Shell partners with gov’t to help startups, businesses

Energy company Pilipinas Shell in partnership with the government has launched a platform to aid startups, innovators and other businesses in easing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement, the company said it recently launched the Shell Livewire platform—its enterprise development program—in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

With the program’s launch, Shell and partner-government agencies called on innovators and startups to collaborate.

The company said that since 1982, it has supported more than 1,300 businesses in 20 countries in executing innovative ideas by connecting them to mentorship, technical expertise, financial assistance, and inclusion in Shell’s supply chain.

“New ideas are what drive the future of nation-building, but many aspiring entrepreneurs struggle to make those ideas a reality without the right support. In many cases the resources are there, but they can be hard to find without the right connection,” Shell vice president for External and Government Relations Serge Bernal said.

For her part, DA Food Security ambassador and AGREA Foundation founder Cherrie Atilano said that the Agriculture department is encouraging the youth to enter agribusiness through the department’s Kapital Access for Young Agripreneurs (KAYA) financing program.

The digital platform offers zero-interest loans of up to P500,000 to Filipinos between 18 to 30 years old who plan to start an agribusiness.

DICT director Emmy Delfin, likewise, said the ICT department is planning to roll out the Innovative Startups and Acceleration Program.

The initiative will develop a web platform called the Startup Philippines Portal, which will streamline business registration, make shared services more accessible, and promote more advanced investor-and-collaborator matching, according to Delfin.

Nelly Dillera, executive director of the DTI’s training arm, the Philippine Trade Training Center, said that aside from digitalization capabilities, Filipino firms need business skills training if they are to become competitive in international trade. — BM, GMA News