Entrepreneurship

Enhancing Digital Economy Participation for ASEAN Women MSMEs (IDEAS Project)

IDEAS Project is funded by ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund (AKCF) and supported by ASEAN Secretariat. Asia Pacific Women’s Information Network Center (APWINC) at Sookmyung Women’s University is appointed as an implementing agency of the project, and Bayan Academy was one of the chosen implementing institution in the Philippines.

The IDEAs Project, is funded by the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund (AKCF), and implemented by Asia Pacific Women’s Information Center (APWINC), a UNESCO Chair in Communication Technology for Women.

The project aims to build the e-business capacity of ASEAN women entrepreneurs and benefit 14 local implementing institutions, 255 local e-business experts, and 4,002 female MSMEs in ASEAN countries.

Bayan Academy as one of the local implementing institutions in the Philippines is tasked to strengthen the e-business competency of 275 women entrepreneurs through e-business and ICT training.

This 5- year project will run from 2022-2026 and will carry out capacity building activities such as training and mentoring, enabling the women entrepreneurs to participate and thrive in the digital economy.  

Women's Initiative for Social Enterprises (WISE) Project

The Women's Initiative for Social Enterprises (WISE),Project, funded by Wells Fargo, a gender-sensitive capacity-building program that empowers women microentrepreneurs towards business success

WISE Project aims to economically empower women microentrepreneurs (WMEs) by improving their management skills, enhancing leadership capability, and increasing access to business opportunities.

SEAL SEGA

Small Enterprise Acceleration Lab (SEAL) that seeks to assist and develop interventions for small and microenterprises in the country.

This track, called, Small Enterprise Growth Agenda or SEAL SEGA, is a search for start-up businesses that are ready to develop their viable business ventures. The project is designed to meet the needs of start-up businesses through training, mentoring sessions, and cash grants.

The training program aims to help the startups assess their enterprise from products/services, operations, and marketing. The program hopes to assist the entrepreneurs to develop their start-up enterprise development plan.

By the end of the training program, the start-up entrepreneurs will be given a chance to showcase their plans through the business pitch. Selected winners shall receive cash grants and move on to the mentorship program where in they will be partnered with experts.

This initiative led by BPI Foundation and Bayan Academy is geared toward recognizing the significance of start-ups and upscaling the potential of these micro-enterprises to small enterprises.

Meta Seller Responsibility 2023

In 2023, Meta transitioned into a new perspective in collaboration with Bayan Academy, the Meta Seller Responsibility is specifically geared toward enhancing the capabilities of MSMEs to promote their goods and services in the digital landscape. It focused on fostering a secure online environment for responsible transactions, especially in light of the increased integration of digital processes into business operations of our MSMEs.

Moreover, the program addressed the prevalent issue of fraud and scams in the online sphere. It sought to support entrepreneurs in safeguarding their online presence and reinforcing the trust of consumers. This aspect became increasingly crucial today where digital transactions and interactions were prevalent, and instances of fraudulent activities online could impact both businesses and consumer confidence in the platform.

In essence, Meta and Bayan Academy ensured that Meta Seller Responsibility Training was an initiative that aimed to equipped MSMEs with the necessary skills and knowledge to use the platform of Meta securely while leveraging effective promotional tools, fostering a trustworthy and resilient online platform for MSMEs.

Meta LEAP (Level Up Enterprise Advancement Program)

The pandemic in 2020 hastened the movement toward the digital economy as well as the conduct of e-commerce in order to help keep micro, small, and medium businesses afloat. This year was all about business resiliency and continuity amidst very uncertain and challenging times.

Thus, META LEAP or Level Up Enterprise Advancement Program was implemented with the collaboration of the different government agencies, NGOs, private organizations, financial service and digital payment providers to assist MSMEs in their recovery.

Bayan Family of Foundations also supported Meta’s initiative to develop Philippine e-commerce by capacitating and mobilizing informal online enterprises. The goal of forming an advocacy group that will engage with government and policy makers to push for the interests of the informal sector and online sellers was done through a three-pronged approach of education, community organizing, and public relations.

BPI Sinag

BPI Sinag, funded by and in partnership with BPI Foundation Inc., aims to produce more effective, impactful, ethical, and sustainable Filipino businesses. The program is composed of a social entrepreneurship challenge and a series of online learning opportunities or roadshows for the ecosystem that include educators and SE support intervenors that it supports.

The BPI Sinag Social Entrepreneurship Challenge is an annual search for social entrepreneurs whose enterprises are ready to scale up while deepening their impact in community development. The program is intended for social entrepreneurs whose enterprises focus on sustainable business models that address social and environmental problems, particularly in agribusiness, education, health, energy, technology, and other marginalized sectors across the archipelago. The program focuses on promoting business resiliency.

The social enterprise must have a clear and significant market potential alongside with the socio-economic impact to its target beneficiaries. Thus, the business model should be responsive to the ever-changing business environment and allow the social enterprise to grow and adapt or shift when needed while staying true to their mission of supporting communities and creating impact in their respective sectors.

The program is composed of three phases: search, learn, and boost. It opens up various opportunities to allow the chosen participants to grow, giving them access to grants and mentorship and markets.