FROM COMPUTER ENGINEERING TO FARMING
NAME: Dennis Ivan Chavez Baliguat (23) OCCUPATION: Computer Engineer BUSINESS: Fresco Greenovations, an AgriTech Company LOCATION: Misamis Oriental
Ithink there has always been a farmer in me. It's something that has been planted in my subconscious all along, yet it took me a long time to notice it. For example, I just realized that my high school capstone projects were related to agriculture (aquaponics). To add, recently, when I was cleaning my room, I stumbled upon my high school CEM (Center for Educational Measurement Inc.) Results. And to my surprise, the top career that was recommended for me was Agriculture. That was when everything made sense to me.
When I enrolled in college, I always thought about being a hacker or a cybersecurity engineer and I've always thought about how cool it would be to create a high-tech farm. This subconscious desire materialized during the pandemic when we had all the time to when gardening and hydroponics became a trend. And from there, I invited my agriculture friends from supplied lettuce to local restaurants, households, and resellers. Fast forward to today, we transitioned into an agritech company, integrating my expertise in computer engineering and my co-founders' expertise in agriculture.
FINDING MY WHY
My lolo was a farmer and so were my uncles and aunts. But over the years, they stopped farming and became retail business people and politicians. I was also concerned with our country's agricultural landscape since farmers are aging. I've always thought agriculture would give me a unique kind of peace of mind, knowing that whatever happens – be it a world war, zombie apocalypse, or whatever – I will always survive because I know how to grow my food.
FACING CHALLENGES
The number one challenge for us was our being students. We had to juggle our academics, extracurricular activities, and farming. We just did whatever we could, though a lot of times our production was inconsistent. It was challenging when we turned into an agritech startup since pursuing a startup requires a safety net. After the only one working full-time on the startup and also juggling my undergrad thesis (I was delayed by a year). I aligned my thesis with startup work so the workload could be shared.
On the other hand, no one was taking us seriously as a startup since I practically looked like a high school student, haha! Because of that I was determined to create something that would gain people's attention. I posted my thesis video and it went semi-viral, capturing the interests of academe, government, and industry key persons
My co-founders are now licensed agriculturists and even got placed top 5 in the board exams. Right now, they are working at a local food corporation and they work part-time on the startup. The team is also growing as I have found and am also constantly looking for young potential co-founders whose vision aligns with ours.
"I've always thought agriculture knowing that whatever happens - survive because I know how to grow my food. "