AT LEAST 26 businesses owned by third-year BS Entrepreneurship (BSE) and BSE Major in Agribusiness students of the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) were featured during the Lunsad 2024 on Saturday, July 13, 2024, at the SM City Activity Center.
This year marked the formal launch of their businesses outside campus after registering with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
Michelle Cunanan, president of AdDU’s Young Entrepreneurs Society, highlighted the event’s goal of expanding student startups’ visibility.
Cunanan told VoxPop Davao that the event started with the humble idea of widening the reach of the students’ startup businesses.
In an interview with VoxPop Davao, she said by providing a platform for their businesses, they aimed to bridge the gap between campus ventures and the public.
Each compny showcased a variety of products from food to fashion and services. BSE Major in Agribusiness students focused on fisheries, food production, and agriculture-related ventures.
For instance, Jules Bonete of JIRS Co explained their innovative product “Hito-Cino,” the first catfish tocino, promoting sustainable food practices.
“We started our business thinking about the discarded hito [catfish]. In catfish breeding, you will discard the male fish after harvesting semen, which would go to waste if not processed. So instead of wasting it, we thought, why not create a product out of it,” Bonete said.
Bonete and his group’s product is one example of the many other businesses from the BSE Major in Agribusiness students. Other groups featured products such as mushroom pasta, free-range eggs, farm-fresh produce, and more.
The Ateneo homegrown companies featured in Lunsad 2024 included Taco Dash, Ohayo Zushi, Veggie Scoops, Vegie Tech, With Love, APA Poultry, Buy Fresh, Bonbonz, Crate Up, Dipped Chip Bites, Durabuild, Fusionbites, The Feathered Fryer, Free-Greens Farmstead, KamoFries, JIRS Co, Vertical Farm & Technology, Puff Natives, SAFER, Salvi’s Table, SEARA, Sneak Peek, Fromu, Churitos, Taho Rito, and BonPow Co.
Lunsad 2024 is an annual event that serves as a pinning ceremony for the students, signifying their achievements in starting a business. Zoelah Kristine Alkuino, AdDU Intern