This year’s IDEAYALA initiative challenged the next generation of budding entrepreneurs, aged five to 17, to form original businesses and put their ideas into action as they took over the gallery of Greenbelt 5 over the weekend of May 20 and 21.
Developing the next generation of business leaders
Launched in 2014, IDEAYALA is the brainchild of Mariana Zobel de Ayala and Paloma U. Zobel. It aims to inspire, train, and challenge the youth to innovate and develop new mall experiences or entrepreneurial designs and concepts that are viable, sustainable, market-inclusive, and/or have the potential to address the country’s social and environmental concerns—even shape the “mall of the future.”
Previously, IDEAYALA mostly engaged college students through talks, mentorship programs, and competitions. After seeing how the pandemic affected numerous businesses, particularly MSMEs, IDEAYALA took on a different shape. This year’s IDEAYALA initiative focused on developing a new generation of strong business leaders by engaging entrepreneurs as young as five!
This sparked a partnership between IDEAYALA and Kiddo-preneur, a socially oriented non-profit organization that aims to spark entrepreneurship among the youth. Together and through Ayala Malls, they want to affect impactful change and launch the next generation of entrepreneurs.
“IDEAYALA was created by our need to define the “mall for the future,” shared Mark Sablan, Vice President and Head of Leasing of Ayala Malls. “Fast forward to today, after the pandemic, we revisited the concept of IDEAYALA together with Kiddo-prener because we believe these young minds will be the source of inspiration and new concepts that we’ll be discovering in the next coming years.”
IDEAYALA co-founder Mariana Zobel furthered, “It’s exciting to be in the midst of all this creativity. It’s also impressive to see kids this young conceptualizing and executing fresh ideas and new solutions. Our goal now at IDEAYALA is to nurture this mindset and encourage the kids to keep imagining new and sustainable business models and ideas for the future.”
From an idea to real-world opportunity
Over a hundred kids launched their businesses during the two-day affair at Greenbelt. Some of these businesses were eight-year-old Mariella Oreta’s Science in a Jar, an education-oriented business that sold live caterpillars; Zara, Zree, and Zac Chua’s Cafe de Slime, which sold slime sets; and siblings Vino and Bella Bugayong’s VB Pantry, which sold treats and refreshments to hungry mall goers.
The two-day affair ended with the best-performing businesses receiving medals and gift certificates sponsored by BPI. The winning businesses were Forest of Fun for Best Booth Design; Dear and Dainty for Best Concept; Snack Stack for Best Service; and Reese and Chelsea’s Magical Book for Best Ad.
Other highlights of the event were the Build-A-Brand Workshop, where 50 young kiddo-preneurs were challenged to get creative and create and present their very own shampoo brand. The kids also got the chance to listen and learn from industry titans: Jollibee Foods Corporation President and CEO, Ato Tanmantiong, and the founder and namesake of the well-loved Mary Grace Café, Mary Grace Dimacali, who shared their humble beginnings and how they grew their businesses into the empires they are today.
IDEAYALA continues to give opportunities to kiddie entrepreneurs as it makes its rounds at various Ayala Malls in the coming weeks: TriNoma on July 1 and 2, Fairview Terraces on July 22 and 23, Alabang Town Center on August 5 and 6, Ayala Malls Manila Bay on August 19 and 20, Market! Market! on August 26 and 27, Ayala Malls Circuit on September 2 and 3, Glorietta on September 23 and 24, Ayala Malls Solenad on October 7 and 8, Ayala Malls The 30th on October 21 and 22, Ayala Malls Feliz on November 11 and 12, and Ayala Malls Marikina on November 18 and 19.
For more information, visit https://www.ayalamalls.com/ or head to their social media pages at https://www.facebook.com/AyalaMalls360/ and https://www.instagram.com/iloveayalamalls/ on Instagram.
