Following the detailed discussions with DCS professor Dr. Pros Naval, proponent of FISH-I, the InnovComm had meetings with EEEI professor Dr. Nestor Tiglao of Adapsense (Smart Surface) and College of Science Dean Dr. Giovanni Tapang of VISSER. These three were among the five potential Unicorns presented during the October 2018 US Roadshow by then President Chato Calderon and then Dean Babylin de Leon.
The meetings aim to craft a way forward to help enable these projects to reach progressive levels towards commercialization. FISH-I, the fish capture and census technology, has been incorporated by Dr. Naval and his co-inventor, Dr. Laura David of the College of Science. UPERDFI is providing networking contacts for possible FISH-I applications.
The Versatile Instrumentation System for Science Education and Research (VISSER) is a portable science kit that allows students to conduct various experiments. Former UP Vice President, Prof. Emeritus Dr. Giselle Concepcion, and co-inventor Dr. Romel Gomez of the University of Maryland took part in the VISSER meeting.
Chairman Alex Sy has been involved with VISSER since 2015-16, as his company Alexan Technology assembled the first 100+ demo units during that period. Move-forward steps, which include technical advancements on the original design, will be taken up in a follow-up meeting.
Meanwhile, Dr. Tiglao set up Adapsense Technologies as the corporate vehicle for his inventions, among them being Smart Surface, a system that converts any flat surface into an interactive touch screen. He cited the need for an effective marketing strategy. InnovComm member Leo de Velez of FrontLearners provided some practical initiatives that he found effective in penetrating the education sector with their product, a K-12 in a Box comprising both content and hardware.
Leo’s take-home advice: For start-ups, you do not need a rigorous market feasibility study. Instead, ask five of your trusted friends who will tell you the truth (for your own sake), and work from there. And, be flexible in pricing.
