KUMU, is a leading locally developed, social entertainment platform connecting some 15 million Filipinos worldwide. Not only has it achieved remarkable success as an online meeting place, becoming a household name in the Philippines, but also as a technology platform.
This journey wouldn’t have been possible without the steadfast support of Amazon Web Services (AWS), as revealed in a recent online briefing featuring Kumu’s founder and CEO, Roland Navarro, and Lakshmi Priya, Head of Startup Business at AWS ASEAN and a select group of information technology journalists.
Priya emphasized AWS’s commitment to democratizing cloud computing, stating, “Our goal is to enable anyone… access the same scale and cost structure as some of the largest companies in the world.” This philosophy has been instrumental in empowering startups like KUMU, who started their journey in a condominium and grew to raise over $100 million, becoming one of the first Filipino startups to do so.
Navarro recounted Kumu’s early struggles, recalling, “I remember just thinking about our first conversations at AWS when Kumu was just a dream. And we’re like, oh, man, I don’t think we can even afford cloud.” The AWS Activate program, offering credits, training, and support, proved to be a lifeline for KUMU during its nascent stages.
AWS’s support extended beyond the initial phase. As the platform expanded and faced challenges like the pandemic and the need for cost optimization, AWS was there at every step. Navarro expressed his gratitude, stating, “It’s been a journey and a partnership, a really deep relationship with AWS that I really appreciate.”
The AWS Activate program has been a game-changer for startups, offering not just credits, but also a wealth of resources. Priya highlighted its evolution, saying, “AWS Activate has evolved into a one-stop shop for startups.” With over 280,000 startups globally benefiting from the program, its impact is undeniable.
AWS’s cloud infrastructure has been pivotal in enabling Kumu to provide seamless connections and high-quality streaming experiences to its users, especially overseas Filipinos connecting with loved ones back home. Navarro explained, “The real-time experience of someone sending that gift to somebody in an environment across what, quite frankly, is a very challenging environment in the Philippines when it comes to internet speed” is made possible by AWS.
As Kumu looks to the future, AI and automation play a central role. Navarro shared, “More and more automation and games, which all points towards the importance of AI, have been very, very, very important for our thinking and for our future.” AWS is well-positioned to support KUMU’s ambitions, with Priya stating, “Any discussion when it comes to scale, we would actually be working and having those conversations with AWS.”
Priya shed light on AWS’s efforts in the generative AI space, highlighting their focus on democratization. AWS offers a three-layered approach, providing infrastructure, tools, and services to empower startups and businesses to harness the power of generative AI.
With a commitment to providing choice, speed, and security, AWS is enabling startups like KUMU to explore and leverage this transformative technology. Priya concluded, “We believe that these are just now the ways that we’re supporting startups. But the more we learn, the more we evolve, we stay very, very agile.”
“And through AWS’s help and the way we’ve been able to optimize not just costs but the user experience of something that we call ‘mahal.’ Mahal means love in the Philippines and in the Tagalog language. And to increase our mahal, it’s really important that the stability of that app when someone is entertaining our global overseas Filipino, it’s something that is very critical to us,” Navarro said.
“Imagine, if AWS wasn’t there for us, again, just imagine the cost of building all these servers and trying to do this on your own. Again, going back to what Priya was talking about, which is democratizing cloud, we wouldn’t have been able to do that,” Navarro concludes.
