startups – CITY OF NAGA

Partnerships and Collaboration Spur the Growth of the IoT Industry in Naga City

Web Master — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 08:23:57 +0000

Naga made a significant step towards becoming a full-fledged Smart City with the formal turnover to the City Government of an Internet of Things (IoT) Disaster Management Solution, and the launch of an IoT Connectivity Infrastructure by Packetworx and ThingsPH last January 30, 2024.

With this, Packetworx and ThingsPH has made a notable contribution to the city’s game changing initiative. They officially donated flood and rainfall monitoring devices as part of an IoT Disaster Management Solution. These companies also installed and provided free access to LoRaWAN gateways. These gateways form the backbone of a connectivity infrastructure that allows IoT devices to communicate.

Packetworx is the first and only LoRaWAN connectivity provider in the country. ThingsPH is a Nagueño startup that provides IoT software platforms and solutions.

Packetworx and ThingsPH’s connectivity infrastructure and IoT Platform will significantly spur the growth of IoT innovations and startups in the city. Together with the ADNU MAGIS TBI’s IoT Laboratory (set up in partnership with the City Government of Naga, Ateneo de Naga University, and NEDA) and the city government’s startup development efforts, this donation will create a better environment for innovators to create impactful solutions and for leaders to make data-driven decisions for the overall welfare and benefit of the community in the long run.

The LoRaWAN connectivity infrastructure, which now covers 80% of the city, will also complement the city’s Startup Development Program (under local Ordinance No. 2021-057) by providing a network that IoT developers and their prospective clients can use. Currently, the ADNU MAGIS TBI, Naga City Investment Board, Packetworx, and ThingsPH are supporting more than a hundred local IoT development projects.

Near the conclusion of the event, Packetworx and ThingsPH officially announced that the regional leg of the 2024 IoT Conference in the South Luzon area will be held in Naga City, an indication of Naga’s technological innovation for the Philippines’ IoT ecosystem. (Krizia Francine Coronel, ITPO)

Aspiring Startups Hurdle Pitching Challenge at Final Picking Phase

Web Master — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 12:48:32 +0000

𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗔𝟮𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗨𝗣 𝗣𝗜𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗘

As the final phase of the Idea2Startup selection process, the 17 shortlisted startup applicants engaged in the Pitching Challenge organized by the Investment and Tourism Promotions Office (ITPO) at the CMO Conference Room, City Hall Compound last December 5, 2023.

With enthusiasm, the student teams passionately delivered their 5-minute pitch, presenting their innovative and brilliant ideas, to the esteemed panel from various offices, led by Mr. Reuel Oliver, the Executive Director of ITPO. The students also went through the intensive Q&A by the panel members to further prove the viability of their projects.

Hailing from ADNU, BISCAST, NCF, and UNC, all participating teams exhibited impressive performances which reflected their hard work and effort in preparing for the pitching challenge.

~Krizia Coronel (ITPO)

#Idea2Startup #PitchingChallenge #DigitalInnovation #Startups #NagaNa #UswagPa

Startups mark milestones in Year-end Assembly

Web Master — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 03:59:53 +0000

𝗡𝗮𝗴𝗮 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿-𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗹𝘆 & 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 (Photos)

Reflecting on the productive journey of 2023, the local startup community in Naga City seized abundant opportunities, growth, and expansion!

To celebrate the accomplishments for the year, the Naga City Startups Year-End Assembly & 2024 Preview was held on December 7, 2023, at Tiger’s Cafe, Magsaysay Avenue. It was the perfect time to bring together everyone in the startup ecosystem and revisit the experiences shared, problems encountered, and goals achieved.

Naga City remains steadfast in its commitment to sustaining the growth of local startups and help generate positive impacts in the community. As we anticipate the coming year, 2024 promises to be even more vibrant, implementing programs to support the city’s innovators.

~ Krizia Coronel (ITPO)

#StartupNaga #YearEndAssembly #NagaNa #UswagPa

LGU to fire up technology startups in colleges

CEPPIO Naga — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 08:00:27 +0000

Using its Digital Innovation Fund, the city government of Naga hopes that it can help students to become successful innovators one day from being learners who did well at their school projects.

With the program called the Idea2startup, the Naga City Investment Board (NCIB), in partnership with the Naga College Foundation (NCF), will promote the startup ecosystem by supporting the students in the generation of startup ideas, afterwards, funding the development of prototypes.

NCIB Head Reuel Oliver said that the program hopes to encourage students to come up with technology projects that are viable or have commercial potential, saying that the present generation is now in the innovation economy.

Commercial potential is the opportunity of commercialization of the candidate technology. Every new technology to reach market needs to thrive and prosper in a continuously changing and unpredictable business environment.

“The funds to be provided by the city government will help to inspire the students to produce prototypes of projects that can be commercially viable,” he said.

(Jason B. Neola, CEPPIO.)

Naga’s startup development ramps up

CEPPIO Naga — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 10:00:47 +0000

September is a big month for the Startup community. As programs and events continue to take shape for the future of startups in the city, let’s give pause and take a look at what’s cooking on the side of Naga’s Startup community.

First off was the continuation of the Digital Innovation Hub’s Startup Roadshow. If you remember, the first roadshow event started off at the Ateneo de Naga University last June 29. This time, the DIH moves on to the University of Nueva Caceres on August 27, as part of its goal to further promote and stimulate the startup communities within the city’s universities. The roadshow was attended by students from the Colleges of Business & Accountancy, Engineering & Architecture, and Computer Studies.

The Naga City Startup Community with their newly-elected officers Ronald Rodriguez of BSS Corp as President, Karlo Largoza of Keehive Solutions as Internal VP, Jude Buelva of Pandalivery as External VP, Gwen Joson of Gina as Secretary, Enrico Evangelista of Bald Puppies as Treasurer, Raymund Rosco of Servisit as Public Relations Officer, Ernest San Jose of Bapplepay as Auditor, Magno Conag III of Nueca Technologies for Ways & Means, Joselito Ocol of BEECALL TBI for Program, Harvey Valdez of Beshie for Community/Membership, and Mitzi Evora-Largoza for Design.

After the Startup Roadshow event at the University of Nueva Caceres, as the spotlight on the Startup community grew ever larger, the group of startup founders and enablers decided to organize and create what essentially stands as the Naga City Startup Community last September 1. An organization where founders of local startups band together to help strengthen and shape the local startup community by providing an organization that is able to help support these efforts from up-and-coming startups all over the city.

With establishing organizations, we shouldn’t forget about the establishment of new projects too! As part of the growing environment of startup innovators and enthusiasts, the DICT – Region V through its ICT Industry Development Bureau (IIDB) and in partnership with BeeCall TBI, launched the STEP UP Project last September 2. The STEP UP project is an initiative where chosen startups from the Bicol region enter a 6-month mentoring program. This mentoring program aims to enrich and further strengthen the competitiveness of the chosen startups in such a vast and growing ecosystem.

The chosen startups for this project include Servisit, Gina, Dibit, E Medi Book, Doormie, Andale, Orange Country, PlayGig, and Dayaw Tech. The project envisions that the startups would be able to breathe new life into our economy and would be able to be the catalyst for technological breakthroughs in the country.

And for the last update on the matters of the startup community in the city, we have the Memorandum of Agreement signing that happened last September 7 between the City Government of Naga, through our esteemed Mayor Nelson Legacion, and Ateneo de Naga University through its President, Fr. Roberto Exequiel N. Rivera, S.J. The MOA aims to expand the Idea2Startup program outside of the College of Science and Engineering. The program will now span the Colleges of Business & Accountancy (CBA) and Computer Studies (CCS).

The startup community in Naga is growing by the minute. Innovations from various companies and groups are slowly taking shape and are impacting the technological and business spaces. It is great to see these groups flourish and help one another as it shows that at the end of the day, it isn’t just about turning a profit. It’s also about the innovations that they are able to bring to the table. The opportunity to disrupt the space and introduce something that no one has seen before. A chance to bring meaningful change in sectors that need it. And with these programs, projects, and initiatives that are taking place, Naga is the perfect staging group for this budding ecosystem. We cannot wait to see what’s next for the future of startups in the city.

(Words by Agnete Jonathan Noble, CEPPIO. Photos taken from DIH and DICT – Region V)