DTI invites potential startup entrepreneurs to a virtual mentorship course

 MINERVA BC NEWMAN

CEBU CITY—The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) and The Company Cebu is launching the next virtual mentorship course on September 22 dubbed as “Startup Island PH Virtual Mentorship Program” targeting mainly maturing tech startups and those with specific problems in their businesses and help them address these. 

Those interested to join the Startup Island PH Virtual Mentorship Program may click on the following link to register to: bit.ly/SIPH4th.  The Start-up Island PH is free of charge.  Mentees are not required to pay a fee to attend any part of the mentorship.

DTI regional director Maria Elena Arbon said that there is a need to help local startups in Cebu considering that it’s lagging other cities and Asian countries in terms of startup growth.  “In 2018, the DTI launched the Startup Island mentoring program in Cebu to help local tech startups grow,” Arbon said.

Startup Island PH aims to empower, equip, connect and support startups through its three main programs: Mentoring & Matching Sessions, and Community Mixers. Arbon said that this year’s mentorship program covers nine modules, exclusive of fireside chats and demo day.

During the launch on September 22, coordinators will be discussing all the information related to the program and will be announcing the names of the mentors and the application process for mentees.

According to Arbon that the Startupisland.PH Mentoring Program was a course initiated by the DTI in partnership with the DICT and The Company Cebu with the local startup communities and the first batch of mentees went through the program in 2018 and the second one in 2019 at The Company IT Park while the third, a virtual seminar was conducted in 2020.

The program was created to give startups the opportunity to scale up their businesses through learning and exchanging ideas with mentors and successful businessmen in the country. It provides mentees access to market their products to large enterprises and venture capitalists and cultivate a future that benefits the entire local startup ecosystem, Arbon explained.

For the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT), it said to continue supporting startups to realize an innovation-driven economy. 

The Company on the other hand wants to empower and help startups develop their businesses and partner with potential investors aside from providing flexible, startup-friendly workspaces and a thriving community for its members,

Since its inception in Japan, The Company has always supported, partnered with and launched various startup programs in each of its co-working space and shared office facilities.

Arbon pointed out that DTI learned from its “Kapatid Mentor Me” (KMME) program how important mentorship is, but the needs of startups are not the same as those of MSMEs.  She said the startup mentoring program would help around 9-15 tech startup companies over the course of a few weeks.

Furthermore, the DTI also wants to nurture and cultivate future mentors that will benefit the entire startup ecosystem.  “Not only will the program address the mentorship needs of startups but will also fill the gap between startups and brick-and-mortar or traditional businesses. We want to link them with brick-and-mortar businesses because everything is connected,” Arbon added.

Through the startup accelerator program, Startup Island PH can increase support for tech startups and give them direct access to mentors, potential partners, clients, and investors.