6 Quezon City startups get P1 million grant each

MANILA, Philippines — Six local technology startups have received grants of P1 million each as part of the Quezon City government’s program to support ideas offering innovative solutions to social issues.

From an initial pool of 58 applicants, six finalists were selected to form part of the third cohort of Startup QC, which aims to enhance the local startup ecosystem by providing support from industry practitioners, the academe and the city government.

The six startups offer tech-driven solutions in the fields of creative industries, youth empowerment, education, disaster risk reduction, sustainability, finance and information technology. 

“We are proud to see how these startups evolve and create meaningful sectoral transformation,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said in a statement over the weekend.

“Quezon City remains proactive and open to cultivating a more vibrant environment for local talents, business and economic development,” she added.

Receiving equity-free grants were Nyha Robotics, a student-led initiative that aims to make robotics education more accessible to children; Callback, which seeks to professionalize the casting process for cultural workers, and Kwentoon, which enhances youth literacy and promotes Filipino contemporary arts through storytelling digital platforms.

Also selected were LITHOS Manufacturing, which developed a portable water filtration system to provide safe drinking water in remote or disaster-affected areas; Pasajob, which accelerates job placements through a referral-based system that rewards users with referral fees, and RevUp Finance, a system that aims to improve financial operations of small and medium enterprises.

The startups were chosen on Oct. 25 following a pitching session that marked the culmination of the 10-week capacity building program for the shortlisted entries.

The local government said it is exploring the creation of a startup incentives program to further encourage more residents to engage in entrepreneurship and technology development.