The winning startups of the Arise Plus Ye! Boost Accelerator—a 14-week accelerator program that aims to support young entrepreneurs under 35 years to prepare their business for international expansion are set to be unveiled.
The International Trade Centre (ITC), through the ARISE Plus Philippines project, funded by the European Union, in partnership with the QBO Innovation Hub and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), is set to feature eight startups participating in the internationalization-focused accelerator. The startups will be pitching their businesses live during the Demo Day event on June 29, 2022, at 2:00 PM.
On scaling their startup through the Arise Plus Ye! Boost Accelerator, Dr. Dexter Galban of Alaga Health shared, "The Arise Plus Ye! Boost Accelerator had an excellent balance of mentors from the Philippines and the EU. As a young founder & entrepreneur, I am both honored and elated that Alaga Health received such holistic support for strategic business development and expert validation regarding the critical decisions that Alaga Health has implemented during the program. The deep pool of advisers regularly provided insights on how to best address specific start-up concerns, but in the context of scaling and exploring integration with other industries. This has led us to effectively reframe and recalibrate our approaches for technology development, marketing, sales & partnership building. Since the hybrid rollout was highly flexible and tailored to our needs, Alaga Health was still able to conduct our first international showcase in Switzerland, establish partnerships with international entities (UN WIPO, IFPMA, ITC, and PH Mission to the UN), conduct several product demonstrations nationwide, forge collaborations with over 14 LGUs, and build our MSME client portfolio - all while actively participating in the program." With that, he continued, "Despite external headwinds & growing pains, Alaga Health became even more relentlessly driven to succeed both locally and globally."
The first place winner will receive USD 3,000, while the second and third place winners will receive USD 1,500 and USD 500 respectively. In addition, all three winners will be given opportunities to build stronger networks with EU partners and investors to support them in expanding their ventures to the global market.
“We're very honored to have worked alongside DTI and ITC to launch our very first Philippine cohort. With their support, we were able to bring in international experts who mentored our startups on export readiness, intellectual property, and market entry strategies, among others,” said Ia Hernandez, Program Manager at QBO Innovation Hub. “I am very proud to see our youth entrepreneurs go out and conquer new markets. As we strive for more Filipinos to be globally competitive, we hope this Demo Day inspires other businesses that it is indeed possible,” she continued.
The eight youth-led businesses selected to pitch span a number of industries, including the education, mental healthcare, medical care, textile, SAAS, logistics, and FinTech sectors will take centerstage to pitch their startups at the Live Demo Day:
A digital health marketplace & service aggregator that gives patients and healthcare providers end-to-end access to virtual & in-person health services.
Helping teachers jumpstart online teaching with the least preparation possible, allowing them to save up to 400 hours per year.
A social enterprise that envisions accessible mental healthcare and psychoeducation for all.
A software-as-a-service (SAAS) platform for cooperative management and regulatory compliance.
Innovating the educational system to make learning more efficient and effective.
A sourcing platform connecting designers & creatives with regenerative Philippine tropical textiles & artisan craft, co-created with nature & cultural heritage.
A decentralized, peer-to-peer mobile application for financial processing.
A centralized platform of ride-sharing and delivery providers to help fulfill logistics needs from multiple service partners.
The organizing partners will host the Arise Plus Ye! Boost Demo Day in a hybrid format. As in-person slots are limited to allow for social distancing, pre-registration to join the Demo Day on June 29 is required.
You may register via bit.ly/ye-boost-demoday to catch the startups as they unveil their key progress made during the 14-week accelerator program focused on internationalization.
To catch the event via livestream, tune in to the ITC Facebook page or you may follow QBO’s social media accounts for additional information @QBOPhilippines.