Celebrating Five Years - AIPO's Journey of Innovation and Collaboration

Photo: AIPO Friends and Collaborators Celebrating AIPO's Five-Year Milestone

On June 4, 2024, the Ateneo Intellectual Property Office (AIPO) celebrated its 5th year anniversary with a program featuring events that highlighted the office’s history, goals, achievements, and speeches from successful startups they had supported over the past five years.

Photo: (L-R) AIPO's Ms. Mariela Alcaparas, Engr. Benjamin Mirasol, Ms. Vanessa Malapit and Mr. Steve Maverick Chaves shared office's history and journey since its inception in 2019

The program started off with inspiring welcome remarks from Dr. Jun V. Aguilar, Jr., the Assistant Vice President for Research, Creative Work, and Innovation. Following this, Ms. Mariela Alcaparas, Program Development Officer, along with the heads of the Ideation Support Group, Mr. Steve Maverick Chaves; the Protection and Education Group, Ms. Vanessa Malapit; and the Commercialization and Business Incubation Group, Engr. Benjamin Mirasol, participated in a panel discussion about the office's history and journey since its inception in 2019. They shared insights on how AIPO was established, their vision for the future, and the milestones and challenges each department faced throughout the years. Each head highlighted their respective group’s unique experiences but collectively agreed that despite each group working individually, their responsibilities are interconnected.

Photo: (L-R) AIPO's Igor Garcia together with the founders, Engr. Mark Kennedy Bantugon, Mr. Bradley Cua and Mr. Roland Benzon as they share their experiences working with AIPO

Each group within AIPO has played a pivotal role in nurturing numerous startups and guiding them to success. During the event, Engr. Mark Kennedy Bantugon, founder of Pili Seal, Mr. Bradley Cua from SolX Technologies Inc., and Mr. Roland Benzon, founder of WIKA, shared their experiences working with AIPO and how the office helped them navigate the challenges of running their startups. Their insights underscored the invaluable support provided by AIPO, emphasizing specific strategies and resources that proved instrumental in their journeys. These testimonials echo the sentiments of many other startup founders who have expressed deep gratitude for AIPO's ongoing guidance and support.

To conclude the program, Dr. John Luis Lagdameo, the acting director of AIPO, delivered his closing remarks, reflecting on AIPO's transformative five-year journey. The office has significantly impacted multiple startups and raised awareness about intellectual property rights. Despite these achievements, AIPO remains committed to advancing a brighter and sustainable future for the intellectual property landscape, aiming to achieve new milestones that will benefit not only the university but also contribute to the country's innovation ecosystem.

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To know more about the ADMU SOSE’s Lab-in-a-Box and the Ateneo Intellectual Property Office, you may visit: http://www.ateneo.edu/sose and www.aipo.ateneo.edu or follow AIPO on social media for the latest updates and announcements via www.fb.com/AteneoIPO or www.linkedin.com/company/AteneoIPO.