Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte wants the city to be an innovation hub, saying a local government unit must create an inclusive environment that promotes growth and progress for all types of businesses.
Belmonte presided yesterday at the awarding of P5 million worth of financial grant to StartUp QC finalists under the first cohort of StartUp QC.
“The program was launched in October 2022. It is a government-led initiative to support existing early-stage startups through various training and mentoring sessions, industry exposure and networking events,” she said.
The awardees were Bamboo Impact Lab, a company that produces high-quality bamboo-derived products; EdukSine Production Corp., 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. Rio N. Araja
Also receiving grants were 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.
Belmonte said the city councilors have passed an ordinance to institutionalize the program implementation.
“It’s in the interest of all sectors to have a city where anyonewould 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,” she said.
“The city, together with its partners, are ready to collaboratewith these startups and introduce their ideas to the market. Their success will redound to the growth of the community and the city,” she added.
“I am 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,” she noted.