Unveiling of Top 20 Startups for ASEN-Wide Pitch from UNDP, PDRF and QBO to the resque.

“We are proud of what we have seen so far. The participants have great ideas that we can definitely use to solve some of today’s global threats. We are glad that in its first year ‘STARTUPS TO THE RESQUE’ has attracted great minds. We hope that it continues to be a platform where startup companies can deliver meaningful impact to relevant communities.” ~Butch Meily, QBO President

(L-R) Noya Terrado, Undersecretary Department of Trade and Industry, Folay Eleazar, Programme Manager Inclusive and sustainable Unit - United Nations Development Programme, Butch Meily, QBO President, Katrina Chan, QBO Innovation Hub.

Butch Meily, QBO President

Twenty startups compete at Slingshot ASEAN 2017 for best innovation solutions on disaster resilience for a chance to win USD10,000

The ASEAN region is home to some of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, not just in terms of natural calamities but also long-running conflicts. The STARTUPS TO THE RESQUE challenge empowers startups from across the region to come up with ways to use their existing products, services, and business models to form creative solutions to pressing global issues, including environmental disasters, outbreaks/pandemics, or violence and conflict. Just today October 11, 2017 announced the lucky twenty startups to compete at the first STARTUPS TO THE RESQUE, an ASEAN-wide startup competition that challenges startups to develop the best innovation solution related to disaster resilience and recovery.

This competition is organized by QBO Innovation Hub (QBO) – the Philippines’ first public-private initiative for startups formed by IdeaSpace, J. P. Morgan, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and DTI – in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), and Slingshot. The 20 startups will showcase their products or services in an international pitching competition to be held during the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) annual Slingshot event on October 20, 2017, at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). 

Katrina Chan, QBO Innovation Hub

The final 20 startups were selected from more than 100 innovation solutions submitted by companies across ASEAN during a run-up call for proposals held from 13 September to 6 October, in the lead-up to the International Disaster Risk. Reduction Day on 13 October. The startups were selected based on the creativity, scalability, and feasibility of their ideas. 

QUALIFIED COMPANIES:

ChatbotPH ~ www.chatbot.ph

The premier chatbot development in the Philippines. We help you to create, train and maintain chatbots for your business.

    

After Effect ~ www.aftereffect.ml

After Effect specializes in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, mainly focusing on “Chatbot” and machine learning. It services cover wide varieties of digital technology. After Effect aims to integrate AI daily routine, in order to improve people quality of life.

SkyEye Analytics, Inc. ~ www.skyeyeph.com

SkyEye Analytics caters to both the public and private sectors. From land surveying to disaster mitigation and from precision agriculture to forest protection, SkyEye believes in the power of drones for good. It is a company committed to procuring, processing and analyzing data to help you make better.

    

Gavagives ~ www.gavagives.com

A fundraising platform for non-profit organizations. It is a platform that enables anyone to create campaigns for anything they wish—passion, hope, wishes, life, or dreams. 

     

LifeMesh ~ www.devpost.com/software/lifemesh-1q93t8

LifeMesh is decentralized global software that connects Humanitarian aid organization and communities in need. By leveraging blockchain technology, it promises unparalleled transparency, resiliency, accountability, and trust to its users.

    

Ascendant Technologies, Inc. ~ www.ascendant.com.ph

Ascendant Technologies, Inc. is a software development company dedicated to providing comprehensive and high-quality information system business solutions for medium-sized industries, primarily in the field of healthcare digital systems management.

   

Senti ~ www.senti.com.ph

Senti is a social media analytics company specializing in understanding Filipino culture.

     

Tralulu ~ www.tralulu.com

Tralulu is a digital marketplace for local guides and guided experiences with a vision to enable a world where travelers can travel with the locals. Through the marketplace, guides and their communities can become sustainable financially. On the other hand, travelers will be able to book local guides easily from cities to the most remote communities.

    

StyleGenie PH ~ www.stylegenie.ph

StyleGenie PH is the first styling+clothing subscription box in the Philippines.

    

Cropital ~ www.cropital.com

Cropital is a crowdfunding platform that connects anyone to help finance our farmers. We aim to improve the income and productivity of our farmers through crowdfunding.

      

Timba ~ www.kitatimba.com

Timba is a social enterprise that aims to share progressive ideas with everyone. We champion sustainable living, reuse waste creatively and we love the collaborative production. By using discarded materials, basic electronics, and passive building techniques we aim to inspire our surrounding with fresh and fun approaches to sustainable living.

      

BillionBricks ~ www.weatherhyde.org / www.billionabricks.org

BillionBricks is a Singapore-based non-profit design and technology studio that innovates new shelter solutions for the homeless and most vulnerable communities. It provides women-centric, highly replicable and scalable solutions to significantly enhance the opportunities for communities to emerge out of poverty. Its first shelter solution is weatherHYDE, a temporary women-focused shelter designed to save the lives of the homeless and displaced living in extreme weather.

      

ServeHappy Jobs ~ www.servehappyjobs.com

ServeHappy Jobs is the Philippines’ First Hotel and Restaurant Job Source. It is a job marketplace for food service professionals looking for rewarding careers and hospitality businesses looking for dedicated staffing.

      

Pushkart.ph ~ www.pushkart.ph

Pushkart.ph is an online grocery delivery service, developed by a group of young Filipino millennials that aims to ensure fast, convenient and safe delivery of groceries right at your doorstep.

      

UPROOT Aquaponics ~ https://www.facebook.com/UPROOTAquaponics

UPROOT Aquaponics is a social enterprise that aims to alleviate poverty, hunger, and malnutrition through community shared aquaponics. Providing marginalized communities’ access to healthy and nutritious food and auxiliary income through the use of aquaponics.

      

Blogapalooza ~ www.blogapalooza.ph

We connect Businesses and Bloggers directly, helping Businesses to lower their costs and increase their profit with the help of rich content from Bloggers. We organize events that stimulate interaction and publicity for Businesses, and features for Bloggers. We connect Businesses and Bloggers directly, helping Businesses to lower their costs and increase their profit with the help of rich content from Bloggers.      

      

Haraya Labs ~ http://facebook.com/Haraya.Labs

Haraya Labs provide STEM education to K-12 students with interactive platforms in Virtual Reality.

Frontlearners, Inc. ~ www.frontlearners.com

Frontlearners, Inc. is an e-learning content developer and e-school solution provider. Frontlearners developed the BlendEd Box that contains thousands of DepEd K12 curriculum-based e-learning materials. It is affordable and ready-to-use. It is high speed and works with or without the Internet. The BlendEd Box is a turn-key solution that enables schools to consistently implement a more effective method of teaching.

      

GO GRIDLESS PHILIPPINES CORP. ~  www.gogridless.com.ph

GO GRIDLESS is a B2B wholesaler of Off-Grid technology solutions. We work with a variety of businesses and partners to provide quality, industry-leading solutions sourced from around the world. 

     

Unomap ~ www.unomap.com

A digital identity solution that digitizes individual identities into a   decentralized, user-managed-centric model.

Together, the startup ecosystems across ASEAN can innovate and collaborate with each other with the shared goal of promoting preparedness and resilient recovery. 

Folay Eleazar, Programme Manager Inclusive and sustainable Unit - United Nations Development Programme

All twenty companies will showcase their ideas at Slingshot ASEAN 2017, from which the top six finalists will be invited to pitch on stage. The top three startups with the best pitches will be selected as winners. 

“Climate and disaster risks are real threats to people and development – and we have seen this repeatedly in the last decade not just in the Philippines but across ASEAN. Risk and climate-informed development planning is now taking center stage and rightly so. With this competition, we hope to see ideas that can be explored and developed into solutions that will reduce risks and increase resilience of communities.”  ~Titon Mitra, UNDP Philippines Country Director

All twenty companies will showcase their ideas at Slingshot ASEAN 2017, from which the top six finalists will be invited to pitch on stage. The top three startups with the best pitches will be selected as winners. 

Noya Terrado, Undersecretary Department of Trade and Industry

PRIZES:

• The first prize winner will receive $10,000 as well as an opportunity to work with the UNDP and deploy their solutions with PDRF, one of the world’s leading private sector disaster resilience consortia comprised of the Philippines’ top corporations.
• The second and third prize winners will receive $4,000 and $2,000 respectively.

More than just a competition, STARTUPS TO THE RESQUE promotes awareness on the different crises faced by ASEAN countries – like the devastating Typhoon Haiyan that ravaged Eastern Visayas particularly Tacloban, and even Vietnam, or the current armed conflict happening in Marawi – and inspires startups to play a more proactive role in preventing and mitigating these disasters.

About QBO  

QBO (‘ku-bo’) is an innovation hub or a platform for the startup community to collaborate, develop talent, and grow. It provides startups with support and resources through events and capacity building programs as well as focused interventions designed to improve access to markets, knowledge, capital, and talent. QBO is the country’s first public-private initiative for startups, created through a partnership between IdeaSpace, J.P. Morgan, DOST, and DTI. Spurred on by the vision of Filipinos startups changing the world, QBO’s mission is to create a globally competitive startup ecosystem in the Philippines. 

Contact us: http://qbo.com.ph/ ; hello@qbo.com.ph Social Media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/LinkedIn): /QBOphilippines or @QBOphilippines