DashCon 2025: The Unconference

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The way humans interact with technology is changing rapidly. From the tools we use to the systems that shape everyday life, innovation continues to open new possibilities. But progress should always come with responsibility.

DashCon 2025: The Unconference invites innovators, creatives, educators, and community leaders to reimagine how technology can empower people instead of replacing them.

This year’s theme, Alliance for Innovation and Human Dignity, is a call to create a future where progress and empathy move forward together. More than an event, DashCon is a shared space for meaningful conversations about the future of work, creativity, governance, and community.

What Makes DashCon Different

Unlike traditional conferences, DashCon embraces an unconference format.
Here, participants don’t sit and wait for answers — they help shape the discussions.

Attendees join collaborative sessions, open panels, and interactive breakout rooms designed to spark honest dialogue and co-created learning. This approach bridges innovation with empathy and builds real, actionable ideas to address real-world challenges.

Main Panel Discussion: Innovation, Governance, Education, and Human Dignity

DashCon 2025 brings together respected voices who are shaping the Philippine digital landscape:

• Dominic Ligot – Founder of Cirrolytix
• Janette Toral – Co-founder of IMetrics Asia Pacific Corporation
• Francis Plaza – Co-founder and CEO of PayMongo; Advocate/Volunteer at BetterGovPH
• Chelsea Pineda – Senior Labor and Employment Officer, Institute for Labor Studies; policy researcher and part-time lecturer specializing in geopolitics, international relations, and migration

This panel will explore how innovation intersects with governance, ethics, labor, education, and leadership. Chelsea’s expertise in policy, labor systems, and human mobility adds a crucial lens to the conversation — emphasizing the need to protect human dignity as technology changes how people work, learn, and move.

Together, the panel will dive into what it means to build an equitable, human-centered future in a rapidly evolving digital world.

Breakout Sessions and Topic Leaders

Participants can choose from four interactive breakout sessions led by industry experts:

1. Human x Tech: Designing Innovation That Serves People

Led by: Gabriel Billones Jr., Founder & President/CEO of Break the Fake Movement & Y-Loop Digital
Focus: Building technology that prioritizes inclusion, accessibility, and dignity.

2. Creative Futures: Working with Machines While Keeping Creativity Human

Led by: Kia Abrera, P.npn, Co-founder of Braveworks Inc.
Focus: Using neuroplasticity, emotional intelligence, and human strengths to keep creativity alive while collaborating with AI-driven tools.

3. Community Power: Building Spaces Where Every Voice Counts

Led by: Lenz Dagohoy, Policy Lead at AI for the Philippines (AI4PH)
Focus: Understanding adoption challenges and building trust, coordination, and ethical integration within communities.

4. Work and Well-being: Rethinking Balance, Productivity, and Purpose

Led by: Artie Lopez, Co-founder & COO of NextPay; Co-founder of Brainsparks
Focus: Crafting meaningful work in a hybrid, automated world while protecting wellness and purpose.

Why Attend DashCon 2025

Attendees will gain:

• Practical insights from experts across technology, creativity, policy, labor, governance, and leadership
• Interactive sessions designed for collaboration and exchange
• Opportunities to network with innovators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers
• A community-driven experience where ideas flow across disciplines

DashCon 2025 is more than a conversation — it’s a movement toward human-centered innovation shaped by the people who show up.

Be part of the future we are building together.

📅 Date: November 27, 2025
🕐 Time: 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM
📍 Venue: The Company Makati