July 6, 2015 Technopreneurship 1 Meeting

What I like:

            The second meeting last July 6, 2015 is quite memorable for me because I was a bit late in the class of Mr. Gamboa’s Technopreneurship subject, it was actually started at exactly 8:00am in the morning and it was a total dilemma for me and also to my classmates in programming 3 because it has the same time of class with technopreneurship.  We were shock from the first meeting that we will be having the second meeting on Monday; we were bit in stressed on what to choose first.  So as our final decision, we follow our heart beats which is to go first in our Programming 3 class subject because there will be an online quiz worth fifteen points and it will be our second quiz for the Prelim stage of the subject.  After we finish the online quiz, we hurry running to the door of Computer Laboratory 1 where our Technopreneurship 1 was held.  We admit that we were a bit afraid to go inside the class because our facilitator Mr. Gamboa has already started the class and as we check the time, we were thirty-five minutes late in his class.  I and my classmates have in mind that we must prepare some performance because it is a protocol in our facilitator that if we are going to be late in his subject class then we must perform individually, to sing or to dance.  So I go in first then followed by y classmates, we go straight at the back seats because the front seats were all occupied already and then we sat for a moment only.  Our hearts is pounding because Mr. Gamboa was staring to us but we were prepared to do some crazy things in front, luckily Mr. Gamboa just asked us the question “are you one of the students who have their online quiz at the computer laboratory 2?” Of course we felt saved because he did not let us perform, I guess he was informed by our mayors that we have the quiz so he made an exception.  It was so funny to hear every time Mr. Gamboa will asked “who were still virgins in his class?” because it is some kind grin to hear but we understand or know what he is referring to which is who is those persons or students who is first timers under his class.  Mr. Gamboa is conducting this kind of activity which is to perform in front of the class so that we his students can build our confidence; Mr. Gamboa believes that this can help us to pitch our ideas without any fear in front of the big professionals or businessmen.  We his students cooperate to this kind of activity because we know in our seves that we must build our self-confidence because it is a big or a great weapon when it comes to presenting our ideas in technopreneurship contests.  Due to we were late on his class, we dealt with the consequence which is we don’t know what he discussed earlier in the class.  As the class go along, there are still a lot of students who were coming on his class and most of them were girls, so a true gentleman, I and my classmate Marijune, we offered out chairs to those girls which make us happy to see theme seat properly and listen to the discussion of our facilitator, but the trade off there is, all along the class lecture of Mr. Gamboa, I and Marijune where standing at the back seats.  But still we do our very best to listen on the important lecture of Mr. Gamboa about technopreneurship history and the factors that we must possess to be one or become one of the best successful technopreneurs or big successful businessman at the future.  So as I recall the first thing that I hear on the lecture is about Mr. Gamboa’s confession that he is not quite that good when it comes to coding but he knows fort-run programming which mades me say  awesome because I really thought that he was more focus on teach all about technopreneurship.  He said that he does not know object-oriented programming which is the trend type of coding nowadays like the C++, java, PHP, etc.  Mr. Gamboa told us the he will teach us on how persuade investors when it comes to pitching our ideas to them.  He stated that we must master the art of “Elevator Talk” because it can turn our lives to success or our door ways to success.  He stated that we must learn to persuade investors that our ideas were all good in just a matter of time specifically a minute or two.  If we master this kind of ability then we can be more effective when it come to pitching, it is what Mr. Gamboa told us on his class.

            Mr. Gamboa told us the history of technoprenurship in Davao City, together with his colleagues thinks of a place where technopreneurship will spread easily and a lot can join, so of course as they plan, they choose the universities.  We also learned that Mr. Gamboa and hie colleagues where having struggles during their starting days in introducing technopreneurship here in Davao City because some principal or Deans of colleges were not that interested on this new kind of education that talks about technology mixing to business.  But as we can observe now, technopreneurship is on its way to fame in every place of the Philippines.  Behind all the struggles in life, there is always something that will help us succeed in life, which is what I learned from Mr. Gamboa’s life in technopreneurship. 

            As I recall our lectures, Mr. Gamboa asked us the question “do you know what is an ecosystem?” of course all of us inside that room understand the concept of ecosystem but the follow up of Mr. Gamboa excites memore, it is about the “Ecosystem of  Technopreneurship”.  On biological aspect of the forest for example, ecosystem talks about the environment or the process of synchronized process happening in the whole earth.  But of course, the ecosystem that Mr. Gamboa is talking about is a different aspect because it will be tackling about the technopreneurship.  In the Technopreneurship ecosystem, there are many components that we should consider. It is called HELF. HELF simply means H for human resources, E for environment, L for Laws and Policies and lastly, F which stands for Financial resources which is very essential for a technopreneur.  These four factors were important in building our own kind of technoprenuership business at the future.  We must study this first so that we will not or should I say prevent any kind of failures in our plans or in our business.  So Mr. Gamboa have made a very clear explaination on this four factors in technopreneursihp world.  The Human resources are a very important component in the technopreneurship ecosystem because every technopreneur needs a way in which he or she could propose his or her product, how he or she could finance the start-up or a company, the researchers and developers are also very essential. So human resources are one of the important components in a technopreneur ecosystem.  It is a very simple concept of business that if we will have at the future a big company then we will need a lot of workers defending on the scale of production in your company.   The next factor is the “Environment”, well I guess that this is the key to make new ideas that will surely hit the market.  It is in our environment wherein we can see problems, for example in our communities, we technoprenuers should open our eyes and mind in finding problems inside the community because throught that, we technopreneurs could have the opportunity to male new ideas the will improve the meaning of life or the quality of every persons lives. The next factor is the “Law” and “policies”.  Of course every individual who deals with making business not only the technoprenuers should abide in the law when making any product.  We technopreneurs must make sure that we are making any kind of products that suits to the standards of the law and policies. We must ensure to the public that we are selling only good products.  Then the last factor in the ecosystem of Technopreneuurship is the “Financial Resources”. The financial resources are one of the most important components in Technopreneurship because money is needed when it comes building our business in technopreneurship.  Mr. Gamboa told us that there are people who were brand as “angels” who are willing to finance our ideas to become realities, the VC of the Venture Capitalist.  I am gald to know that there are groups of individual who are willing to support aspiring technoprenuers.  Though our facilitator Mr. Gamboa told us that all we need is to think of a great idea and then propose it to the investors then we will be good if it will be accepted because the investors will fund the project but we can’t deny the fact the we still need money for any other expenses that we will encounter along the journey of technopreneurship, this is the truth happening and this also applies to any other individuals who are making their ways to the top of success. 

            Along the lecture of Mr. Gamboa, I realized that I still have a lot of things to know in this world of technoprenuership.  Technopreneurship can make a difference in my life as well as to the lives of my classmate who also takes this subject under the guidance of Mr. Gamboa.  Our facilitator always emphasize the results of default mind set of every parents sending their child to school so that someday they will find a good job and be an employee forever and ever in the rest of their lives.  The default mind set of parents is like that but our facilitator wants us to break that default mind set the holding us back to meet success in life.  If we are going to practice and will never leave the default mind set then there will be no improvements in our lives, it is a common fact happening in the majority of Pilipino family.  Our facilitator always make example the mother who is working in Japan working in a place where in the lights are turning on and off or to be more specific, in a hostess bar dancing there all night just to have a money to send to his family left in the Philippines and provide the needs of his or her daughters study.  He added that the default mind set there might be the next the dancer who will follow the mother’s work is her daughter which made us all laugh.  Well if we extract his simple example about the default mind set, I can really say that this type of scenario is really happening especially in our country.  There are a lot of people in our country which choose dirty works rather than thinking of a way or planning steps on how they can lift up their life status without risking their own lives in other foreign land.  Just like what our facilitator said that if we will get sick in other foreign land then there will be no one there will take care of us.  What Mr. Gamboa was trying to teach us is the beauty of “Alternative Mind Set”.  Obviously it is the opposite of the default mind set the I have shared in the top, the alternative mind set suggest the instead of flying abroad to make fortune, why not stay in your mother land and then do anything to make your mother land improve.  Technopreneurship does not talk only to the success of the one who is proposing ideas and then will meet success, no, this will also give opportunity also to others who does not have a job.  We technopreneurs does not only make us succeed in life but also we could help a lot of people because while we make ideas, we are also giving opportunities to those jobless persons.  It is a wonderful cycle of the alternative mind set, the most beautiful part is you have the chance to pay back to where you really start; we could help Davao City improve more at the future through practicing the alternative mind set.

            Along the lecture of our facilitator, Mr. Gamboa put the movie the “3 Idiots” as an example of a mind blowing or mind set changing movie.  I believe that majority of the people have watched the movie, well we all know how the main characters change the way of the school processes in terms of dead lines or anything that pressures the students.  A lot of things have change inside the engineering school which also teaches them to think always outside the box.  We technoprenuers could learn a lot from the movie 3 Idiots that could help us build our skills.  Our facilitator has also tackled the two most brilliant minds in technological world who is Mr. Steve Jobs and Mr. Bill Gates who is the richest individual in the world now.  Well we all know the story of the movie “The Pirates of the Silicon Valley”.  We know how the late Mr. Steve Jobs have been fooled by Mr. Bill Gates actions so that he could overtake the fame of the Apple & Macintosh Company and introduce the “Microsoft Windows” which is a copy from the structure of the Apple’s iOS. But the point there is their genius minds in terms of technopreneurship world.  We all know that the late Mr. Steve Jobs is not that very good in terms of programming or building a device but what he has is the ideas that no one could think like he did.  We know how Mr. Bill Gates works but the point there is how he make plans that will surely bring success on his life.  Every technoprenuers in the whole world are challenge to surpass the achievements of these two technoprenuer tycoons, I am also one of the challenged people who is willing to take the risk to overcome poverty and meet success through technopreneurship.

            We technopreneurs should not let our ideas become wasted or copied by others who is always ready to take over our ideas.  One thing that Mr. Gamboa teaches us is to make sure that our ideas must become registered so that we could prevent future problems like plagiarism.  There are a lot of offices all over the country which are responsible in registering our ideas and gives or provide the license so that the products that came from the ideas to be commercialize in the market.  Our facilitator gives us a task which is to think of solid ideas that we can use to propose it at the future technoprenuership competitions which I find it hard at first but I getting used to it by now.  Our facilitator has made clear the instruction that we must think of an idea that has a big impact or the most important thing is the value proposition.  It is not enough to just think of an idea, what is important is to think of an idea to make meaning in people’s lives just like what Mr. Guy Kawasaki has said on his video clip.

What I like least:

            In our second meeting last July 6, 2015 at the computer laboratory 2, there are things or a topic that made me least like because I admit that I have learned a lot from that lecture and discussion by our facilitator Mr. Gamboa and a lot of things there that was discuss that opened my eyes to the reality happening in our country Philippines.  Well first I want to spoke out my observation in the class room or in the computer laboratory. The scarcity of space inside the computer laboratory which made some other student suffer, some will seat but there will be always some others that will stand along the 3 hours lecture due to out of space facility if the whole 50 plus students will enter, it made the computer laboratory not conducive for learning anymore because the students who were standing can’t focus anymore on listening much because they were tired of standing..  Well, I can’t blame anyone from this observation because I also don’t like to be the source of issue inside the college but I guess and believe that the Dean or the staffs know the struggles of the students.  I believe that our facilitator also does not like to be there because the air conditioning device can’t handle the number of student which is like sardines inside the computer laboratories.  As what Mr. Gamboa have said, “We are facing a Jurassic type computers” inside the computer laboratories of our college (Institute of Computing) but that does not matter because what is important is the students who has the will to learn and survive college in the famous Institute of Computing.  Well I should stop complaining about the facilities, I will just focus now on the things that I least like in our lecture last July 6, 2015 meeting in technopreneurship.

            Our facilitator tackled the gross income of every country here in Southeast Asia, including Japan, China, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines.  Our facilitator showed us the GNP or the annual national income of every country listed there in the chart or on his power point presentation.  So commonly, China has the highest income because of the man power and their way of living which is the concept of communism.  The Chinese men were also so disciplined when it comes to business; they were so stiff when it comes to spending money so that they can prevent any bankruptcy at the future of their business.  We know that the number of population in China are bigger that the number covered by their country, so they managed to have the one-child policy but still they have a large scale or have a lot of people causing to have more man power.  As we can see now  or observed in every market, the products there if we will observed where it was made, we can see that there are always a trade mark that it is “Made in China”.  It seems like the joke is true which is “God made the heavens and the Earth, and the rest is in China” well this is a fact, and in this reason, the China now became one of the most powerful countries.  In the country of Japan, well we all know how powerful they are in terms of high technology; they were one of the countries which is producing a massive number of technological products every year.  Their number of population is quite big or large but of course their national gross income every year is double in their number of population.  The size of Japan is not that big, we all know that their country starts from small also, the beauty of their strategy in gaining what they have now is they start building their foundation.  They harden their foundation first and what a beautiful result they are experiencing now.  Aside from technological products that they bring in the market; they were also one of the most beautiful countries when it comes to tourism, every year a lot of tourist book their flights straight to Japan.  Lots of people loving the country Japan because it has rich culture.  Also a lot of Filipino Overseas Filipino Workers have their jobs there for almost years or decades.  Japan has a rapid growth in terms of economy and wealth due to they have disciplined their selves and also the right leadership in their country.  Well Thailand is just quite the same as Indonesia but of course their national gross income every year is consistent and can sustain properly their national budgets.  They were just the same as Indonesia I guess, in terms of number of population.  Both of these two countries were too rich in culture which made them also sustain their economy at the average rate.  At the bottom of these countries that our facilitator have lectured to us last July 6, 2015 meeting, the Philippines has been consistent to be at the bottom of the list in terms of national gross income.  Well, if we observe or study how the things happened why the Philippines is struggling in terms of economy, we can see that we don’t have proper strengthening of our core foundations specifically in building first or strengthening first what we have and make it as a weapon to fight poverty that we are suffering now.  In our Filipino history, a lot of Filipino were trying all their best or everything just to go abroad and make a good fortune there to sustain the needs of their family.  A lot of Overseas Filipino workers have graduated from different bachelor courses like doctors, nurses, etc but still they choose to withdraw what they have studied in the university and have a low level job in a foreign land.  But we can’t blame them all; we all know what kind of life we have here in the Philippines.  If we look at the past or history, Philippines has been one of the top countries which is importing rice in different parts of Asia like Thailand, Indonesia and many more.  But now that is just all in the past, and the worst is we are now one of the countries which is buying rice from other countries, not also that, we are also buying other goods from other countries.  If we look at our products here in Philippines, we are so famous when it comes to the production of abaca plant.  We have a lot of products that we could produce from the abaca plant just like basket, ropes, bags and many more that could be commercialized in the market.  It is one of the products that the Philippines could give to the market, great viable products.  I can say that due to lack of strong foundation and a lots of corruption are the reasons why the Philippines has been erase in the list of powerful countries in terms of production in rice plants and other goods that could be exported from the other countries.  During the reign of President Marcos, we have the same money quality like the American people, dollars! We have cheap prices of food during his time but of course the trade off is his policy all over the country which is the Marshall Law.  A lot of people were complaining during his reign but also there are still some people who like the economy status of the country during President Marcos time.  A lot of corruption happening in our country in this very moment, I am glad that there were already criminals and corrupt people were in-prison now in due to their faulty actions.  It is so sad to realize that we are not improving, we are still buried in the hands of poverty, one of the reasons why a lot of fresh graduates being in a hurry to find job slots in a foreign land.  Fresh graduates grab every opportunity that they could get so that they can give money to their parents.  Some of them graduated as a doctor but they grab the job of being a domestic helper.  It is sad to realize that only few people in our country (specifically the corrupt politicians and powerful people) were receiving all the money, and the poor are still so poor, no life improvement.  Well we can’t blame the investors that they will not invest easily here in the Philippines especially in Mindanao.  We all know how Mindanao becomes a war zone for decades.  There are so many rebels that threaten the investors to come here in Davao City because they are afraid that their life will be in danger if they will come here in Mindanao.  It is sad that it become the default mind set of investors from other countries.  But we are thankful that we have a powerful mayor that has changed the perspectives of investors here in Mindanao most especially here in Davao City which is the center of economy and industry here in Mindanao.  Thanks to our beloved Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

            Our facilitator Mr. Gaamboa emphasize the importance of alternative mind set, that we have to spread this type of mind set so that everyone in our country will improve their status of life.  The alternative mind set suggests that we must help back or pay back where we came from.  During Mr. Gamboa’s lecture, he made as an example one of his past student in information technology which is now an overseas Filipino worker in the country of Japan that she was too eager to go abroad.  Mr. Gamboa is advising her that she must have to pay back to where she came from, Davao City.  The most common scenario happening in our country now is, a lot of graduates were studying so hard to go abroad, find a fortune and help their family.  There is no wrong but there is a big problem that Mr. Gamboa told us from that kind of scenario.  Yes those graduates were helping their family sustain the needs but they are not helping their own country.  Mr. Gamboa added that it would be nice that those graduate would start first here in Davao City.  They should have thought of ways on how to help Davao City first.  They could have been one of the pioneering technopreneurs here in the Philippines if they just listen to the advises of Mr. Gamboa.  Mr. Gamboa added that he still have contact with her former student and keep on reminding on her student that she still have a debt to be pay in the city of Davao.  It would be happier if she will start business here in Davao City.  Technoprenuership could transform not only the life of the one who proposes the idea but also those people that will become the employees during the mass production of the products or devices.  In every successful technopreneurs, they will need a lot of talented workers or employees, smart peoples and hard-working people.  We all know how the Filipino workers perform their every task; it comes with great hard work.  That is why we are very famous in every country in terms of work performance.  So if those technopreneurs will start building or create new works here in the Philippines then a lot of Filipino who is jobless will get enough works and can sustain their family needs.  I am so glad that I am close enough to finish this five thousand words reflection in our second meeting in technopreneurship subject.  We can make changes in this country or in any other country if we start engaging in technopreneurship.

            I want to recognize the hard work of our technopreneurship 1 facilitator Mr. Gamboa for doing his best to expand the technopreneurship all over the country starting here in Davao City.  He wants Davao City to become the center of technopreneurship here in Davao City.  I want to recognize all of his sacrifices to build a good foundation of technopreuership here in Davao City.   As he told his journey in spreading the good news of technopreneurship I was inspired.  I said to myself that I must listen to this man (Mr. Gamboa) because everything he is lecturing or teaching always talks about money, how to make money and how to help other people.  It is a wonderful example, a model to those students who wants to rise from poverty and help other people.  I admit that I have learned a lot of things in every meeting that we have in Technoprenuership 1. 

            Along the lecture, Mr. Gamboa asked us a question, “How will you evaluate yourself as a technopreneur?”  I was a bit ashamed of myself because I know that I still have a lot of suck-up ideas but I am willing to take the challenge of technopreneurship which is to produce unique or fresh ideas that could improve the quality of life.  I have learned to take risk so I don’t have any reason to turn back now.  I want to recognize how our facilitator Mr. Gamboa salutes as for being a risk-takers because he said that from the moment we enrolled in this course which is Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, we are already a risk-takers because the challenge in this course is in a high level.  Well it is too late for me to realized that but I have no regrets enrolling in this course because I know that this will help a lot at the future, the future of augmented reality.

            After all the lectures and discussion, I have learned that whatever mind set we have whether the default mind set or the alternative mind set, it will always defend on the mind of the person on what path he will choose.  Because we don’t know what will happen at the future, there are a lot of factors that could change the mind of a student especially nowadays that there are a lot of temptations that could easily turn the minds of the youth into nuts and dumb.  But now that I have enrolled in technoprenuership and will learn everything about it, I want to follow the path of Mr. Gamboa took which is to help his family and other people I simply want to continue his legacy.  I know that along the way there will be a lot of obstacles and problems because there will be standards that we need to follow on producing good products so I am making myself ready for that.  There is no turning back now, I must never surrender.  This is for my family and for the people of the republic of the Philippines.  I want to become one of the successful technoprenuership someday, and will make jobs for all the people of Davao City, I will make sure that this will be not just a dream, I will do it with the help of our Lord God Almighty.  I want to thank our facilitator Mr. Gamboa for everything especially for introducing us in the world of technopreneurship.