Just like a phoenix rising from the ashes, pioneering local business reality TV show The Final Pitch is moving forward despite numerous challenges that came its way.
In its 10th season, The Final Pitch firstly had to overcome the setback of being ‘homeless’ after its free TV broadcast partner CNN Philippines ceased operations earlier this year. The show has found a new home—not just one but two—in OneNews (a cable TV channel on Cignal TV) and GMA International’s GMA Life TV, which broadcasts in 103 nations globally.
The Final Pitch also had to brush off controversies particularly about two former judges who are now facing legal woes. Joseph Calata and Mica Tan served as judges on the 2017 launch and are now facing allegations of fraud by the Securities and Exchange Commission—Calata for alleged insider trading and market manipulation and Tan for alleged illegal solicitation of investments sans necessary permits.
“We opt not to comment about their issues, but we just stick to our commitment to move forward and continue training and funding deserving local entrepreneurs,” said John Aguilar, Founder and Host of The Final Pitch.
To set the fresh start, The Final Pitch is rebranding into The Final Pitch: Philippines to mark its foray into international broadcast. Interestingly, instead of marking the show as Season 10, it will take a complete reboot and begin at Season 1. 
“As we set our sights on expanding the show globally, we are excited to debut The Final Pitch: Philippines to differentiate it from the other editions we are planning on mounting in the future,” Aguilar explained. “Before we open the show to our expansion to other countries, we want to continue creating opportunities for more Filipinos.”
“Naturally enterprising, Filipinos have immense potential for creating innovative businesses, yet most lack the funding and support needed to scale these enterprises into high-growth companies. That’s where we come in with the new season to be named The Final Pitch: The Philippines,” he added.
The Final Pitch: Philippines will continue to facilitate a unique platform for Filipino entrepreneurs to connect with prospective investors. The reality TV show will remain as a venue for discovery and funding of promising new ventures. It will still showcase entrepreneurial talent and equip aspiring entrepreneurs with the right tools and mindset they need to scale their businesses and secure strategic partnerships and investments.
In its inaugural edition, The Final Pitch: Philippines has welcomed local tech or non-tech startups or individuals with innovative ideas for new ventures. After initial screening, qualified applicants filmed their initial pitches. The process and the pitches will be featured during the show’s broadcast.
The new season’s panel of investor judges include Su Le, a Vietnamese-American angel investor currently based in the UAE; Abdul Paravengal, Managing Director of venture builder Pulse 63 Healthcare Ventures; Glenda dela Cruz, founder of skincare brand Brilliant Skin; and returning special guest judge Rosemarie Bosch Ong, COO and Senior Executive Vice President of Wilcon Depot.
Tech and Lifestyle Journal will share more details about The Final Pitch: Philippines soon.
[wpedon id=”7508″ align=”center”]