TBIDO, DOST-Pylon equips BTLED students with business pitching for startup

Experts from the Technology Business Incubation and Development Office (TBIDO) and DOST-Pylon trained Bachelor of Technology and Livelihood Education (BTLED) students in commercial pitch development and market-readiness strategies during a two-day startup seminar at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) ICTO Laboratory from May 21 to 22, 2026.

The Technopreneurship 2026 training program focused on equipping students with essential skills to develop, pitch, and launch business ventures, providing resources like mentorship, workspace, and funding opportunities to help them grow and succeed, particularly in technology-driven industries.

Engr. Kurt Leinard Balbuena discussed the importance of creating an effective business pitch during one of the sessions to help the participants communicate the startup’s product and business model to the stakeholders.

“If you are not excited about your idea, no one else will be,” Balbuena told the students.

Balbuena emphasized five steps in creating a strong pitch, starting with telling a story from beginning to end, connecting with the audience, appealing to emotions, applying the “15-second rule” or identifying what the audience should remember most, and presenting a well-researched concept.

Balbuena also led hands-on workshops where students mapped out customer personas and practiced target audience interviews to refine their business concepts. Students are able to develop interview questions, identify potential customers, and present confidently before an audience.

Mr. Kenneth N. Odgien discussed effective team building, guiding students on how to select the right co-founders and members for a startup.

TBIDO Director Dr. Philip P. Ermita and Project Technical Assistant Engr. Rodelaine L. Rodriguez introduced university-led incubation initiatives available to the students. Among the featured initiatives was the Dagitab Program, a comprehensive six-month incubation timeline designed to guide technopreneurs from foundational training to commercial launch. 

The two-day session concluded with the development of four distinct student startup proposals: Biyahero, ImmerseED, Nexmove, and Unitech Community Technology Solutions. These pitch title proposals served as a culminating output for the training and seminar from the resource speakers of the event.

Written by Jazztine Domingo