The University of Mindanao as Environmental Solutions Hub (UMasenso) is the University's Technology Business Incubator (TBI), established in August 2019 under the Research and Publication Center. The Hub was assisted by the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) through its Higher Education Institution Readiness for Innovation and Technopreneurship (HEIRIT) program. At present, the TBI operates under the university fund.
The TBI’s vision is to drive innovation and commercialization in agriculture, the environment, the circular economy, and other priority industries, shaping Mindanao's sustainable future. Its primary mission is to transform the ideas of students, researchers, and entrepreneurs into market-ready technologies through collaboration, mentorship, and research commercialization for sustainable impact on priority industries in Mindanao.
Services:
The UMasenso Hub offers technology business incubation to potential startups from students and alumni of the university. The program includes startup ideation, pre-incubation, and incubation. Specifically, startups are assisted in design thinking, customer discovery, market and technology validation, business model development, intellectual property protection, and specialized training needed by the incubatees.
Incubation Program Overview:
The TBI will screen 10 startups from its pre-incubation program every year and enroll at least four (4) startups in its fast-paced incubation program. With the help of the TBI pool of experts and mentors, the startups will receive advanced training in the following areas to develop their tech/product/service and legalize their startup as a business entity:
Each startup team will be assigned an individual expert in their respective field who will guide, mentor, and monitor their progress in developing their product/tech/service. A formal engagement agreement with the mentors will be established to determine the scope, terms, and cost of mentorship, and to set expectations on both sides regarding the expected outcomes of the engagement.
By the end of the four-month incubation program, the Hub expects the startups to successfully graduate from the program and start operating as an independent business entity.
PRODUCTS
Since 2019, the DOST-UM TBI has enrolled a total of 29 startups in its incubation program. These are the following:
TABLE 1. COHORT STARTUPS
From the above-listed startups, two have successfully left the incubation program and are presently income-generating. These are Advanced InfinIT Technology Solutions and Alipugpug Tech Solutions.
Advanced InfinIT Solutions’ proposal titled, "Enhancement and Market Validation of Infinit LMS – a Learning Management System with Outcomes-Based Education Analytics" secured the DOST-PCIEERD Startup Grant last June 2021. Advanced Infinit Technology Solutions Inc. specializes in developing customized information systems solutions for various clients. Its vision is to modernize local business industries by providing affordable but quality information solutions for maximum productivity at optimum efficiency.
Alipugpug Tech Solutions, a student-led startup, has won numerous awards and recognition in national and international competitions. Some of the most notable competitions are the Hult Prize Challenge 2021 and Innovation Olympics 2021. From these, the founders were able to receive monetary awards and seed funds for their startup.