By Nanette Guadalquiver
BACOLOD CITY – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-funded ALPHA Bacolod Accelerator Hub is supporting five startup founders in its ongoing implementation, with PHP3 million in grant assistance from the agency for three years.
Carrying the tagline, “Accelerating the Future, One Founder at a Time,” the facility, managed by the city’s Department of Local Economic Development and Investment Promotions (DLEDIP), officially opened at the fourth floor of Ayala Malls on Thursday.
In his message, Mayor Greg Gasataya underscored the importance of local government’s support to micro, small and medium enterprises and committed to strengthen Bacolod’s collaboration with the DOST.
“We will continue to nurture the partnership between Bacolod City and DOST. We also thank the founders who helped the city pursue this project. We have now five companies who are also helping Bacolod and the entire Negros Island Region,” he said.
In its project implementation, the ALPHA Bacolod Accelerator Hub is supporting five startup founders by providing them opportunities to strengthen their business models, refine their products and services, enhance their market readiness, and explore pathways for growth and expansion.
These are IF Green Technologies, which develops innovative farming solutions; AYO Tech Corp., a medical technology startup specializing in innovative healthcare equipment; and Plantsville Health, with the mission to conserve Philippine cinnamon and create meaningful livelihood opportunities.
The two others are The Homestead, a next-generation hub transforming traditional farming into technology-driven ecosystem; and Bioflyt Agriventures, which focuses on sustainable agriculture and circular economy solutions through black soldier fly farming.
The facility was initially launched on Feb. 6, 2025, when it began operations at its temporary home at the Bacolod Express Service Office located at the mall’s third floor.
“Its transition to a dedicated space marks a significant step in expanding its capacity to provide support and opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage startups in Bacolod City,” the DLEDIP said in a statement.
DOST-Negros Occidental officer-in-charge Provincial Director Glady Reyes said that with Bacolod City’s forward-looking business environment, there is a need to ensure that local technology innovators, green agri-technology ventures and other entrepreneurs have the resources they need to scale.
“We are shifting our paradigm so that science, technology and innovation are not just abstract concepts but everyday tools that are felt and lived by our communities,” she said.
In establishing the ALPHA Bacolod Accelerator Hub, the city government provides startup founders and aspiring entrepreneurs with access to business development support, mentorship, capacity-building opportunities, and connections within the innovation ecosystem.
Through the region’s pioneer local government unit-led accelerator hub, aspiring entrepreneurs and startup founders are provided access to mentorship, business development support, capacity-building activities, market readiness assistance, and opportunities to connect with potential partners, investors, and industry networks.
In June 2024, the city government obtained the grant from the DOST for the establishment of the ALPHA Accelerator Hub, a three-year project approved by the DOST-Western Visayas for funding under the agency’s Grants- in-Aid Program.
Now on its third year of implementation, it serves as a collaborative space for innovators, entrepreneurs, and partners to create, connect, and build a stronger, more inclusive Bacolod. (PNA)
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INNOVATION HUB. The ALPHA Bacolod Accelerator Hub, managed by the city’s Department of Local Economic Development and Investment Promotions, officially opens at the fourth floor of Ayala Malls on Thursday (Nov. 12, 2026). The pioneer local government unit-led accelerator hub in the Negros Island Region, it is supported through the Department of Science and Technology Grants-in-Aid Program with PHP3 million in grant assistance over three years. (PNA photo by Nanette Guadalquiver)
