Cebu InIT is hot

Last Thursday was not quite like it not because it was the first Thursday of the year but because it was a gloomy Thursday, literally and figuratively. I missed the sunshine. It had not showed up since the start of the New Year until yesterday. It also seemed that the morning papers were in a covenant to send us nothing but all the bad news - the landslides, the fare and utility hikes were quite a turnoff.        

I couldn't find my positive vibes the moment I woke up. I felt lazy and didn't feel like going out and wished that life would speed up in split second to get me through the next day. But as they say life must go on and whether or not you stay stuck or tuck up for a long day, life doesn't care. But to cut the long bull, it wasn't a bad Thursday at all. Just as I thought I should postpone that morning meeting because of the blues, my laziness caught me that to dial the number to say "sorry can't make it to the meeting" was so hard for me to do, so, I had to show up. Thus, do not underestimate the power of laziness. Laziness can work for you once in while.

Where was I? Yes, the meeting. It was initially thought to be a short meeting or just a briefing. I went with a friend and outsourcing partner, Wilmer Olano, the creative director of iDesign, a web design and web technology development company. We went there for only one thing -- "to check their stuff." And true enough they got more stuff than what we thought.

If you're a bored software engineer who wants to start up an IT business of your own or a techfreak full of wild but wonderful ideas, then your in. The CebuinIT or the Cebu Business Incubator in I.T. or Cebu InIT is a "Technology Business Incubator" made possible by the University of the Philippines-Visayas Cebu College and the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development.

Cebu InIT is also great for freelancers who want to grow their business. In our conversation with Pauline Wade, UPVCC-TBI incubator manager, says that their program covers advisory and mentoring to enable freelancers engage in favorable and safe contracts with clients specially for offshore projects. One of the risks of being a freelancer is the inability to decide the right terms and conditions of a project as well as managing the finances for development say a software or full-service website. Sometimes these contracts may appear very lucrative but the work may be a lot more complicated during the development. And because of this, many freelancers end up broke because they do not know how to price their service or have the time to account their operating costs.

With CebuInITs, team of mentors and business advisors, a freelancer who is a part of the program can be taught basic accounting and costing/pricing of their services as well as project management and review of legal documents.

The hardest thing a tech start up can do is where to do the development. The home may be the easiest way to do it but it has all its distractions. And most often, you can't avoid a nosy customer from abroad who just wants to know where you are and whether or not you're really legit. You need a business address to say that you're not one of those "fly by night" companies who only show up to get their downpayment. But getting a good business address can be quite a lot of money. Well, don't fret, CebuInIT can help you.

You can rent a small cubicle for less than P3,000 or rent an office for like P10,000 and you're in business. Best of it all, you don't only have a business address inside the country's most reputable university, you get free internet connection, a biometric entry system, a commong pantry, a canteen, a training and conference room, what more could you ask for?

The most interesting part was the incubation program. Ms Wade, said they can support commercially viable tech projects which they can host in the facility for free plus access to a team of business advisors from business and the academe and access to angel investors to provide the equity needed to support its development. So far they have approved four projects and are still accepting applicants for the program. Now is your chance to put into fruition those hot ideas, visit CebuInIT now.

To get to know about CebuInIT visit their website at www.cebuinit.org or you may visit their facility at the UP College Campus in Lahug.