By Mikee Natinga Norico

(From left to right) C-Sar Mart Aguirre (BSCE-4), Fredric Mitch Biso (BSCE-4), Engr. Gelvie Lagos (ECE Faculty), Rafael III Prudente (BSSE-4), and Paola Marie Juanillo (BSCE-4) proudly hold their awards after a successful event at the 10th International Students’ Start-up Conference in Busan, South Korea.

Last October 29 to 31, 2024, Central Philippine University (CPU) proudly represented the Philippines at the 10th International Students’ Start-up Conference, hosted by the Ministry of Education and National Research Foundation of Korea. Held at Tongmyong University in Busan, the event brought together approximately 200 students from 12 universities across six countries, including Korea, Japan, Germany, the USA, Thailand, and the Philippines. The conference offered a global platform for students to collaborate and present innovative business ideas with a cross-cultural perspective.

The conference featured 15 teams of students from universities such as Technical University of Cologne, Kansai Gaidai University, and King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok. Together, they tackled modern issues and engaged in discussions on entrepreneurial projects, fostering international collaboration and networking. CPU’s delegation included four Centralian engineering students—C-Sar Mart Aguirre, Fredric Mitch Biso, Paola Marie Juanillo, and Rafael III Prudente—accompanied by Engr. Gelvie Lagos, CPUGAD TBI Project Leader. Their efforts led to numerous awards, placing their teams among the top five of the 15 competing groups.

Reflecting on the experience, Aguirre shared that the conference provided a unique opportunity to address real-world challenges, “A new challenge that I encountered was how to convey these ideas and present them to other cultures and nationalities within my team.” His team’s efforts earned them the AI Innovation Award. Meanwhile, Mitch’s team won the Future Entrepreneur Award, Paola’s team received the Young Entrepreneurs Award, and Rafael’s team took home the Innovation Award. Engr. Gelvie Lagos also presented on CPU’s start-up education initiatives, highlighting the university’s commitment to fostering innovation.

The event underscored the importance of global dialogue in entrepreneurship. “I am grateful for the opportunity to meet a new group of friends, especially my Team 11 groupmates,” Prudente remarked, noting the enriching cultural exchange within his diverse team of Vietnamese and Japanese members. “This is one for the books!” he added.

Juanillo echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the transformative nature of the conference. “It is not every day you see a Vietnamese, Korean, Filipino, German, Japanese, and Thai sitting in one group, brainstorming and creating solutions to problems of the modern world,” she said. She found the opportunity to learn about global issues and share ideas with peers from diverse backgrounds both a challenge and a privilege.

The 10th International Students’ Start-up Conference not only celebrated creativity but also showcased the value of collaborative problem-solving across borders. With their success at the event, CPU students demonstrated the potential of young Centralians to make a meaningful impact on a global stage.