FILIPINO innovators and start-ups are encouraged to work with the government and private sector to help keep the economy afloat and support the nation moving forward amid Covid-19.
Cherrie Atilano, Department of Agriculture ambassador for food security and founder of AGREA Foundation, urged the youth to venture into agribusiness via the agencyās Kapital Access for Young Agripreneurs financing program that offers zero-interest loans of up to P500,000 to borrowers between 18 to 30 years old.
She likewise called on the women sector and returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to enter agribusiness, especially in the field of supply chain.
ā[Thousands] of OFWs are coming back to the country and a lot of them have invested in land,ā Atilano told reporters at the recent āShell Livewire: Powering Start-ups and Innovatorsā webinar.
āBut since this is their first time in agriculture, we are working with the DTI [Department of Trade and Industry] to provide support through training. There is also a partnership with the DOST [Department of Science and Technology] to help them if they would rather go into processing rather than production,ā she said.
Department of Information and Communication Technologies director Emmy Delfin, on the other hand, bared their plan to roll out the Innovative Startups and Acceleration Program, which aims to develop an online platform called the Startup Philippines Portal that will streamline business registration, make shared services more accessible, and promote more advanced investor-and-collaborator matching.
āWe know that the new normal calls for new ways of governance, and ICT is helping the way the government, the private sector, and civil society engage and collaborate,ā she noted. āThere is a need for new ideas, strategies, and policy considerations to meet the emerging challenges that have been caused by the crisis.ā
Meanwhile, Philippine Trade Training Center executive director Nelly Dillera suggested that local firms need business skills training if they intend to be at par in the global trade. She said: āThe smartest and the resilient are the ones who will survive. We would like to focus on the start-ups.ā
Dillera, likewise cited the DTIās Global MSME Academy that offers training and development services to both MSMEs and aspiring start-ups.
Through this, the agency provides capacity building for back office operations and, at the same time, gives participants office space and prototype product development.
Seeing that the entrepreneurial spirit among Filipinos, with bright new concepts are apparently high these days, yet the support system is somewhat lacking, Shell Vice President for External and Government Relations Serge Bernal said that the Shell Livewire could help address this concern.
āIn many cases the resources are there but they can be hard to find without the right connection. We want to help fill that gap through the Shell Livewire platform, not only so that entrepreneurs can successfully execute their ideas, but also so that society can benefit from the solutions that they bring to the table,ā he said.
Shell Livewire started in 1982, and since then has supported over 1,300 businesses in 20 countries to realize their innovative ideas by linking them to mentorship, providing technical expertise and financial assistance, and inclusion in Shellās supply chain.
To date, the energy firmās global enterprise development program has built livelihood capacities of coconut farmers in Quezon and seamstresses in Batangas, as well as established an EcoBrick facility in Cagayan de Oro.
Also, it gained lately six new participants under the programās umbrella. In partnership with Ignite PH Innovation, they include the top 3 technology start-ups, namely, Nextpay, Nanotronics, and uHoo.
Community enterprises likewise joined Shellās LiveWire program this yearāMagzWheel Furnitures, Green Factory by Oro Handmade Innovations Inc., and Eco Explorations PH.
āWe are very excited to have all these partners work with us towards building the nation. During these extraordinary circumstances, we need extraordinary solutions. At Shell, we hope to cast a wider net in the search for these solutions through this initiative,ā Bernal stressed.