Gearing Up for a Technopreneurship Ecosystem in Davao

The Computer Studies Division of the Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU) is part of a core of administrators and faculty from twelve schools in Davao tasked to develop a 3-unit Technopreneurship course to be integrated in the curriculum of IT Education degrees (i.e., B.S. Computer Science (BSCS), B.S. Information Technology (BSIT), B.S. Information Management (BSIM)) by June 2007. Together with the core group are representatives from the Commission on Higher Education Region XI Office (CHED-XI), ICT Davao (the umbrella organization of all IT organizations in Davao), and the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII).

The core group, composed of twenty people, first underwent an intensive 6-day training on Technopreneurship last November 27, 2006 to December 2, 2006 at Marco Polo Hotel. The training was sponsored by the Philippine-Australian Human Resource Development Facility (PAHRDF) in coordination with DCCCII. They partnered with the Council of Deans for IT Education in Region XI (CDITE-XI) and Philippine Society of IT Educators-Region XI (PSITE-XI) whose member schools composed majority of the participants of the training. Resource persons from respectable organizations in Manila were part of the training team. After the training, coaching/mentoring sessions ensued from December 6-15, 2006 at Tower Inn, then from January 8-19, 2007 at Regency Inn. Presentation and critiquing of the modules with invited faculty and students from the twelve participating schools then followed last January 23, 2007 at the Regency Inn. The launching of the Technopreneurship course to the city of Davao was done last January 25, 2007 at the Royal Mandaya Hotel. Movers and shakers from the academe, IT industry, government and business community graced the occasion.

The Technopreneurship course, in some way, challenges the usual mindset students bring with them when they enter college – that is, to get good grades and land a good-paying job after they graduate (usually outside of Davao). The course offers a contrasting but fresh perspective. The students embark on a mindset journey that exposes them to a different world view with the intention of unleashing their creativity and the passion to create and innovate through technology. Thus, the Technopreneurship course offers another mindset. It is an alternative and an option for students to consider when they graduate.

In a nutshell, technopreneurship is the healthy interplay of viable technology ideas, technology skills and the entrepreneurial mindset. It starts with an idea, which when pursued, has the capacity to transform into a viable technology-based enterprise. The Technopreneurship course prepares the students to be budding technopreneurs. They journey into a gradual process of self-mastery, environment mastery, enterprise mastery and the development of a business plan. At the end of the course, the students are expected to come up with business plans and defend them with a panel. They are encouraged to compete in local and national business plan competitions. Furthermore, it is hoped that they pursue their business plans as start-ups and eventually transform them into stable enterprises.

The Technopreneurship course is part and parcel of a technopreneurship ecosystem being established by various stakeholders in Davao (i.e., academe, IT industry, local government, business community). The vision is to transform Davao into the ICT hub and capital of Mindanao and possibly the Philippines, BIMP-EAGA and the Asia Pacific region. At the heart of this ecosystem is the Technopreneurship course. It serves as the seeds to be planted and nurtured by the IT educators teaching it. It is hoped that these seeds eventually grow through the graduates of this course and facilitate the emergence of IT business start-ups that will eventually blossom into stable enterprises and spur economic growth in the locality.

It is the collective task of the IT industry, local government and business community to support the growth of these IT business start-ups into stable enterprises through technology business incubators, IT parks and IT business incentives. This whole ecosystem will hopefully make our best graduates stay and build their careers here in Davao. In the same vein, it will hopefully attract Davaoeños who have left Davao for greener pastures to come back and help in the ICT development of Davao -– brain gain rather than brain drain.

The Computer Studies Division of ADDU takes on this challenge and recognizes the crucial and vital role of IT educators in this collective initiative of establishing a technopreneurship ecosystem in Davao. The whole support chain starts with the schools. In support of this collective initiative, the Computer Studies Division of ADDU will offer the Technopreneurship course in the first semester of the senior year of the BSIT and BSIM programs effective June 2007. Arrangements are also being made to offer the course in the BSCS program. A proposal to create a Technology Research and Development Facility to sustain technopreneurship initiatives and programs in the university is on the works. Initial groundwork to link with the Philippine Emerging Startups Open (PESO), an organization that holds an annual national business plan competition, has been done and business plans from our students are welcome on the next competition cycle which starts on October 2007.

This ecosystem may take some time to take root and flourish. But just like the steady growth of sturdy trees in the forests, it will be worth the wait –- something I would like to see in my lifetime...


Note: This post is an edited version of the article that was published in the maiden issue of the Ateneo Chronicle last February 2007.