#reflectionoftheweek

This last week of our technopreneurship journey felt lighter, but also meaningful, because it gave me time to look back at everything we had accomplished as Tukod Innovators. The major requirements were already finished, yet the experience of our final pitch still stayed in my mind. It was the highlight of our work and the moment where all our efforts were tested.

As I reflected on the Final Pitch Deck, I realized how much time and thinking went into shaping it. From the storyline to the slides, from the prototype flow to the validation results, everything had to be clear, organized, and purposeful. Watching our teammates present felt nerve-racking but also fulfilling. Even though I wasn’t one of the main presenters, I still shared the pressure because the pitch represented all of us, not just the ones speaking in front. It was the final chance to show that we understood the problem deeply and that our solution was built with real insights from the community.

This week, I also found myself looking back at how the pitch deck evolved. At first, our ideas were scattered. But through interviews, customer profiling, games, prototyping, and feedback sessions, our story became more connected. The pitch deck wasn’t just a school requirement, it became a summary of our growth. For me, seeing the final slides felt like a timeline of everything we learned: empathy, teamwork, prioritization, problem-solving, and the courage to stand in front of people and defend our idea.

Now that everything has been presented, I feel both relieved and proud. Relieved because the pressure is finally gone, and proud because we made it through all the challenges. The final pitch showed me that we didn’t just build a prototype, we built confidence, discipline, and a deeper understanding of real-world problems.

This week marked another important phase for our team as we continued shaping our venture and began preparing for the upcoming final pitch. Most of our time was spent working on our prototype and organizing the ideas that will be included in our final pitch deck. At this point, everything feels more serious because we are no longer just brainstorming—we are now creating something that the panel will evaluate soon. The thought of the final pitch makes me a bit nervous, but it also pushes me to be more focused and more involved in making sure our project is clear and well-prepared.

Aside from working on our prototype and pitch, we also completed Game 6, which focused on Market Identification and Sizing. We began with a brainwriting session, where each member wrote ideas quietly about our potential market and passed the cards around to expand and refine the thoughts. Seeing all the ideas displayed on the wall helped us see different perspectives and identify the most important insights for our venture.

Next, we did the Atomize Game, where we took the big concept of our market—TAM, SAM, and SOM—and broke it down into smaller, more understandable parts. By asking, “What makes this up?” we slowly built a pyramid structure that helped us clearly visualize how many people we can reach and who exactly our solution is designed for. This exercise made us realize the importance of understanding our market deeply, not just assuming who our customers are.

To end the activity, we created a WHO–WHAT–WHEN matrix, where each member listed their responsibilities, next steps, and target deadlines. This reminded us that our progress depends on each person’s commitment, especially now that the final pitch is coming soon. The matrix also helped us see who needs to work on what, and by when, which improved our coordination as a team.

For November 3–9, our class focused on two major activities: attending the TECHNO 101 & TEM plenary session and continuing the presentation of our Milestone 3. This week felt like a combination of learning, reflection, and applying concepts to our own startup journey.

During the plenary session, we listened to Engr. Raymund Mocorro who talked about Prototyping and MVP Development, as well as Entrepreneurial Traits and Self-Awareness. What stood out to me was the reminder that a prototype doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to clearly show how the product or solution will work in real life. This made me realize that technopreneurship is not about waiting for a perfect idea, but testing something simple and learning from real users. MVPs help avoid wasting time, effort, and money, because they allow entrepreneurs to see what works and what needs improvement before scaling up.

Another important part of the talk was about knowing yourself as an entrepreneur. Engr. Mocorro emphasized that self-awareness matters because every founder has strengths and weaknesses. Instead of trying to be good at everything, it is better to work with a team that balances each other. Listening to this made me think of our own group, how each member has a different role, personality, and skill. It reminded me that teamwork and communication are just as important as the product we are building.

In class, we also continued the presentations for Milestone 3. Watching other groups present helped me see different approaches to solving problems in the community. It was interesting to compare how each team validated their ideas, created business models, and planned their next steps. Even if each group had a different problem and solution, we all shared the same goal to build something useful, realistic, and sustainable.

For the week of October 20–26, our team focused on completing and presenting Milestone 3, and this phase made me realize how far our venture has grown. Before, our idea felt like just a concept, but after working on the milestone, it started to look like a real system that could work in an actual community. Tukod Innovators is now clearly defined as a community-based housing initiative for low-income families and informal settlers, helping them gain secure and affordable housing through micro-savings, pooled funds, shared labor, and transparent tracking. Seeing our work organized in a complete venture report gave me a sense of progress and responsibility because the idea now feels more concrete and achievable.

Working on Milestone 3 also helped me understand our solution better. We are not only addressing housing, but also building a system that allows families to co-own their progress. By using methods like GCash contributions, Google Sheets for transparent tracking, and community labor to reduce costs, our solution became more practical and realistic. What made this more meaningful was the validation from real interviews. We learned that families are willing to participate as long as the system is fair and transparent. Seeing that 12 out of 20 people strongly needed the solution and 8 were dissatisfied with current housing options proved that our project has a real purpose.

This milestone also involved working on the business model, and this was the first time I clearly saw the financial side of a startup. Knowing that a ₱500 monthly membership could lead to ₱362,523 projected revenue and ₱90,871 profit in the first year made me realize that our idea is not just socially helpful, it is financially workable. The Venture Viability Index of 86.66% gave us confidence that the project has strong potential if executed properly.

These past weeks have been both exciting and nerve-wracking for our team, Tukod Innovators. We spent a lot of time preparing for our Milestone 2, which we later presented during our midterm pitch. The preparation took a lot of teamwork and late discussions. We reviewed our previous milestones, organized our presentation slides, and practiced explaining our concept clearly. We wanted to make sure that everything from our problem statement to our proposed solution was consistent and well understood. Even though only two of our members were assigned to present, everyone contributed ideas, gave feedback, and helped finalize the flow of the presentation.

Our pitch focused on one of the biggest problems in Cagayan de Oro ,the growing number of informal settlements. Many low-income families continue to live in unsafe and overcrowded areas because existing housing programs are too far from job opportunities or too expensive to maintain. To address this, we proposed a community-led savings cooperative where families contribute small weekly amounts to a shared housing fund. This fund supports land leases, home upgrades, and emergency shelter needs while maintaining transparency and fairness through community-led management.

During our preparation for Milestone 2, we also reflected on our interviews with residents from Lawesbra. Talking to people like Nelfa, Marian, and Marinell gave us valuable insight into the struggles and emotions of those living in informal settlements. Some residents were hesitant to talk at first, saying they had been interviewed before but never saw results. Others were cautious, fearing that questions could lead to relocation or eviction. These moments made us realize how deeply trust matters. Many of these communities have lost faith in programs that promised change but never delivered.

That realization became the heart of our presentation. Our main goal was not just to introduce another housing system, it was to show that our solution is trust-driven and community-owned. Unlike traditional programs that depend only on government or donor support, our idea encourages residents to take part in the process, promoting shared responsibility and transparency.

When the day of the midterm pitch came, I felt both excited and anxious. I wasn’t one of the main presenters, but I stood with the team, ready to answer questions after the presentation. As the slides appeared on the screen and my teammates began speaking, I felt proud but nervous. My heart was racing, wondering what kind of questions our instructor might ask. When it was finally my turn to respond, I tried to stay calm and confident, explaining our concept as clearly as I could. Even though I felt nervous, being able to answer gave me a sense of accomplishment. It felt rewarding to see how our hard work and preparation paid off.

Looking back, the midterm pitch taught me that preparation, teamwork, and confidence go hand in hand. I realized that even small contributions like helping refine slides, answering questions, or supporting teammates play a big part in the success of the group. This experience reminded me that technopreneurship isn’t just about creating innovative ideas; it’s about collaboration, communication, and the courage to stand behind something you truly believe in.