Bacolod City activated its own startup incubator funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to provide a space for entrepreneurs and students to develop innovative ideas.
Located at the Bacolod Express Services Office inside the Ayala Malls Capitol Central, the ALPhA (Accelerate Leadership for Philippine Startup Advancement) Bacolod Accelerator Hub is envisioned to become a catalyst for the development of the city’s growing startup ecosystem.
“This space is a game-changer for our entrepreneurs and students – a place for innovation, collaboration, and growth,” Mayor Alfredo Benitez said in a statement on Friday, Feb. 7.
He thanked DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr., who attended the launch on Thursday, for the assistance to the city government.
“Together, we’re driving Bacolod’s startup ecosystem and economic progress forward,” Benitez said.
Frances Mae Llamas, head of the city’s Department of Local Economic Development and Investment Promotions, the project implementor, said Solidum was glad to know that initiatives supporting science and technology innovation and business can be set up inside a shopping mall for the public to see.
“Our startups can also have mall exposure. They can use the conference area. There are small tables that can serve as co-working spaces, and a pantry and resting area,” Llamas said.
The accelerator hub’s common-use area is open from Monday to Sunday during mall hours.
Llamas said two startups have expressed interest in applying for the use of the co-working spaces.
In June last year, the city government obtained a P3-million grant from the DOST for the establishment of the ALPhA accelerator hub.
The three-year project was approved by the DOST-Western Visayas for funding under the agency’s Grants-in-Aid Program.
For 2024, the city government received PHP1.5 million in fund assistance, with an additional P1 million to be released this year, and the remaining P500,000 in 2026.*PNA