(Image from DigitalPH FB page)
Expanding its initiative to promote technology entrepreneurship among the youth, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) kicked off the fifth iteration of the Philippine Startup Challenge (PSC5) with the aim to involve more schools across the country.
Vying for more representation in the provinces, the national startup competition will welcome at least 24 teams across the country in the final round of the PSC5, which was launched on Aug. 24 at the QBO Innovation Hub, Makati City.
“We are excited for this new edition of the Philippine Startup Challenge because it will be more inclusive by giving each of the DICT’s eight clusters the opportunity to field three teams from colleges and universities in their respective areas to the competition and compete in the Finals,” said Undersecretary Monchito Ibrahim who heads the regional operations, Countryside and ICT Industry Development of the DICT.
In preparation for the competition, DICT will be hosting a series of boot camps nationwide to empower college and professors to become coaches of the student teams. The boot camp will cover topics on the technical and business aspects of building a startup.
Professors from interested state and private universities are required to attend the Mentors’ Bootcamp that will be held in their cluster in order for their startup team to be eligible to join the contest.
Twenty-four teams will then be selected for the semi-final phase and will attend one-on-one coaching workshops. The top 10 teams will go on to compete at the finals to be held in Metro Manila.
Supported by the Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA), Huawei Technologies, Ideaspace Foundation, Philippine Society of IT Educators (PSITE), and QBO, PSC is an initiative under DICT’s seedPH Digital Startup Development Program which aims to boost the Philippine Startup Ecosystem and spread the economic potentials of digital entrepreneurship.
Interested state or private universities and colleges should contact their respective DICT Provincial Offices or visit its Facebook page for the contest mechanics and requirements.