The Internet has completely changed the landscape of entrepreneurship and perhaps the ones most affected by this are the startups. Being a startup can be fun and rewarding but it also entails countless challenges.

For Internet and tech startups, there is no place like Silicon Valley, the leading hub for high-tech innovation and development in the US. It’s like the Neverland of tech entrepreneurs where there exists a robust, active community of early adopters and a healthy pool of investors ready to pour cash into promising companies that could potentially be the next big thing. Unfortunately, not all startups have the luxury of being in Silicon Valley. Fortunately for these companies, not all startups have to be from Silicon Valley to be successful.

In the spotlight: The Philippine startup scene

We’ve heard of tons of successful startups from countries like US and Europe, but we’ve barely heard of any success stories from developing countries. That doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t any. An interesting country to dig deeper into would be the Philippines, which some might not have even heard of, but in fact has a very Internet and mobile-savvy population.

So what’s it like being a startup from a developing country? Well, they’re definitely missing out on all the comforts such as seed funding, collaborative work spaces, access to a mentor base, VCs and Angels, dedicated business training, as well as visibility via networking and pitch events.

To be quite frank, the startup ‘scene’ in the Philippines is almost bordering nonexistent, considering the size and reach of its niche. They’re definitely lacking the right kind of leadership and exposure to gain attention from the rest of the world. It’s a shame, because it’s a country rich with talent and unique ideas but local startups often fail to launch due to the unfavorable circumstances of growing in a resistive environment. I don’t mean to undermine Filipino startups at large, in fact there are a few that stand out – and one in particular has caught my attention.

I spoke to Eric Su, co-founder and developer of PicLyf, a visual-content focused publishing platform – or picture blogging, if you will. The company is a small group of Internet geeks-slash-entrepreneurs based in the Philippines, who have endured countless challenges, and is now on its way to success.

Read the full story on TNW here.