MANILA, Philippines — A dedicated business-matching platform designed to turn technology conversations into concrete partnerships, investments, and commercial opportunities will be a major feature of the 4th IoT Conference Philippines (IoTConPh) 2026 and the co-located 1st AI Philippine Expo on November 10–11, 2026 in Manila.
The B2B Café will bring together enterprises, local government units, technology providers, startups, investors, innovators, developers, academe, and ecosystem partners for structured business conversations around artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, smart cities, digital transformation, and emerging technologies.
The platform will be chaired and curated by Atty. Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, whose career spans more than three decades of leadership across government, ICT industry development, investment promotion, law, policy, academe, and innovation ecosystem building.
Batapa-Sigue has spent much of her career bringing government, business, academe, technology organizations, startups, investors, and communities together around shared strategies for generating jobs, attracting investments, strengthening digital ecosystems, and expanding opportunities beyond major metropolitan centers.
Global and National ICT Leadership
Batapa-Sigue currently serves as a member of the Digital Innovation Board under the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Alliance for Digital Development of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), bringing a global perspective to her work in innovation ecosystems, digital transformation, entrepreneurship, and technology policy.
She also previously served as a Philippine Councilor to the International Telecommunication Union, further strengthening her exposure to international digital development, telecommunications policy, emerging technologies, and global innovation networks.
From 2022 to 2025, Batapa-Sigue served as Undersecretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, where her portfolio covered ICT industry development, startup ecosystem building, regional innovation, Digital Cities, digital careers, women’s participation in the digital economy, data-driven development, and AI and emerging-technology policy dialogue.
Her work involved connecting LGUs, industry, startups, talent, academe, investors, and ecosystem partners toward concrete collaborations involving jobs, investments, market access, pilots, partnerships, and regional digital growth.
A Long Track Record in Ecosystem Building
Her ecosystem-building experience goes back many years. Batapa-Sigue served as President and Co-Founder of the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines, and later as trustee and vice president, helping strengthen ICT councils and digital development initiatives across the country.
She also founded and led ICT organizations and investment initiatives that helped build stronger relationships among government, industry, academe, and communities.
Batapa-Sigue has direct experience in ICT investment promotion, business development, digital workforce development, entrepreneurship, and local economic transformation.
Her work in Bacolod and Negros Occidental included ICT investment programs, technology incubation, business promotion, skills development, and initiatives that contributed to positioning Bacolod as an emerging destination for outsourcing, digital services, and technology-driven employment.
Her work with the DICT Digital Cities Program also involved helping cities develop ICT roadmaps, identify competitive niches, strengthen local ICT councils, and create stronger environments for digital investments and jobs.
Recognized for ICT, Jobs and Inclusive Growth
In 2016, Batapa-Sigue was named one of The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) awardees for Information and Communications Technology, recognizing her sustained contributions to ICT development, innovation, employment generation, and inclusive economic growth.
Her long-standing advocacy has consistently focused on using technology and innovation to create opportunities, particularly in the countryside, and on building ecosystems where local governments, enterprises, schools, technology companies, entrepreneurs, and communities can collaborate.
Beyond Networking: Purposeful Business Matching
This depth of experience positions Batapa-Sigue to curate the B2B Café not simply as a networking lounge, but as a purposeful business-matching platform where organizations are connected based on actual requirements, solutions, market interests, investment opportunities, and potential areas for collaboration.
Rather than relying primarily on chance encounters, B2B Café participants will provide information about what their organizations offer, what they need, who they want to meet, and the types of partnerships they are seeking.
These profiles will help the B2B team identify potentially relevant matches among enterprises, technology providers, investors, startups, LGUs, system integrators, distributors, and other participating organizations.
Curated Business Meetings
Participating organizations will be able to engage in curated meetings over the two-day event, creating opportunities to connect with potential clients, suppliers, technology partners, investors, distributors, LGUs, system integrators, startups, and strategic collaborators.
The objective is to help participants move beyond exchanging business cards toward conversations that can lead to:
- New customers and enterprise clients
- Technology partnerships
- Pilot projects and proofs of concept
- Government and LGU opportunities
- Distribution and reseller arrangements
- Investment opportunities
- Joint ventures
- Market expansion
- Research and innovation partnerships
Where AI and IoT Converge
The B2B Café complements the broader objectives of IoTConPh 2026 and the inaugural AI Philippine Expo, which bring together the rapidly converging worlds of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things.
IoTConPh is a multi-sector platform that brings together enterprises, LGUs, technology providers, academe, startups, developers, innovators, and policymakers to explore how connected and intelligent technologies can be deployed and scaled in real-world environments.
The 1st AI Philippine Expo, co-located with IoTConPh, highlights the growing role of artificial intelligence across businesses, industries, cities, government, and communities.
Together, AI and IoT are enabling organizations to move from simply connected systems toward increasingly intelligent, predictive, automated, and data-driven operations.
From Connection to Business
At the heart of B2B Café is a simple proposition:
The right 30-minute conversation can open a new market, launch a pilot, attract an investor, create a partnership, or close a deal.
With the positioning “Where Intelligent Technologies Meet Enterprise Innovation,” B2B Café 2026 seeks to create a deliberate pathway from connection to collaboration—and from collaboration to business.
B2B CAFÉ 2026
November 10–11, 2026
IoT Conference Philippines 2026 × 1st AI Philippine Expo
Megatrade Halls, SM Megamall
Mandaluyong City, Philippines
MEET • MATCH • COLLABORATE • GROW
For inquiries:
b2b@jocellebatapasigue.com
MANILA, Philippines — A dedicated business-matching platform designed to turn technology conversations into concrete partnerships, investments, and commercial opportunities will be a major feature of the 4th IoT Conference Philippines (IoTConPh) 2026 and the co-located 1st AI Philippine Expo on November 10–11, 2026 in Manila.
The B2B Café will bring together enterprises, local government units, technology providers, startups, investors, innovators, developers, academe, and ecosystem partners for structured business conversations around artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, smart cities, digital transformation, and emerging technologies.
The platform will be chaired and curated by Atty. Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, whose career spans more than three decades of leadership across government, ICT industry development, investment promotion, law, policy, academe, and innovation ecosystem building. Her professional record reflects sustained work in bringing stakeholders together around shared strategies for generating jobs, attracting investments, and expanding digital opportunities, particularly outside major metropolitan centers.
Batapa-Sigue currently serves as a Board Member of the Digital Innovation Board under the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Alliance for Digital Development of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). She also previously served as a Philippine Councilor to the ITU, adding an international dimension to her work in digital innovation, policy, and ecosystem development.
She served as Undersecretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, leading work in ICT industry development, startup ecosystem building, regional innovation, Digital Cities, digital careers, women’s participation in the digital economy, data-driven development, and AI and emerging-technology policy dialogue. Her portfolio included programs that connected LGUs, industry, startups, talent, and partners toward concrete collaborations involving pilots, investments, jobs, and market opportunities.
Her ecosystem-building work extends back many years. Batapa-Sigue served as President and Co-Founder of the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines, later serving as trustee and vice president, while also founding and leading ICT organizations and investment initiatives that helped strengthen local digital ecosystems.
She was also instrumental in ICT investment and industry-development initiatives that helped position Bacolod as an emerging outsourcing and digital-services destination, including programs involving ICT investment promotion, technology incubation, business development, and the creation of stronger connections among government, industry, academe, and communities.
In 2016, Batapa-Sigue was named one of The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) awardees for Information and Communications Technology, recognizing a body of work strongly associated with advancing ICT, innovation, employment opportunities, and inclusive growth.
Her work with the DICT Digital Cities Program also involved developing ICT roadmaps and strengthening local ICT ecosystems across numerous cities nationwide, while her work as a DTI mentor focused on helping MSMEs understand digitalization, business-model transformation, and enterprise digital roadmaps.
This depth of experience positions Batapa-Sigue to curate the B2B Café not merely as a networking lounge, but as a purposeful business-matching platform where organizations are connected based on actual requirements, solutions, market interests, investment opportunities, and potential areas for collaboration.
Participating organizations will be able to engage in curated 30-minute meetings over the two-day event, creating opportunities to connect with potential clients, suppliers, technology partners, investors, distributors, LGUs, system integrators, startups, and strategic collaborators.
The B2B Café complements the broader objectives of IoTConPh 2026 and the inaugural AI Philippine Expo, which bring together the rapidly converging worlds of AI and IoT and their practical applications across enterprises, cities, government, and communities.
At the heart of the initiative is a simple proposition: the right 30-minute conversation can open a new market, launch a pilot, attract an investor, create a partnership, or close a deal.
With the positioning “Where Intelligent Technologies Meet Enterprise Innovation,” B2B Café 2026 seeks to create a deliberate pathway from connection to collaboration—and from collaboration to business.
B2B Café 2026: Meet. Match. Collaborate. Grow.
