Computer science students top IDEAS-Davao pitch competition
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| Christian Vincent Binobo of BS Computer Science deliver pitch for AutoCare app | Corally Into of BS Computer Science gives the pitch for Alerto app |
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| Kris Kyle Quinco answers questions about Freeroads app | Mark James Saguimpa gives the pitch for WeSibol app |
Alumni and students of the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao’s BS Computer Science (BSCS) program emerged champions of the Techstars Startup Weekend—Smart Cities Davao pitch competition hosted by Poplar Homes on August 14-15, 2022.
Christian Vincent Binobo’s pitch for AutoCare, a car management and service locator app, topped the judges' criteria for its clean look and detailed business model created by its seven-person computer science team.
Freeroads, an app for vehicle parking space booking, and WeSibol, an app for the vegan and vegetarian community and marketplace, won second and third place. Kris Kyle Quinco, also a computer science student, and Mark James Saguimpa, a BS Agribusiness Economics student, delivered the pitches for their respective apps.
The five other participating teams pitched their proposed digital solutions to pressing problems. H2Queue aims to minimize drinking water pipeline leaks, and E-waste aims to generate points and rewards for segregated waste disposal. Alerto offers safety through users’ reports of fire, crime, and other hazards, even when offline. DMedFinder app is a one-stop medicine locator that uses Blockchain technology, and Knowbill focuses on savings in utility bills.
The panel of judges was composed of Shopsuki founder Jennica Siang, Poplar Homes director Keenan Ugarte, Linux Foundation’s Mark Maglana, New Energy Nexus’ Brenda Valerio, and DICT’s Albert Gabriel.
Techstars Startup Weekend—Smart Cities Davao is part of the first Davao Startup Week organized by IDEAS-Davao, a non-profit consortium of private and public universities, agencies, and firms dedicated to building a startup ecosystem in the region.