by Lyxen Nicolas
MANILA, Philippines – With an eye for incorporating innovation and entrepreneurship in igniting a better future for startups and social enterprises, the Entrepreneurship Club (E-Club) of Far Eastern University (FEU) held its flagship project this year, the Entrepreneurship + Technology (ENTECH) Summit 2017, last Tuesday at the FEU Mini Auditorium.
With its theme “Calibrating the Future through Entrepreneurship and Innovation”, the ENTECH Summit opened its doors to aspiring technopreneurs and innovators, welcoming over nearly a hundred delegates from different schools and universities in the country.
The first half of the event was kickstarted by ENTECH 2017’s Keynote Speaker, Senator Paola Benigno “Bam” Aquino’s talk on championing social enterprises through technology. Valenice Balace, the founder and CEO of Honesty Apps then shared her experiences in developing her passion for innovation in building her own app as she tackled the impact of technology and new media on entrepreneurship.
A panel discussion with veteran technopreneurs, Paul Rivera, founder and CEO of Kalibrr; Aurora Soriano, founder and CEO of PinoyTravel, Inc.; and Kassy Pajarillo, Marketing Head of Honesty Apps, in the industry then gave their insights on technopreneurship and emerging innovations in Asia. Master of Science in Innovation and Business and Academic Program Director of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Matthew Escobido moderated the discussion.
The delegates then proceeded to the ENTECH Expo located at the FEU Manila’s gazebos at the Science Building Walkway that showcased an exhibit of technologies, NGO’s and actual social enterprises products from ENTECH’s partner organizations.
In continuation of the summit, Maria Luisa Isabel Jolongbayan, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s Team Leader and Management Support Unit opened the second wave of the summit and discussed UNDP’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through entrepreneurship and innovation. Philippine Social Enterprise Network’s Ariane Lim then fed the delegates knowledge on social entrepreneurship policy and education. Lastly, Aisa Mijeno, world-renowned inventor of SALt Lamp, talked about solving tomorrow’s global challenges with the use technology and innovations.
“The ENTECH Summit for me was a successful and engaging event,” FEU BA Communication ENTECH Summit delegate Nicole Karam shared. She further exclaimed how thrilled she was especially at the event expo as she, along with other delegates, discovered numerous startups and even had the chance to meet their owners. “Interacting with them up close and personal was one for the books for me,” she said.
The event not only benefited its participants but also the people who made the event possible, ENTECH proponent Patrick Manuel, the Chief Operating Officer of E-Club, and co-proponents; Ryan Saryaba, E-Club’s Chief Marketing Officer; and E-Club Executive Jane Rosete.
Richelle Medenilla, ENTECH’s Director for Operations and Logistics, shared how she faced the challenges thrown to her. “I consider this event as a learning process,” she said. When asked about how she handled the expo, she said that being decisive in everything is vital because there will be concerns from the exhibitors and the crowd. Either way, she pushed through with the cooperation and unity that the organization takes pride in.
Being the largest gathering of technopreneurs and future innovators this 2017, the ENTECH Summit is just one of the more events that The Entrepreneurship Club of FEU has in store.
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