Enterprise

These are the best cities for women entrepreneurs to thrive

Singapore ranks third in Asia Pacific, behind Sydney and Melbourne

Published

July 19, 2019

Chay Lazaro

At the 10th annual Dell Women Entrepreneur Network Summit in Singapore, Dell announced findings of the 2019 Women Entrepreneur Cities (WE Cities) Index, ranking 50 global cities on their ability to foster growth for women entrepreneurs. Dell ranks cities based on the impact of local policies, programs, and characteristics in addition to national laws and customs to help improve support for women entrepreneurs and the overall economy.

Building on 10 years of research on women entrepreneurs, Dell partnered with IHS Markit to research and rank 50 cities on five important characteristics, including access to Capital, Technology, Talent, Culture and Markets.

The San Francisco Bay Area outranked New York for the No. 1 spot this year, mostly due to the city being one of the best places for women to gain access to capital. It also moved from 6th place to 2nd place in Culture, showing that the number of role models and public dialogue around eliminating the “bro culture” is making an impact.

Lack of funding, high cost of living, low representation of women in leadership roles and the lack of government-led policies that support women entrepreneurs were among the barriers globally.

Cities in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region are improving alongside all other cities globally, but still have a long way to go. Singapore, one of the only three cities from Southeast Asia to make it to the top 50, saw the highest improvement in the Talent pillar, as it benefitted from increasing its top school and business school rankings, as well as its pool of professionals needed to help scale businesses.

APAC cities mainly fell behind in the pillars for Culture and Markets. Despite making the top 50, Singapore’s Culture score was relatively low due to fewer female role models or leaders, although it’s still more advanced than majority of its neighbors in addressing gender parity issues.

Singapore ranks only No. 47 globally for the Markets pillar, because of the high cost of living in the city despite the lack of accelerators and relatively few female board members.

The WE Cities Index serves as a diagnostic tool to advise policy-makers on how to better support women in business.

“By arming city leaders and policymakers with actionable, data-driven research on the landscape for women entrepreneurs, we can collectively accelerate the success of women-owned businesses by removing financial, cultural and political barriers,” says Karen Quintos, EVP and chief customer officer at Dell Technologies.

The same way US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg argued in her landmark cases that gender discrimination hurts men and women alike, Singapore Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu also emphasized at the summit that it’s not only women who want a better work life balance; men also want to be able to spend more time with their families.

This is where technology comes in. Technology, as a gender-neutral enabler, helps drive progress in gender equality by creating a level playing field, says Amit Midha, President of Asia Pacific & Japan, Global Digital Cities at Dell Technologies. It’s important to empower and invest in women not just because it’s been proven time and again that women help economies grow, but also because doing so benefits men and society as a whole.

Enterprise

Tim Cook might soon step down as Apple’s CEO

He’s turning 65 next month.

Published

October 7, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

Did you know that it’s been almost 15 years since Tim Cook took the reins of Apple? The brand’s stalwart fans can definitely thank Cook for Apple’s impressive success today. That said, nothing lasts forever, especially as one reaches the age of 65. Tim Cook, after bringing Apple to almost US$ 4 trillion in valuation, might soon step down as the company’s CEO.

When he took over as CEO, Cook had the unfortunate challenge of following Steve Jobs. But, as we can see now, the CEO was more than up for the task, leading the company to new heights. Cook, however, will soon enter his twilight years. This November, the CEO turns 65. Cook’s retirement now becomes a question of “when” and “who’s next.”

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the transition might come soon. A few of the company’s executives have started to leave the company. This year, COO Jeff Williams stepped down and will soon leave the company. Importantly, Williams was once seen as next in line for the throne.

Others are expected to follow Williams, eventually leading to Cook’s own retirement. Cook’s 65^th birthday isn’t a sure deadline, but the talks should start. When Cook does retire from his CEO duties, it’s expected that he’ll transition instead into a new role as chairman, similar to Amazon’s Jeff Bezos.

Gurman also notes that the current heir, after Williams’s departure, is now the company’s hardware engineering boss, John Ternus. Importantly, this means that Apple might finally enter a new era outside of smartphones. As popular as the iPhone is, the company has struggled entering new facets of technology, including the middling Vision Pro. Ternus, as opposed to a more business-oriented leader, might steer Apple into those new frontiers.

SEE ALSO: Apple iPhone Air Review

Enterprise

CMF will separate from Nothing soon

Its headquarters will be in India.

Published

September 26, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

It didn’t take long for Nothing to establish itself in the smartphone industry. The brand even felt confident to launch a more affordable sub-brand called CMF by Nothing. Now, Nothing is ready to let its baby boy grow up. CMF by Nothing is branching off into its own independent brand soon.

As reported by TechCrunch, Nothing has confirmed that CMF will become an independent subsidiary soon. The brand is partnering with an Indian company called Optiemus to establish a headquarters for manufacturing and research in India.

The choice of market isn’t surprising. Compared to the original brand, CMF by Nothing caters more to the budget-conscious crowd while upholding Nothing’s penchant for quirky designs. The affordable segment continues to be a big hit in India. Nothing, as a brand, is also popular in the country.

It’s an impressive story for CMF. The small brand started only around two years ago in 2023. Since then, it launched earbuds, smartwatches, and smartphones — all of which appeal to the budget-conscious. By branching off on its own, the brand has a chance to establish its own identity apart from its parent company.

Though CMF’s independence is certainly a quick one, the phenomenon isn’t uncommon. Various companies have also done the same with their own sub-brands. For example, HONOR, POCO, and realme have spun off from Huawei, Xiaomi, and OPPO, respectively.

Enterprise

DITO wants you to stop worrying about data, WiFi, and dropped calls

Here’s how DITO is changing the way we connect

Published

August 31, 2025

GadgetMatch

DITO Telecommunity is pushing forward with a bold message: fast, reliable, and accessible connectivity should already be the norm.

At its recent Kaya DITO campaign launch in BGC, the country’s fastest-growing telco showed how its ecosystem of services is built to meet the digital aspirations of every Filipino.

Prepaid that doesn’t waste your data

DITO’s Level-Up Packs were designed to take the stress out of prepaid.

With ViLTE tech, subscribers get unlimited HD video calls between DITO users, plus unli mobile calls, bundled Viber, Prime Video, and flexible data that lasts longer.

Postpaid that actually makes sense

With DITO FlexPlan 888, postpaid is made practical. For less than a thousand pesos a month, subscribers can choose SIM-only or device-bundled plans with generous data inclusions.

It proves that having a premium postpaid experience doesn’t have to break the bank.

WiFi that keeps the whole household connected

DITO WoWFi Pro 365 makes home internet simple. Think of it as a worry-free, year-long unlimited connection with no complicated installations and constant top-ups.

Just reliable WiFi for work, study, and streaming when you need it.

Everything you need in one app

The DITO App is one of the most complete telco apps available, giving subscribers full control of their digital life.

From buying SIMs and load to managing accounts, rewards, and even OTT apps, the experience is built around convenience. Add 24/7 support and exclusive perks, and the app becomes a one-stop hub for all things DITO.