TechNest Aklan or the Technology, Innovation, and Collaboration Nest for Aklan, a local technology business incubator (TBI) in the province benchmarks with TBIs in Iloilo to adopt best practices and strengthen support for startups in the province.
The benchmarking activity was participated by key personnel from the Department of Science and Technology Aklan provincial office (DOST-Aklan) and Aklan State University (ASU). The relevance of the benchmarking activity was emphasized by the recent findings of the 2024 Startup Ecosystem Mapping Reports by QBO Innovation, the country’s first public-private partnership platform for Filipino startups, which reported Iloilo as an emerging center of innovation driven by the collective efforts of founders, private organizations, academic institutions, and public sector partners.
In support of the “Establishment of the Technology, Innovation, and Collaboration Nest for Aklan (TechNest Aklan): Aklan State University’s Technology Business Incubator,” an ongoing project of ASU-Kalibo funded under the Grants-in-Aid (GIA) program of DOST-Aklan, the personnel visited Coastline 5023 Fisheries TBI of the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) and Kwadra TBI of the Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT U).
Participants engaged in discussion and insight sharing during the orientation on Kwadra TBI at ISAT U
Participants during the benchmarking activity at Kwadra TBI, ISAT U From left to right (seated): Mr. Rayjand Gellamucho, Kwadra TBI Manager; Engr. Naci John C. Trance, ISAT U’s Intellectual Property Management Office (IPMO) Director; Dr. Angeline Regalado, ASU-Kalibo Campus Director; Ms. Dyna Rose R. Gubatanga, DOST-Aklan Provincial Director; Dr. Chrystler T. Orbien, TechNest Aklan project leader
The Coastline 5023 Fisheries TBI, established with the support of DOST-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD), aims to commercialize the innovations of UPV’s College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (CFOS) through technology-based enterprise development. It also helps potential technopreneurs by providing a facility to foster entrepreneurship and support technology-based startups in the agriculture and aquaculture sectors through innovation talks and events, training programs, business pitching and matching, and technology fairs.
Coastline 5023 Fisheries TBI’s project lead, Ms. Milyn Leghid, presents an overview of the TBI program and its key objectives and best practices and strategies.
Participants during the benchmarking activity at Coastline 5023 Fisheries TBI with the project leader, Milyn Leghid (third from the left); ASU-Kalibo Campus Director Angeline Regalado; DOST-Aklan Provincial Director Dyna Rose Gubatanga; and (rightmost) TechNest Aklan project leader Chrystler Orbien
Moreover, Kwadra TBI was established through the DOST Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) and aims to commercialize university research into startups and support startups in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, such as those focusing on artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced material science, and blockchain.
As part of the visit, three incubatees from Coastline 5023- Ediscape, Cirpro, and Algacon Aquafeeds Manufacturing- shared their experiences and success stories. Algacon also guided the participants through its facility to observe the operations firsthand.
With the conclusion of the activity, DOST-Aklan and ASU-Kalibo hope to replicate the TBIs’ best practices and collaborative approaches to TechNest Aklan and foster an interactive ecosystem that promotes innovation and entrepreneurship in Aklan. (VMMPoncedeLeon, DOST-Aklan)
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