The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), through its social development arm, BPI Foundation, recently announced the top 20 micro enterprises and top 50 nano enterprises from this year’s run of the Small Enterprise Acceleration Lab — Small Enterprise Growth Agenda (SEAL-SEGA) program. In collaboration with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Bayan Academy, BPI SEAL-SEGA aims to support start-up enterprises and help them grow through capacity building, networking, and improved access to financial solutions.
This year, over 300 entries were submitted to BPI SEAL-SEGA. Following a comprehensive assessment of these enterprises, the top 50 nano enterprises will proceed to a mentoring program and will be assisted in further developing their business plans into actions. The top 20 microenterprises, which will also undergo mentorship,have each been awarded with a plaque of recognition and cash grants from P80,000 to P120,000, while selected winners will receive social media packages from AniMattify.
Aspiring micro and nano enterprises qualified to join underwent specialized training program sessions and mentoring on enterprise development. Nano enterprises or start-ups in the early stages of development were guided through entrepreneurship management, skills development, financial wellness, mentorship, and market linkages through the newly-launched SEAL-SEGA for Nano Enterprises. The training may also offer modules on opportunity seeking, screening and seizing which are ideal topics for these types of cohorts.
On the other hand, micro enterprises classified as already having a viable product and serving a sustainable market necessitate receiving advanced training and mentoring on enterprise development through SEAL-SEGA for Micro Enterprises. By the end of their training program, the start-ups will be given a chance to showcase their plans through the business pitch to sustain or to achieve competitiveness with the current business environment.
