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| Atty. Jocelle Batapa-Sigue championed the need for incubators and accelerators to also be built in the provinces outside of Metro Manila in order to support the growth of the startup ecosystem in the countryside. |
Leading advocates in the creation of startup ecosystems promote collaboration among technology business incubators, accelerators, and innovation centers in order to make the Philippines a leading location for digital innovation.
In a series of panels highlighting the role of incubators and accelerators in growing mature startups and building a startup ecosystem, existing models were presented during the fifth "Geeks on A Beach" - the biggest annual international startup event organized in the Philippines by Techtalks.Ph.
Among the featured models are the government funded incubators of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the UP Enterprise Incubator and the recently opened Dado Banatao incubator at the Asian Institute of Management managed by the Philippine Development Foundation (PhilDev), public-private incubators like QBO which is also supported by DOST and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), as well as private sector-funded accelerators like Launch Garage, Cebu Incubator in IT, and IdeaSpace.
The third of three session featured Executive Director Samuel Guevarra Philippine Development Foundation (PhilDev), Ehon Chan of the ASEAN Centre of Entrepreneurship and MAGIC Malaysia, Katrina Chan of QBO, Craig Dixon of Muru-D Singapore, Jhaze Asuncion of DOST UP Center for Technopreneurship, Diane Eustaquio of IdeaSpace Foundation, and Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, past-chair of the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP).
Batapa-Sigue championed the need for incubators and accelerators to also be built in the provinces outside of Metro Manila in order to support the growth of the startup ecosystem in the countryside.
She stressed the importance of creating information and communications technology (ICT) councils especially in cities and provinces in the countryside to develop and implement innovation spaces such as incubators and accelerators, or even co-working spaces or shared service facilities where students and professionals can meet and exchange ideas.
The first and second sessions featured Russell Pili, the Executive Director of The Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) of the DOST who announced that they are adding 20 incubators to the 14 existing ones in the next 24 months. The program also includes training for incubator managers, mentoring and seed funding for research to qualified startups.
All the panelists believe the Philippines can become a top global startup innovation hub in five years time if there is a strong collaboration among all stakeholders, with a strong emphasis on celebrating startup stories and believing in the potential of the Filipino.
/JEBSigue
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