Highlighting sustainable business development at the Ateneo Blue Nest launch

A New Technology Business Incubator Arises at Areté

Aspiring entrepreneurs within and around the Loyola Schools campus will now have access to top-tier business growth opportunities as the Ateneo Blue Nest technology business incubator was officially launched last Wednesday, 26 July 2023.

As co-founders of the Ateneo Blue Nest Incubation Program, this event is a milestone for the CBIG, which has been proactive in its campaign to provide quality guidance and operational assistance to various local startups. Likewise, Areté has been a strong advocate for supporting various academics, artists, and professionals in their pursuit of socially transformative ideas through their Sandbox Residency Program. United with a common vision, both factions will work together to provide a continuous flow of collective resources to their affiliates.

A number of keynote speakers also showed full support for the incubator initiative with Fr Roberto C Yap, SJ, President of Ateneo de Manila University, onsite to deliver the opening remarks, a welcoming introduction by the Head of CBIG, Engr Benjamin Mirasol, and an invitation to Dr. Charlotte Kendra Gonzales to share her valuable insights through a purposeful talk on sustainability for business owners.

Building a Successful Enterprise Around Innovation

For the past few years, technology business incubators (TBIs) have been established globally in various sectors around the world as a result of rapid advancements in science and engineering. In order to support the growing number of researchers, inventors, and investors as they pioneer the study and development of unfamiliar technologies, these TBIs form meaningful collaborations with industry experts and experienced entrepreneurs who can mentor young, ambitious startups to success. As clearly defined by Steve Maverick Chaves, Head of Ideation Support at the AIPO, “The overall objective at the Ateneo Blue Nest is to help various stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem to address their challenges. These stakeholders include researchers (with their difficulties in anchoring their research on market needs), startups (with their difficulties in profitably commercializing their innovations) and LGUs (with their difficulties in addressing the needs and challenges of their constituents), and the general population themselves.”

Now that the Ateneo Blue Nest has settled into its new headquarters, it’ll be hitting the ground running with a series of activities that comprise regular workshops and courses fostering sustainable technopreneurship. These programs aim to influence more environmentally-conscious business developments with discussion topics ranging from renewable energy and conservation to creating social impact in our community. 

Other notable services that the Ateneo Blue Nest offers include the following:

• Business registration and administrative support
• Fund-sourcing and investor matching
• Access to university resources and networking opportunities
• Intellectual Property awareness, education, and protection

A Partnership with the DOST

The creation of an innovation hub was a key component of the AIPO’s commitment to the DOST as a participant in the department’s Higher Education Institution Readiness for Innovation and Technopreneurship (HEIRIT) program. “Accelerating the Growth of the Ateneo Blue Nest Incubation Program” is a DOST-funded project guided by HEIRIT requirements to avail of the Council’s grant - the most essential being the completion of proper management training to operate a DOST-affiliated technology business incubator and to effectively support regional small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the early stages of their development.

With Areté as their new expansive playground that houses a variety of fabrication and production facilities at their disposal, the Ateneo Blue Nest will also offer business mentorship opportunities to Sandbox residents. The possibilities for exponential progress are endless in this exciting merger of thought leaders as they set the foundation to promote more viable and socially responsible ventures for future entrepreneurs.

For more information, visit www.aipo.ateneo.edu or email them at aipo@ateneo.edu. Follow their social media pages for more updates and announcements: fb.com/AteneoIPO and linkedin.com/company/AteneoIPO