The Philippine startup scene is gaining ground and fresh attention not only from the private sector but also from the government. At the “All Set: The DOST-Funded Startups’ Journey” event during Philippine Startup Week 2019, which concludes today, 15 startups that received grants from the Department of Science and Technology presented their journey as innovators.

DOST through the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) launched the Startup Grant Program in 2017 hoping to give deserving startups to give their early-stage technologies a shot at making them profitable.

“We are hoping that through the Philippines Startup Week, we are able to show that the Philippines is ‘all set’ to become Asia’s powerhouse,” said Engr. Raul Sabularse, Deputy Executive Director, PCIEERD, in his opening remarks. “We also hope that we could inspire others to build a startup (and pursue) their innovative business ideas and slingshot them across the globe.”

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The 15 pioneer grantees, which were divided into three areas of interest, were presented by their founders. Startups represented three significant technologies: educational technology, emerging technologies, and electronics technology.

1. EduSuite: Using artificial intelligence, the founders and developers of EduSuite hoped to address the pain points in campus management by providing seamless and simple solutions.
2. Wela School Systems: Provides a cloud-based grading platform for students. The solutions also include a mobile app for attendance and grade monitoring for parents.
3. Tactiles: While it has been around for a while, Tactiles used the funding to make their product IQUBE available in multiple languages and make it available overseas. IQUBE is an app-based educational toy that teaches kids about electricity.
4. MachiBox: It’s an easy-build, easy-to-program and cost-effective robotics kits called MachiBox which aims to increase interest in programming and robotics among students/beginners.
5. BTBox: Developed by Kinovett A biotechnology kit that teaches students basic scientific principles while learning through hands-on activities. The founders want to make science more accessible to students through this product.
6. Rurok Industries: A team of diverse individuals united by a common passion of riding bikes and the dream to do it by themselves. The team developed a performance bikes suspension technology that has the features of “antisquat” and “antirise”.
7. Easybus PH: A startup company that provides a total digital booking platform (single, centralized and synchronized system application) adaptable for all types of buses to address the inefficiencies brought about by the manual system of booking.
8. Retailgate: An AI Technology-based Retail Analytics and Market Research firm that provides tech-based consumer behavior tracking services.
9. Grayscale: Smart VISION system is an (artificial intelligence) AI-guided system for the blind that provides information on physical objects around at any distance, allowing the user to perform things that most people do in their mobile devices such as texting.
10. Futuristic Aviation and Maritime Enterprise (FAME): These are small-scale vessel trackers and monitors that also serve as communication devices, enabling small-scale fishers to participate in electronic Catch Documentation Traceability (eCDT) and establishing increased communication and safety at sea.
11. Senti Techlabs: It aims to provide social media monitoring services focused on understanding Filipino leveraging machine learning-based language classifier that automatically detects the language of any document.
12. Farmwatch Solutions: Offers a suite of a remote monitoring system that connects farms to farmers to help them by providing information necessary to make informed decisions.
13. Nanotronics: Pioneered the production of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) derived from the indigenous crops for use in different industries in the Philippines. Their main product is Emtex and Emtex TP which are bio-based nanotechnology polymers that enhance the material properties of polymer matrices to which they are blended.
14. Restograph: Developed a restaurant management software that connects directly with POS systems to provide real-time sales analytics and granular views of daily operations, with elements descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive data analytics.
15. Smartfox Data Solutions: A silicon IP and design services provider founded by experienced IC and embedded systems design engineers. They offer digital IC design services from RTL design and logic synthesis to physical implementation and specializes in hardware design.

The Philippine Startup Week held simultaneous events in various locations. Today’s culminating activities are highlighted by the signing of Republic Act No. 1137 or the Innovative Startup Act proposed by former Sen. Bam Aquino.