Participants on Day 1 of the Mindanao TBI Summit

The Philippines has moved up one step to rank 52nd in the 2021 Global Startup Ecosystem Index, with Davao coming in at #4 nationwide and #786 globally as a new entry. Ms. Russell Pili, research commercialization chief of the Department of Science and Technology, disclosed this at the Mindanao Technology Business Incubation (TBI) Summit, held on August 12-13, 2022. 

Ms. Brenda Valerio, a consultant to the Dept. of Information and Communications Technology, added that the Davao City startup community maturity is at level 3 or an “Accelerating Ecosystem,” based on density, culture, and capital, talent, and the regulatory environment. She summarized the results of the Davao City Ecosystem Mapping held on August 8, which identified 45 startups at the idea stage, 34 in the launch stage, 36 in the growth stage, and 67 supporters, composed of government, universities, and private firms.

For her part, Davao City Councilor Pilar Braga showed the 2021 city ordinance establishing the Davao City Inventions and Innovations Center. “We need you [the startups] to tell us what you need and what you want us to do,” she said. 

Participants in Day 2 of the Mindanao TBI Summit

Priya Thatchadi of Villgro Philippines, French Llorilla of CDO Bites, and Constantino Brasileno of IDEYA also shared their business experiences on Day 2 of the Summit. In addition, DOST-XI regional director Anthony Sales and Albert Gabriel of the Department of Information and Communication Technology reported on their agencies’ TBI programs. 

The University of Mindanao hosted the two-day Summit as its offering to the first Davao Startup Week organized by IDEAS-Davao, a consortium of private and public universities, agencies, and firms convened by the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao.

UP Mindanao chancellor Lyre Anni Murao and UM vice-president for research Maria Linda Arquiza sent messages of support to the Summit. 

In closing, Mr. Miguel Carlo Guillermo, IDEAS convenor and UP Mindanao assistant professor, said, “The Davao startup ecosystem is fast-growing; from its infancy just four years earlier, it is now poised to solve problems from the region to the nation.”