DTI-6 pairs 9 Western Visayas startups with long-term mentors

ILOILO CITY — The Department of Trade and Industry 6 (DTI-6) is shifting to a more structured, long-term mentorship approach to help Western Visayas startups advance from business ideation to commercialization and investment.

DTI-6 launched its MentorMatch program on Friday during the 2026 Online Slingshot Region 6 (OSR6) here.

MentorMatch is the continuing mentorship component of DTI-6’s 2026 Moonshot TNK Startup Development Program, which connects startup founders with core mentors and provincial industry specialists for sustained guidance in business development.

OSR6 brought together startup founders, mentors, government agencies, academic institutions, innovation hubs, and other startup ecosystem partners to strengthen mentorship linkages and align startup development with provincial economic and industry priorities.

At least nine startup innovators from five provinces will receive continuing mentorship under the program.

The startups include three from Aklan, one from Antique, two from Capiz, two from Iloilo, and one from Negros Occidental.

The nine innovators are provincial Demo Day awardees and completers of the ASPIRE Startup Bootcamp, which provided foundational startup development training across the region.

Under the Moonshot TNK development pathway, DTI-6 will continue mentorship activities before holding reverse pitching sessions and provincial startup showcases in 2027.

DTI-6 acting regional director Mutya Eusores said the agency aims to establish continuing relationships between startup founders and mentors, moving beyond one-time mentoring activities to sustained guidance throughout business development.

She added that DTI-6 redesigned the initiative based on lessons from its initial implementation, recognizing that startups need continuous guidance and support to grow.

“This year’s approach under Moonshot TNK follows a more deliberate pathway: startup preparation, MentorMatch, OSR6 activation, continuing mentorship, reverse pitching, and provincial startup showcases in 2027,” she said.

“In short, OSR6 is not our destination. It is an activation point,” she added.

Eusores said MentorMatch seeks to provide startups with a guided development process, from validating business ideas and building minimum viable products to establishing commercialization partnerships and eventually securing investments.

“We want mentorship to become an ongoing relationship rather than a one-time interaction,” she said.

“We want our startups to experience a true handholding journey — from ideation to validation, from building a minimum viable product to establishing commercialization partnerships and eventually securing investments. This reflects how DTI views entrepreneurship and innovation,” she added.