TechnoKapihan@ADDU

The 6th TechnoKapihan of Davao was held last June 20, 2007, 2:00-4:00pm, at the Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU), 7th Floor, Board Room (F700), Finster Building, Roxas Avenue, Davao City. It was hosted by ADDU, Council of Deans for IT Education in Region XI (CDITE-XI) and OBTECH (a local IT firm).

The monthly roundtable discussion on IT trends, issues and events in the Davao context is a gathering of personalities and guests from the IT community of Davao. This event is an offshoot of the Technopreneurship Training held last November 2006 to January 2007. The first TechnoKapihan was held at the Royal Mandaya Hotel last mid-January 2007 after the initial promotion of the Technopreneurship course developed by a core of IT educators, administrators, and practitioners to the movers and shakers of Davao City. Since then, this gathering has been sustained on a monthly basis with many organizations volunteering to host it every third Wednesday of the month.

One of the highlights of the TechnoKapihan@ADDU was the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) involving the Mindanao Business Council (MinBC), Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) and ICT Davao, Inc. as partners in holding the 6th Mindanao ICT (MICT6) Congress and 1st BIMP-EAGA ICT Conference on October 23-24, 2007 at the Convention Center of the NCCC Mall, McArthur Highway, Matina, Davao City. Mr. Santos (President of MinBC), Atty. Duerme (President of DCCCII) and Manolito Tee (President of ICT Davao, Inc.) did the honors of formally signing the MOA to seal the partnership.

Wit Holganza, External VP of ICT Davao, Inc. and designated Conference Director of MICT6, followed suit by giving updates on the progress of the preparations since the last TechnoKapihan@NCCC . The Steering Committee, Technical Working Group, and 6 Committees were already formally formed to buckle down to work. Another update was the plan of sending a Davao contingent to the Cebu ICT 2007 event on June 26-28, 2007 to promote MICT6.

Edwin V. Marañon, Chair of the Computer Studies Division of ADDU and President of CDITE-XI, gave a presentation about the Academe Perspective on Technopreneurship. He presented the implications of the default employment mindset parents, students, and schools adhere to which contribute to the yearly exodus of our best graduates to other prosperous places like Manila, Cebu and other urban areas. He also presented the implications of an alternative technopreneurship mindset that can unleash the creativity and passion of students and decide on creating their own businesses through their brilliant technology ideas. By developing further their ideas in technology-business incubators, they can hopefully build mature IT enterprises that can eventually compete in the domestic and international IT market and spur economic growth in the locality. He further stressed the need for a technopreneurship ecosystem in the macro (region) and micro (IT schools) levels to sustain the initiatives and gains.

Dickie Gonzales of the Philippine Emerging Startups Open (PESO) was also around to express his support for the technopreneurship initiatives of Davao and reiterated the role of the regional business plan competition (PESO-Davao Challenge) in the building of a sustainable techopreneurship ecosystem. A lively discussion ensued, focusing on the implications and challenges of sustaining a technopreneurship culture in schools and enterprises. The session ended with a positive note.

The venue of the next TechnoKapihan will be at the Conference Room of the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCO), 4th floor, SSS Building, J.P. Laurel Avenue, Davao City on July 18, 2007, Wednesday, 2:00-4:00pm.