The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
Manila, Philippines – Mapúa Institute of Technology, in partnership with STW, reinvigorated the startup community in the Philippines at the Fullwave Tech and Startups 2016 Summit. Hosted by Philippine-based startup Fullwave, the two-day event explored Philippine technological innovations.
Fullwave, a collective of millennial entrepreneurs from New York City, focuses on novel initiatives towards cultivating entrepreneurial action.
Serving as a platform for local startups, technology students, and entrepreneurs to meet and learn with developers and influencers from New York City, Manila, and other Asian countries, Fullwave Summit featured on-stage presentations and a multiday hackathon. The event also featured a series of panel discussions on issues surrounding technology and startup industry from Jonathan Francis, co-founder of Elite Daily, Antonio Aguirre Jr., CEO and founder of Sole Slam, and Paul Salem, CEO of MegaMerch, among others.
“Our strategy is comprised of bringing in investors, developers, founders, and culture that will allow us to not only fuel the startup community, but to also give hands-on operational support to bring startups to success,” Fullwave Champion and STW Founder Ace Velarde noted.
For Mapúa President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Reynaldo Vea, startups bridge the divide between science and technology and the marketplace, providing the means to make science and technology useful to people.
“An invention remains an invention and does not become an innovation until it is brought to the market,” Dr. Vea said, adding that startups are paving the way for innovations to enter the global marketplace.
To be able to support its students who wish to venture into startups, Mapúa is gearing towards courses on entrepreneurship, as well as embedding entrepreneurship materials within existing courses in Mapúa’s various programs.
This is all supplemental to the degree program on Entrepreneurship offered in Mapúa’s E.T. Yuchengco School of Business and Management in Makati.
Mapúa has also started putting up its very own “Fab Shop,” or fabrication shop, equipped with the necessary facilities needed to invent or innovate a product.
“The next big thing for Mapúa would be the establishment of a fab shop where students can actually tinker physically to create new products,” Dr. Vea said. “We will be putting various equipment so students can tinker, invent and innovate.”
For those who wish to venture into systems and processes, Mapúa’s computer laboratories are fully equipped with various software that students can use for their projects.
Aside from providing the facilities, Mapúa will set up ties with various funding sources that would help in marketing the product, system, or process for public use.
Lastly, an office that will handle the intellectual property aspect of these startups will be put up to handle patent management.
Through a variety of panel discussions and activities, the FullWave Tech and Startups Summit enabled community interaction, bridging aspiring businesses and influencers. For more details, visit www.fullwave.ph.