestants, providing them with the tools and guidance needed to be successful online, especially in these challenging times.”