🚀 Philippine Artificial Intelligence Retreat

PAIR: Philippine Artificial Intelligence Retreat

🔥 June 17-20, 2025 |  Silicon Valley, California

💡 “If you’re going to have this explosion, abundance of intelligence available, the first thing we have to observe is GDP growth… But that’s to me the moment: self-claiming some AGI milestone, that’s just nonsensical benchmark hacking to me.

The real benchmark is: the world growing at 10%”.

– Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO

🌏 PAIR brings the Philippine AI community together

PAIR gathers the top AI researchers, founders, and engineers who are solving real problems in the Philippines. We’ll come together for a 3 day private retreat and a half-day public summit.

Our mission is to raise the collective aspirations of the Philippine AI community by helping PAIR Fellows build lasting relationships, exchange ideas, and explore opportunities in Silicon Valley.

A PAIR Fellow is anyone who is researching or building AI infrastructure and applications for the Philippines, the oldest US treaty ally in Asia and one of the world’s fastest growing economies.

We welcome Fellows from anywhere around the world, as long as they are committed to solving real world problems in the Philippines.

🇵🇭 BE A PAIR FELLOW

✈️ PAIR Fellows Receive a PHP 100,000 Award

Up to ten (10) eligible PAIR Fellows will receive an award of PHP 100,000 (~USD 1,750) to fund their travel to and accommodations in Silicon Valley. This is a fixed award regardless of where the PAIR Fellow is traveling from in the Philippines or around the world.

PAIR Fellows are expected to:

  • Participate in presentations, demo their work, and join roundtable discussions
  • Meet AI leaders in private dinners and company visits to OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Meta, and more
  • Develop a deeper understanding of the Silicon Valley ecosystem and bring back applicable ideas to the Philippines
  • Speak about their work in a public, half-day summit on the last day of the retreat
🇵🇭 BE A PAIR FELLOW

🔥Who are PAIR Fellows?

Ideal PAIR Fellows fall in the 4 categories below.

Fellows don’t have to be Filipino citizens as long as their work can be applied to solving problems in the Philippines.

We welcome people from diverse backgrounds with a genuine passion and interest for the Philippines, especially applicants from the Filipino diaspora all over the world.

If you’re in the United States already and working on Philippines-specific problems, we invite you to apply to PAIR! The travel award for US-based Fellows will vary based on their location. See the FAQs below.

  1. AI Researchers
    • Masters Students, PhD Candidates & Postdoctoral Researchers: High-potential students and postdocs specializing in AI-related fields. They can be in a Philippine university or abroad.
    • University Professors: Those leading AI/ML labs or departments at top Philippine universities and with a track record of published research, open source contributions, and influence in the academic community.
  2. Entrepreneurs:
    • Founders/CEOs of AI-focused startups: Entrepreneurs with proven traction and clear vision for growth beyond the Philippines.
    • Aspiring Entrepreneurs: Individuals with strong technical backgrounds and compelling AI-driven ideas who are on the cusp of starting a company
  3. Scientists & Engineers in Industry:
    • Research Scientists and AI/ML Engineers in Philippine Companies: Professionals working in AI-related roles within established Philippine companies (e.g., in BPO, Telco, Banking, Fintech, etc.) or in tech companies with significant operations in the Philippines.
    • Filipino AI Professionals in the Diaspora: Researchers, engineers, or entrepreneurs working in Silicon Valley or other global AI hubs, who have a demonstrated interest in contributing to the Philippine AI ecosystem.
  4. Ecosystem Builders:
    • Leaders of AI-Focused Organizations & Communities in the Philippines: Individuals leading AI advocacy groups, tech communities, or educational initiatives.
    • Government Representatives: Representatives from government agencies involved in technology, innovation, or economic development.

Our goal is to bring together a diverse cohort who can approach problems from an interdisciplinary perspective, so a mix of researchers, entrepreneurs, industry professionals, and ecosystem builders is ideal. This ensures a high-quality peer group and focused discussions.

🌏 What are PAIR’s goals?

Our desired outcomes for PAIR Fellows are to:

  • Establish lifelong relationships with like-minded, ambitious peers in the Philippine AI community
  • Build closer working ties with Silicon Valley leaders that can lead to joint research projects or commercial partnerships
  • Generate new ideas, products, initiatives, and policies to solve real-world problems in the Philippines
  • Explore opportunities to scale AI research beyond the Philippines to serve other emerging markets

🚀 Who will PAIR Fellows meet?

Through PAIR, Fellows will meet Filipinos from Google, OpenAI, Waymo, Meta, Stripe, and more. They’re a mix of individuals who have contributed to the technology industry over many years, and come from diverse professional backgrounds. We’re excited to host Fellows through fireside chats, company visits, and small group dinners.

Fellows will meet:

📆 When will PAIR be?

June 18 – 20, 2025

This is right after YC AI Startup School, which is also offering a travel grant ($500).

Admitted participants to YC AI Startup School get prioritized if they also apply to PAIR, and will also be eligible for the PHP 100,000 travel grant if accepted to PAIR.

⛰What’s the PAIR Summit?

In addition to the private retreat, PAIR Fellows can speak about their work in a public, half-day summit on Friday, June 20.

This is a way for Fellows to engage with the broader community, and create a forum for Philippines-focused leaders in Silicon Valley to stay connected with developments and opportunities back home.

We’re co-organizing the public summit with PhilDev. PhilDev enables Filipinos to thrive in STEM through the power and potential of education, innovation & entrepreneurship. It sees a future where Filipinos, through their ingenuity and the support of the community, are at the forefront of innovations for nation-building and global impact. 

PhilDev was founded by Diosdado “Dado” Banatao, a pivotal figure in Silicon Valley, who, along with dedicated compatriots, committed to giving back to their homeland in the most impactful way possible. PhilDev is a registered 501 (c)(3) organization in the USA, and since its inception in 2010, it has provided the community with opportunities to be involved and to support initiatives in STEM education, training and mentoring in the Philippines.

The summit is free to attend for the general public, so stay tuned for when we open up registrations.

✍️ How do I apply to be a PAIR Fellow?

You can apply on the link below. Applications are due on Saturday, April 12. It takes roughly 5-10 minutes to fill up the application form.

🇵🇭 Apply as a PAIR FELLOW

🙋🏻‍♀️ Can I nominate friends to PAIR?

Yes! Know someone who can be great PAIR Fellows? Nominate them here:

👍 Nominate a pair fellow

❓Common FAQs

What’s the application process?
  • There are 2 applications rounds.
    • Round 1: Deadline is on March 22. Decisions announced on or before April 6.
    • Round 2: Deadline is on April 12. Decisions announced on or before April 27.
  • After you apply, we’ll contact you if you’re shortlisted.
  • Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a 30-45 minute interview via Google Meet.
  • We aim to finalize the cohort by the end of April.
Apply as a pair fellow
What are you looking for in PAIR Fellows?
  • Because people and their work are incredibly diverse, we’re not looking for one single criteria.
  • One common theme, however, is a track record of achievement. We’re looking for evidence of exceptional ability. Here are examples:
SegmentExamples of Evidence of Exceptional Ability
AI Researchers• Published work / participation in top-tier AI conferences (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, CVPR, ACL) and journals (e.g., JMLR, IJCV, AIJ) 
• Impactful research projects: Evidence of research projects that have had real-world impact, received awards, or are recognized for their innovation.
• Research grants & funding: Successful track record of securing research grants, especially competitive ones.
Entrepreneurs• Product vision: compelling and innovative products that leverage AI to solve significant problems 
• Early traction & validation: evidence of early traction for their startup (e.g., users, revenue, pilot projects, partnerships).
• Participation in startup accelerators/competitions: securing seed funding or attracting interest from reputable investors.
• Leadership: Demonstrated ability to build a team, lead effectively, and execute on their product vision.
Scientists & Engineers• Demonstrable technical expertise in AI/ML: Strong skills in relevant AI/ML technologies, frameworks, and tools. Evidenced by portfolio, projects, or open-source contributions.
• Leadership & initiative in applying AI: Taking initiative to apply AI in new ways within their organizations, evidence by recommendations from C-Suite leaders
• Recognition within their company or industry: Recognition for their technical contributions or leadership in AI within their company or industry.
• Relevant advanced degrees: Master’s or PhD degrees in relevant fields, specialized AI certifications, or continuous learning in AI.
Ecosystem Builders• Demonstrable impact on building the Philippine AI ecosystem through their organizations, initiatives, or advocacy, especially in the public and non-profit sectors
• Broad reach and influence within the Philippine tech community, evidenced by followership, engagement, speaking engagements, or media presence.
• Successfully built and led tech communities, fostering collaboration, and supporting the growth of others.
• Commitment to Philippine AI Development: Clear passion and commitment to advancing AI in the Philippines.

Will you handle US visa applications?
  • PAIR Fellows will have to apply for their own US B1/B2. We can provide an invitation letter as part of your application packet to the US Consulate
Will you handle travel bookings?
  • Fellows will have to book their own airline tickets and hotel accommodations
  • We’ll provide a list of recommended hotels within 30 minutes of the venue that has reasonable rates
Does the travel award differ depending on my current city?
  • To ensure fairness, we’re keeping the PHP 100,000 fixed regardless of your origin city in the Philippines or around the world.
  • If you’re traveling from within the United States, the travel award is:
    • $500 if your primary residence within the Pacific timezone (CA, WA, OR, NV)
    • $1000 if your primary residence is any other US timezone (Eastern, Central, Mountain times)
  • If you’re based in San Francisco Bay Area, there’s no travel award.
  • We estimated this based on travel + hotel costs assuming you’re flying from Manila.
  • Expenses beyond the award amount will be shouldered by the Fellows.
When do Fellows receive the travel award?
  • Once officially accepted, we aim to disburse the travel award within 2 weeks of your acceptance so you can book your travel accordingly.
  • If you’re in the Philippines, we will require a local bank account in PHP in your name. If you’re outside the Philippines, we’ll disburse via a SWIFT wire or other cross-border payments apps.
  • While we aim to ensure you receive the full PHP 100,000 award, we won’t be able to predict whether your bank levies additional charges upon receiving the amount.
  • Once you’ve received the award and can’t make the trip for whatever reason, you’ll refund the entire award amount to the organizers.
Are meals covered?
  • We’ll cover meals during the retreat’s official progamme.
I’m in the United States, can I still apply to PAIR?
  • Yes! If you’re in the United States already and working on Philippines-specific problems, we invite you to apply to PAIR!
  • If you’re traveling from within the United States, the travel award is:
    • $500 if your primary residence is within the Pacific timezone (CA, WA, OR, NV)
    • $1000 if your primary residence is within any other US timezone (Eastern, Central, Mountain times)
    • If you’re based in San Francisco Bay Area, there’s no travel award (Congratulations! You’re already in the center of the action!)

What gradient will you ascend?

PAIR gathers the top AI researchers, founders, and engineers who are solving real problems in the Philippines.

🇵🇭 Apply to pair