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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Metro Manila devider 27 students receive cash prizes in QC StartUp competition

27 students receive cash prizes in QC StartUp competition

Published May 17, 2024 01:04 am

A total of 27 student groups out of 39 finalists received their cash prize from the Quezon City government on Thursday, May 16, in recognition of their innovative business pitches focusing on sustainability, health, education, agriculture, and governance.

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StartUp student finalists (Photo from Quezon City Government/Manila Bulletin)

The financial grant was given to the finalists during the program’s “Demo Day” held at the Matrix Creation Events Place in Barangay Pinyahan, Quezon City.

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 city government said that the best entry for this year's StartUp student competition was the startup idea for a "smart backpack" system, an innovative concept aimed at revolutionizing maternal healthcare systems  and empowering rural women and healthcare workers.

It added that the team behind the idea won the competition with P100,000 for their grand prize.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said that the city government will support and help the students to make their concepts come true.

"We believe that our students already have innovative ideas and the desire to make a meaningful impact in the world. It is our job in the city government to support them and help them make these concepts come to fruition," she said.

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Rise Rural Philippines won P100,000 (Photo from Quezon City Government/Manila Bulletin)

According to the city’s public information office, the Rise Rural Philippines is a team composed of students from the University of the Philippines (UP) Los Baños, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM), and Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), specializing in entrepreneurship, science, and technology, was named the overall winner.

Their innovation is the Araw-Kalinga Box (AKB), which combines a solar-powered ultrasound machine, a cold box for vaccine storage, and a compartment for delivering medical instruments. This solution is designed to tackle healthcare challenges in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA).

Meanwhile, the ESEA secured second place with P75,000, the project improves the fisheries supply chain and connects Filipino fisherfolk directly with the consumers through a user-friendly mobile application, and it was developed by the students from ADMU.

The NYHA Robotics, composed of students from the University of the Philippines, won third place and a P75,000 prize for their all-in-one learning kit and specialized robotics competition kits for children.


The city government also recognized the gold bucket winners, a group of senior high school students from the Philippine Science High School, whose project aims to automate bicycle mobility utilization in the city through an app that allows cyclists to conveniently rent bicycles from popular areas for use in designated bike lanes or other suitable locations.

In addition to the top winners, the 24 remaining groups were awarded prizes in three categories:  gold (2 teams), silver (10 teams), and bronze (12 teams), with cash prizes of P35,000, P25,000, and 15,000 respectively.

The city government awarded a total of P725,000 cash prizes to the student innovators.

The city’s Local Economic Investment Promotions Office (LEIPO) has conducted a campus tour throughout Metro Manila to discover innovative and creative business ideas from the senior high school to college-level students.

City’s LEIPO head Jay Gatmaitan said that the business ideas that the students presented were inspiring.

“We are thrilled to host the grand finals of the very first StartUp QC Student Competition and the business ideas that were presented by these students are truly inspiring,” he said.

“In celebration of QC’s 85th founding anniversary this year, we are elevating our efforts and initiatives, especially for the youth, and the business community. Hopefully, these young citizens will be inspired to strive to build on their ideas after pursuing their studies, knowing that their government will support them to the best of its capacity,” he added.

The city government has opened the applications for its professional category which is set to commence in August.

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 [email protected].
 

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