by Fatima Malate and Danilo Dillo
The Entrepreneurial Education
In an effort to nurture the entrepreneurial spirit among senior high school students, Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu recently collaborated with Reactor School for an intensive Entrepreneurship 1-on-1 Mentoring Program held from December 1-4, 2023. This unique initiative aimed to provide ABM and HUMSS students with hands-on experience and insights into the world of entrepreneurship, particularly in the context of smart and sustainable cities.
Reactor School, an institution known for specializing in entrepreneurship education in Southeast Asia (SEA), played a pivotal role in shaping the program. Known for its commitment to fostering innovation and creativity, Reactor School has been instrumental in equipping budding entrepreneurs with the skills and knowledge needed to navigate the dynamic landscape of business.
The students were tasked to create a start-up business plan using a lean canvas business model to address issues related to smart and sustainable cities in Cebu, Philippines. This included developing innovative solutions to challenges such as energy efficiency, waste management, urban mobility, and overall environmental sustainability aligned with the triple bottom line (TBL), environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG), and the agriCOOLtural mindset (TAM) frameworks.
The Singaporean Mentors
Reactor invited three professionals in the field to not only mentor the students but to also draw inspiration from their experiences in Singapore, known for its forward-thinking approach to smart city development and sustainable urban living.
Arick Soo, the CEO & Co-founder of Smart Stickies, highlighted Singapore’s success in leveraging technology for business solutions. His expertise in digitalization and cloud solutions provided students with practical knowledge on how these technologies can transform traditional industries, making them more efficient and sustainable.
Shureen Teh, as the Co-founder and COO of Smart Stickies, shared insights into how the company contributed to Singapore’s smart city initiatives, emphasizing the importance of user-centric solutions that enhance citizen experiences.
Erika Aldisa, as a Carbon Data Analyst at Unravel Carbon, shed light on Singapore’s commitment to environmental sustainability. She shared experiences related to managing carbon data, a critical aspect of addressing climate change, and discussed how Singapore has embraced green practices to create a more eco-friendly and resilient urban environment.
Student Testimonials
“Our mentor, Mr. Arick Soo, gave especially useful and enlightening inputs for our business ideation process. The entire experience enabled me to grasp the integral role of entrepreneurship in realizing unique ideas and building more sustainable cities.” – Dominic Craig L. Carpio, 12-Animo
“During our mentorship meeting with Ms. Shureen Teh, it felt very professional and very business-like. There were comments she made that were foreign to us but were useful for future business proposals and events, as we began to clarify. Moreover, the meeting with Ms. Teh made me and my group realize how important it is to grasp and hold the attention of the audience through captivating and concise information, as well as graphics. Overall, it was an insightful and memorable experience, providing me and my group with a realistic experience of what it is like to propose a business with all its intricate details. I believe it is something the future batches should experience since it can give them an advantage and a better overview of what is to come for their future careers, work, and lives.” – Lawrence Richmond Y. Gollon, 12-Amare
“Our group aims to establish an exchange stall for online cash and physical cash, trading money based on our customers’ needs. Our mentor, Shureen Teh, helped us enhance our start-up business plan, emphasizing the alignment of the business idea to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals particularly on the set targets and indicators. The one-on-one coaching and mentoring made me realize that businesses nowadays are built purposely to sustain the country they reside in, aiding the economy, environment, and society.” – Matthew Raymon L. Co, 12-Servire
“The biggest takeaway I got from our mentorship with Ms. Erika Aldisa was how much the mentors put a premium on statistics and empirical data. They taught us that the numbers don’t lie — that data is what makes a claim substantiated.” – Josh Isaiah C. Dizon, 12-Eloquentia
D-VUCAD Entrepreneurs
The goal of the collaboration between SHS-Ateneo de Cebu and Reactor School was to empower students with the knowledge and inspiration needed to tackle the unique challenges faced by Cebu and its contribution to the realization of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ultimately fostering a new generation of entrepreneurs in the diverse, volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous, and disruptive (D-VUCAD) world dedicated to building cities that are not only smart but also sustainable and inclusive.
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Fatima Malate is the Country Lead in the Philippines of the Reactor School Singapore and Danilo Dillo is the Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM) Strand Head in the Senior High School Department of Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC).
