PH startups headline technopreneurship roadshow at UPLB

Tech leaders and startup founders joined a roadshow on the UPLB campus to inspire students to explore technopreneurship and to talk about the Philippine startup ecosystem.

In partnership with the QBO Innovation Hub, the UPLB Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO), through the UPLB SIBOL Business Incubator, conducted the QBO x Laguna National Roadshow from Dec. 4 to 5, 2023 at UPLB. This event was supported by the HEIRIT ReSEED program funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD).

The roadshow featured AQADEMY Campus Tour (ACT), Technology Business Incubator (TBI) QNNECT with ICONS South Luzon, and QLITAN in Laguna.

The first day of the roadshow started out by engaging with stakeholders in the academe. Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr. opened the program with a brief message to the participants, where he emphasized the importance of collaboration to create a thriving ecosystem for Philippine startups. Afterward, he represented UPLB in the ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with QBO Innovation Hub. Dr. Agham C. Cuevas witnessed the signing as the vice chancellor for academic affairs.

The event continued with a learning session entitled “BASIQS: Crash Course on Startups” with Matthew Gabriel Cruz of QBO Innovation Hub. Cruz discussed the fundamental characteristics of a startup and outlined the procedures involved in its establishment.

The featured startup founders at the event included Vincent Roy Mendoza, the founder and CEO of Farmvocacy, and Pauline Gonzales-Pocsedio, the owner of Handmade+Homemade and one of the entrepreneurs assisted by UPLB. They shared their insights as startup founders, the challenges they encountered, and the primary societal issues their startups aim to address. They also gave advice for initiating a startup and talked about the advocacies they uphold.

To enhance the participants’ understanding of managing startups, Natasha Isabela Ducusin, program manager for community and ecosystem at QBO Innovation Hub, moderated a panel discussion with Mendoza and Gonzales-Pocsedio.

The second part of the program was an ideation and collaboration session wherein participants were grouped and tasked with presenting innovative products or services designed to address the societal issues they identified.

The second day of the roadshow focused on creating connections with the regional startup community.

The afternoon networking session entitled “QLITAN in Laguna” brought together members of the local startup community, including aspiring founders, incubatees, mentors, startup advocates, and government institutions across Region IV-A CALABARZON. This event allowed the participants to share their knowledge, feedback, and requests to support the development of their startup ecosystem.

The participants also gained valuable insights from panelists and science research specialists Honey Lyn Tirador from Batangas State University and Sarahme Corazon Esteban from the DOST Forest Products Research and Development Institute. The panelists led discussions on how the regional startup community can actively promote and enhance the participation of women in both the startup scene and the broader fields of science and technology.

The two-day collaborative community event concluded with a discussion of future activities with community partners to support the development of the Philippine startup ecosystem. (Rudy Parel Jr., Cath Amante, and Angel Mutia)