USTP CreateLab Bootcamp equips faculty to advance Entrepreneurship Education and Innovation
By Randulf C. Doria, STRATCOMM, USTP System
Share:
Faculty members teaching The Entrepreneurial Mind (TEM) and Technopreneurship courses across the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) System campuses participated in CreateLab: A Faculty Bootcamp on October 21–22, 2026, at Chali Beach Resort in Cagayan de Oro City. Organized through the collaboration of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (CET) of the USTP System and USTP CDO, the two-day activity aimed to strengthen faculty members’ skills in facilitating student innovation, validating business ideas, and mentoring student-led ventures.
The bootcamp focused on the role of faculty members in guiding students through the innovation process, from identifying problems and validating potential solutions to developing value propositions and evaluating business opportunities. It also introduced pathways for connecting promising student projects to research, incubation, prototyping, intellectual property support, competitions, and industry opportunities.
Day 1
Dr. John Benedict L. Bernardo, CET Director, delivered the opening remarks, emphasizing the importance of strengthening faculty members’ roles in guiding students through innovation and entrepreneurship. He highlighted the need to equip instructors with practical knowledge and mentoring skills to help students identify opportunities, develop ideas, and turn potential solutions into viable ventures.
The first day’s sessions covered entrepreneurship course requirements, problem identification, customer discovery and problem validation, and value proposition development.
Session 1: TEM and Technopreneurship Course Requirements and Deliverables – Ms. Rhea Suzette M. Haguisan, Manager of the Technology Promotions and Commercialization Office (TPCO) Business Development Unit, discussed course requirements and expected outputs to guide faculty members in implementing entrepreneurship-related learning activities.
Session 2: Finding Problems Worth Solving – Engr. Kristian Anquilliano, Project Development Officer I of CDO b.i.t.e.s., discussed approaches to identifying relevant problems that could serve as starting points for student innovation and entrepreneurial solutions.
Session 3: Customer Discovery and Problem Validation – Engr. Bronson Mabulay, founder of Consulting Labs, introduced methods for understanding customer needs and validating whether identified problems warrant potential solutions.
Session 4: From Problem to Value Proposition – Ms. Keren Lacadin, co-founder of POLLD, discussed how to translate validated problems into value propositions that communicate the benefits of a proposed product or service.
Ms. Rhea Suzette M. Haguisan
Manager, Technology Promotions and Commercialization Office (TPCO) Business Development Unit
Engr. Kristian Anquilliano
Project Development Officer I, CDO b.i.t.e.s.
Engr. Bronson Mabulay
Founder, Consulting Labs
Ms. Keren Lacadin
Co-founder, POLLD
Day 2
The second day focused on developing and testing solutions, strengthening mentorship, and identifying student projects with potential for further development.
Session 5: MVP, Experimentation and Responsible Use of AI – Mr. Raven Duran, Chief Technology Officer of Symph, discussed minimum viable products (MVPs), experimentation, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in testing and refining ideas.
Session 6: From Teacher to Mentor – Engr. Marberth Custer Jael, Incubation Program Coordinator of CET CDO, explored the role of faculty members as mentors who guide students through the development of their ideas and ventures.
Session 7: Recognizing Promising Student Teams – Dr. Franch Maverick A. Lorilla, TBI Manager of CDO BITES, discussed how faculty members can identify student teams with potential for further support, development, and incubation.
Session 8: The Instructor as Innovation Facilitator – Dr. Alex L. Maureal, Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Extension of USTP CDO, discussed the instructor’s role in creating an environment that encourages student creativity, problem-solving, and innovation.
Mr. Raven Duran
Chief Technology Officer, Symph
Engr. Marberth Custer Jael
Incubation Program Coordinator, CET CDO
Dr. Franch Maverick A. Lorilla
TBI Manager, CDO b.i.t.e.s.
Dr. Alex L. Maureal
Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Extension, USTP CDO
The activity concluded with a presentation by Atty. Dionel O. Albina on the USTP Innovation Ecosystem, highlighting the University’s support structures and pathways for advancing promising ideas through research, incubation, and other innovation initiatives.
Atty. Albina provided an overview of how the University connects academic instruction with research, technology development, and entrepreneurship support. He also emphasized the importance of collaboration among faculty members, researchers, student innovators, and industry partners in developing ideas with potential for practical application and commercialization.
Through CreateLab, USTP continues to strengthen faculty members’ capacity to facilitate entrepreneurship education and mentor student innovators. The initiative supports the development of student ideas into potential ventures by connecting classroom learning with research, incubation, and industry engagement.
Follow us:
Contact us:
+63(88)857-1738 local 1118
[email protected]
