December 2, 2024 – In an era dominated by global giants in the electronics and AI sectors, few young entrepreneurs dare to carve out their own niche—let alone succeed at it. Delner Tom Balag, the visionary founder of Xilo Electronics Co., Ltd., a now-subsidiary of the Xilo Holdings Group, is the exception. Once a quiet, introverted teenager who preferred the glow of a laptop screen to the outside world, Tom now stands at the forefront of technological innovation in the Philippines. Known for his pioneering efforts in consumer technology and AI development, he is quickly becoming a household name. In this exclusive interview, we peel back the layers to discover the man behind the brand, his inspirations, and what’s next for him and his company.
From Shy Gamer to Tech Visionary
Before he became the public face of a tech startup, Tom was an inward-facing teen. He describes his early days as “ordinary”—a time marked by a preference for staying indoors and a passion for gaming. It was a fateful encounter with a faulty laptop that sparked the question: Why not do it better? Frustrated by inconsistent quality and limited local options, he imagined a homegrown Filipino tech brand that could deliver accessible, high-quality devices. Thus, the seeds of Xilo were planted.
When the entrepreneurial urge took hold, Tom didn’t follow the crowded path of smartphones. Instead, he saw an opportunity where few dared to tread: the laptop market. This space, especially in the Philippines, seemed oddly vacant of local competitors. “I noticed there wasn’t a Filipino-marketed laptop,” says Mr. Balag. With global players like Dell and Acer dominating, he recognized a gap—and he stepped in before someone else could.
Xilo’s inaugural laptop model was a straightforward proposition designed for practicality over flair. At a modest 18,000 pesos, it offered a 1080p display, reliable speakers, a lightweight form factor, and robust performance enhanced by a 256GB Toshiba SSD and 8GB of Samsung RAM. This wasn’t a hardcore gaming machine, but it excelled at everyday tasks—from office work to online learning. Its success validated Mr. Balag’s intuition: there was a market hungry for affordable, well-built laptops tailored to Filipino users.
A Surprise Catalyst: The Mr. Oroquieta Pageant
In an unexpected twist, Tom found himself on the pageant stage—at the urging of his aunt. While he never intended to mix pageantry with product promotion, it proved to be a strategic boon. During the advocacy portion, he used the spotlight to champion Xilo’s mission of empowerment through technology. “It gave me a platform to present Xilo not just as a product, but as a vision,” he explains. The move placed Tom—and his budding company—firmly in the public eye.
Riding the AI Wave: ZenAI and Beyond
As the world races toward an AI-driven future, Tom is determined to stay ahead of the curve. His initial foray into artificial intelligence, ZenAI, underscored the transformative power of smart tools. From simplifying day-to-day tasks to breaking down language barriers, AI’s potential, in his eyes, lies in making advanced tech approachable and judgment-free. “My goal is to ensure AI feels like a helping hand, not a complexity to fear,” he says.
The Juggling Act of Ambition and Life
Behind every success story lies the struggle to maintain balance. Tom admits his personal life often takes a backseat to his professional pursuits. “My schedule changes at a moment’s notice,” he says. While he recognizes the necessity of finding a healthier equilibrium down the line, he’s currently committed to pouring every ounce of energy into building his dream.
Despite the demands of entrepreneurship and his surprise stint in the pageant spotlight, Tom still finds time to keep himself in shape—though he’ll be the first to joke that if napping were a sport, he’d have a gold medal. He hits the gym two or three times a week, working off those “lazy Sundays” (and sometimes Mondays, let’s be honest) to maintain a balanced 70 kilograms at 172 centimeters tall, aided by his trusty protein shakes and a hint of creatine. As for his personal life, he’s proudly single, happily dating his business ambitions for now—and quite content to let any romantic plot twists wait until he’s conquered the next big innovation.
Gazing Toward the Horizon
Tom envisions Xilo’s next phase as a blend of sustaining its laptop legacy and pushing into AI research and development. “I’m about 60% focused on Xilo and 40% on AI,” he notes, acknowledging that juggling both is a challenge. Yet, if his past is any indication, he thrives on exploring the unknown—even if it means forging a path without a clear roadmap.
For those who look up to him, his message is simple: keep aiming higher. “Step out of your comfort zone,” he encourages. “Even if your plans go off track, at least you’ll gain the lessons to try again. Compare yourself only to who you were yesterday, not to anyone else.”
The Journey is Just the Beginning
Delner Tom Balag has emerged as a powerful voice in Filipino tech entrepreneurship, blending innovation with authenticity. From a quiet teen indoors with a faulty laptop to a pageant titleholder and founder of a groundbreaking electronics brand, his story illustrates what happens when vision and resolve converge. For him, the road ahead is long and dynamic, and he’s unafraid to travel it boldly—one innovation at a time.
