The Quezon City local government awarded P1 million worth of financial grant to each of the five finalists of the “StartUp QC” program on Friday, Aug. 11.
The financial grant was given to the finalists during the program’s first-ever “Demo Day” held on Timog Avenue in Quezon City.
The city government said it recognizes the important role of startups as a reflection of a diverse, vibrant economy and its active, empowered citizens.
StartUp QC, launched in October 2022, is a city government-led initiative to support existing early-stage startups through various training and mentoring sessions, industry exposure, and networking events.
The five finalists are Bamboo Impact Lab, a firm specializing in the creation of premium products derived from bamboo; EdukSine Production Corporation, an online platform offering socially significant Filipino independent films; ITOOH Homestyle, the pioneering tech-enabled marketplace for quality-checked home and office furniture primarily handcrafted by local craftmen; Indigo Artificial Intelligence Research Inc., established by a collaboration of engineers and professors, that provide general-purpose AI functionalities and capabilities such as multilingual AI engines that can understand local languages, dialects, and its colloquial variants; and Wika organization, which is specializing in accessibility services.
The local government said Wika provides a range of technology-driven solutions -- such as sign language provision, captions, and audio descriptions -- catering to the needs of the deaf and visually impaired community.
Belmonte earlier said these startup finalists went through an extensive and rigorous application and screening process following a set of criteria that places high standards on innovativeness, creativity, sustainability and social relevance, among others, that reflect the shared values and ideals of the city.
Before they pitched their business ideas on Demo Day, the qualified finalists received various business and technical educational programs through collaborations with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Quezon City University (QCU), Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU), Miriam College (MC), Thames International, Technological Institute of the Philippines, and the University of the Philippines, Diliman (UPD), with the participation of Launchgarage.
“It’s in the interest of all sectors to have a city where anyone would be confident to launch their businesses however novel their idea is. Such endeavors would eventually generate jobs, push the economy to its maximum potential, and help every citizen live the life they aspire to have,” Belmonte said.
“The City, together with its partners, are ready to collaborate with these startups and introduce their ideas to the market. Their success will redound to the growth of the community and the city,” she added.
The Quezon City government also invited all aspiring entrepreneurs to apply for the second round of the StartUp QC Program.
"Through this program, we are encouraging entrepreneurs with innovative ideas to be part of the greater mission of improving our society," Mayor Joy said.
The city government is also encouraging talented students to take part in the Startup QC Student Business Plan Competition, which aims to foster an innovative culture among the youth, enable them to broaden their perspectives, and open up opportunities for them to reach their full potential.
All interested and aspiring entrepreneurs or students can visit the official StartUp QC Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/startupquezoncity or contact the StartUp QC Team via email at startupqc@quezoncity.gov.ph.