By Jomarc Angelo M. Corpuz, Special Features and Content Writer
Quezon City’s aspiration to become the country’s “start-up capital” has taken another step forward as they held the StartUp QC’s Third Cohort Demo Day on Oct. 25 at the Blue Leaf Cosmopolitan in Quezon City.
StartUp QC is the first and largest LGU-led startup program in the Philippines supporting these budding businesses by providing mentorship, equity-free grants, and an avenue to network with industry leaders.
This year’s edition of the event featured addresses from Quezon City Head of Local Economic Investment and Promotions Office Juan Manuel Gatmaitan, and Division Chief of the Department of Trade and Industry, Innovation and Collaboration Division Karl Lyndon Pacolor.
“With the help of the StartUp QC Program, our objectives remain steadfast. We want to create a culture shift and build a startup community, promote innovation, and create job opportunities,” Mr. Gatmaitan said.
The third installation of StartUp QC showcased six exceptional startups who each received a P1-million equity-free grant to scale their innovative businesses.
The list of this year’s winners includes Callback, Inc., an app for the entertainment industry that provides a way to connect industry professionals with actors; Kwentoon OPC, an app that promotes original stories by Filipino creators for kids and kids at heart; Lithos Manufacturing, a rooftop rainwater harvesting system manufacturer; NYHA Robotics by Sentience, an emerging business looking to encourage Filipino students to try robotics; PasaJob, Inc., the country’s first patented long-chain job referral platform; and RevUp Finance, an intuitive platform to streamline payment verification and bank reports.
This batch of startups started their journey on the program on Aug. 9 and underwent training, coaching, and mentorship to help accelerate the growth of their businesses.