In a bid to make the city an innovation hub, the Quezon City Government awarded the five startup finalists under the first cohort of StartUp QC with financial grants amounting to PhP1 million each on Friday, 11 August 2023.

Launched last October 2022, StartUp QC is a Quezon City Government-led initiative to support existing early-stage startups through various training and mentoring sessions, industry exposure and networking events.

The finalists are Bamboo Impact Lab, a company that produces high-quality bamboo-derived products;  EdukSine Production Corporation, an online platform that provides socially relevant, Filipino independent films; ITOOH Homestyle, the first tech-enabled marketplace for quality-vetted home and office furniture largely crafted by local craftsmen.

Also receiving grants are Indigo Artificial Intelligence Research Inc., a venture between engineers and professors that provide general-purpose AI capabilities such as multilingual AI engines that can understand local languages, dialects, and its colloquial variants; and Wika which is an accessibility service provider that offers an array of tech-enabled solutions, such as provision of sign language, captions, and audio descriptions for the deaf and visually impaired.

Throughout the course of StartUp QC, these companies have received various  business and technical trainings in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Quezon City University (QCU), the Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) , Miriam College (MC), Thames International, Technological Institute of the Philippines, and the University of the Philippines, Diliman (UPD), and Launchgarage.

Mayor Joy Belmonte stressed the significance of a city being both innovative and supportive of businesses, stating that local governments should create an inclusive environment that promotes growth and progress for all types of businesses.

“It’s in the interest of all sectors to have a city where anyone would be confident to launch their businesses however novel their idea is. Such endeavors would eventually generate jobs, push the economy to its maximum potential, and help every citizen live the life they aspire to have,” Mayor Belmonte said.

“The City, together with its partners, are ready to collaborate with these startups and introduce their ideas to the market. Their success will redound to the growth of the community and the city,” she added.

Showing its commitment to support startups, the Quezon City Government is inviting aspiring entrepreneurs to apply for the second round of the Startup QC Program. They are also encouraging talented students to take part in the Startup QC Student Business Plan Competition.

For more details visit the official StartUp QC Facebook page at www.facebook.com/startupquezoncity or contact the StartUp QC Team via email at startupqc@qcwebsite.sparksoft-demo.com.

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