The Department of Science and Technology VI’s (DOST VI) Aklan Innovation Hub (iHub) in partnership with FyrLab Accelerator, Youth First Philippines Initiative, Inc. (YFI), Unified Movement in Western Visayas to Accelerate Startup and Spinoff Development (UMWAD) Consortium, and Aklan State University (ASU) hosted a Fyrside Chat and Startup Ecosystem Mapping Workshop for local entrepreneurs, researchers, students, and aspiring startups.

The activity included an interactive discussion on technology and entrepreneurship and a workshop that aims to help participants generate innovative ideas that could address societal concerns and assess the overall status of the startup ecosystem in Aklan.

Moreover, it included discussions on the definition and characteristics of a startup, as well as the development of the startup ecosystem in Iloilo. The mapping workshop featured the startup ecosystem canvas, startup community maturity, and community discussions on the challenges, gaps, and opportunities for startups in Aklan.

Initial results of the mapping workshop showed that the province is in the very early stage of startup development, with some early founding capabilities already in place.

According to the 2024 Startup Ecosystem Mapping Reports by QBO Innovation, the country’s first public-private partnership platform for Filipino startups, the Philippine startup ecosystem is seeing significant growth, especially with the expansion of regional hubs. With this, DOST together with partner agencies plans to hold several other activities to further strengthen and support innovative startups in Aklan as well as in other provinces. (VMMPoncedeLeon, DOST-Aklan)