By Nizee Jea Salinas and Kenneth Sumbo
The College of Engineering is where ideas are turned into reality.
Agrisistance creates a digital space for the agricultural social enterprise
With its feature of using a mobile application to advertise farmer’s products, Agrisistance had successfully captured the interest of the investors and garnered a cash prize of 200,000 Won during the 2021 International Student Startup Conference held via Zoom conference last Dec. 12, 2021. The event is sponsored by LINC+ project group of Tongmyong University, Busan, South Korea.
“Agrisistance” came from two words namely “agriculture” and “assistance”. It is a startup business developed by a team of five students from Central Philippine University (CPU)-College of Engineering (COE). The team is composed of Jesse Lemuel Dellova (EE), Sheen Melendez (EE), Jesus Rulen Franco (ME), Marsry Sevilla (SE), and Tristan Iguidez (PkgE).
The combination of students hailing from different engineering departments worked hand-in-hand in developing a social enterprise that aids the agricultural sector to catch up with today’s technology. Aside from offering advertisements of the produce of farmers, Agrisistance also offers door-to-door delivery of products as well as rental of agricultural equipment.
According to Dellova, every engineering department has its own strengths and weaknesses. He also pointed out that it is necessary to point out the strengths so that they can contribute effectively to their team.
Consequently, he also enumerated the strengths of every department such as Mechanical Engineering (ME) which possess strength in the business aspect, Software Engineering (SE) which possesses skills in developing mobile applications, Packaging Engineering (PkgE) which has a background on graphic design, and Electrical Engineering (EE) that was tasked to plan, lead and, manage the team.
“We made this possible because of constant communication and I think that’s very important to the team since we can only hold our meetings virtually,” Dellova said as he described the team dynamics.
Moreover, the team also expressed their gratitude for their mentors who also contributed to their success. Their mentors include Engr. Gelvie Lagos who lended his expertise in the conceptualizing of the startup business, Christina Gaston, CEO of Hacienda Crafts Company, who offered additional insights, and Honey Guardialao, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) staff, who offered expertise in the making of their financial plan.
To Dellova, the showcasing of the various business ideas of the students from different universities in the world that have the potential to contribute to the world’s betterment was the highlight of the conference.
“This event is not just a contest but an avenue to show the world the country’s major problem and how this startup business idea will solve the problem,” Dellova conveyed.
Currently, Agrisistance has already been validated by both farmers and consumers. As of the moment, the team behind the startup business is waiting for its implementation.
Lastly, Dellova encouraged students aspiring to begin their own startup business to watch the Korean Drama entitled “Startup,” because it can motivate them to create their own business startup.
Team PAniNDA to engineering students: ‘Let us turn our ideas into reality’
“Together, let us turn our ideas into reality,” five civil engineering students of Central Philippine University (CPU) stated as they bagged the excellent award during the 7th International Student Entrepreneurship Conference held via Zoom Conference last December 12, 2021 sponsored by LINC+ project group of Tongmyong University, Busan, South Korea.
Out of all the participating teams from various universities around the world, the team from the CPU College of Engineering (CPU-COE) composed of Paul Christian M. Alado, Faye Abbie D. Pedrosa, Fedie F. Tabaquirao, Romulo D. Tindoy, and Jan Van Rey D. Villarmino, received a certificate of award and a cash prize worth 300,000 Won due to their mobile application, PAniNDA.
The business proposal, PAniNDA, was conducted as part of the course requirement in Technopreneurship 101, but the business idea has eventually piqued the team’s interest to help their target beneficiaries, especially in the middle of a pandemic.
PAniNDA aims to bridge the gap between the producers and consumers of the local market. It provides a new approach to accessibility and food security.
The mobile app offers three categories: Wet Market, Dry Market, and Groceries, providing a wide variety of fresh product options for the consumers. It also features “online puwesto” where producers can directly deliver their fresh produce and where vendors can sell their products.
Additionally, the PAniNDA addressed the underlying problem of accessibility between market vendors and local farmers or producers who have a hard time transporting their products to the urban areas.
Moreover, it outlined the inconvenience and inaccessibility of some consumers to local food markets, which was aggravated by community restrictions and transportation issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With PAniNDA, we are revolutionizing everyone’s market experience as the first online palengke application in Iloilo City,” the team emphasized.
Nevertheless, the team would like to express their gratitude to the course instructor: Engr. Caesar Rico S. Acanto, for the guidance and constructive suggestions throughout the making of the business proposal.
“Thank you for the opportunities that you have given us along with the help of Engr. Dany Molina, Engr. Gelvie Lagos, and Engr. Bernie Cangrejo, for us to pitch our business idea on both local and international levels,” they added.
Furthermore, the team encouraged the engineering students to think outside the box and not settle for less.
“As engineering students, let us use our innovative ideas not just for mere compliance, but also with the intent to help others and create a significant impact,” they stated further.