The Philippines has a thriving startup scene, with new businesses growing daily.
Shell LiveWIRE promotes entrepreneurship, innovation, and meaningful employment while enhancing the country’s economy.
“At its very core, Shell LiveWIRE remains committed in its vision of promoting local growth by empowering individuals and communities. This is why it remains our flagship development program,” said Serge Bernal, Vice President for Corporate Relations at Shell Pilipinas Corporation.
This year, Shell LiveWIRE celebrated innovative startups and community enterprises during the Final Pitch Day on October 12 in Makati City, with the tech startup “Farmvocacy” obtaining a 1 million peso investment grant.
Rafelita Aldaba, Ph.D., DTI Undersecretary for the Competitiveness and Innovation Group, was present at the Final Pitch Day and praised the work of the startups and community enterprises, saying, “Today’s presentations showcase a dedication to sustainability, covering a wide range of innovations from industries like transportation and innovations for climate and smart agriculture—leading us on into our future without limits.” She says, “Let’s all rally behind the innovation that inspires.”
Shell LiveWIRE’s Acceleration Program has assisted 42 innovators and business owners since its inception in 2020. Twelve of these businesses have entered the supplier chain of Shell Pilipinas Corporation.
Enabling tech companies and neighborhood businesses has created more than 500 local jobs for Filipinos.
Farmvocacy: Empowering Farmers for a Sustainable Future
Farmvocacy, a Mindoro Island-based social climate fintech firm with a circular, inclusive business model to promote climate-smart rice farming, an environmentally friendly farming system, and a high-yielding farming system, won one million pesos after impressing the judges at the Final Pitch Day.
Farmvocacy’s CEO, Vincent Roy Mendoza, describes how Shell LiveWIRE has aided their advocacy for a sustainable future: “Shell LiveWIRE became a validation that what you’re thinking and trying to innovate can contribute to creating better lives for us and specifically more for future generations.”
Tech companies are at the vanguard of innovation, creating innovative goods and services that can help Filipinos live better lives. By assisting them, we can help foster innovation and increase the competitiveness of the Philippine economy.
LITHOS Manufacturing OPC, a producer and trader of industrial and feed-grade minerals such as calcium carbonate, zeolite, and bentonite, and Lycan Motorcycles, a Filipino motorcycle and technology startup developing two-wheeled electric motorcycles and smart products, are the other two finalists.
In line with the goals of giving communities more power, the Final Pitch Day also honored six community businesses that were part of the Acceleration Program.
Community businesses chosen this year for their work to boost local economies by encouraging entrepreneurship, innovation, and meaningful work are Samahang Mangingisda ng Dalupaon (SAMADA), a group of fishermen who started an agri-business to process fish; Tagbilaran Young Workers Association, a local group that makes bags and other souvenirs from recycled plastic waste; and PHILIA Variety Store, a direct market channel for
Each neighborhood business that joined the Acceleration Program got a grant of 100,000 pesos.
One of the judges during the Final Pitch Day and Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc.’s Executive Director, Sebastian Quiniones Jr. posed a challenge to the innovators of this year’s Shell LiveWIRE, “Try to find out ways where you can collaborate with all of these enterprises that we have been putting forward so that we can all succeed as a nation.”
Among those who joined Quiniones in judging the Final Pitch Day were Geraldine Samson, Real Estate Facilities Manager of SPC, Rui Bom, a resident mentor of 500 Startups, Emmy Lou Versoza-Delfin, Director for ICT Development Bureau of the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT), and Liezl Sueño, Senior Technology Transfer Officer of Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
is Rafael Pedrajita offline. He is the founder of Tech Patrol. He's been a freelancer and a blogger since March of 2010. He married a beautiful woman named Amor. You can follow him on his Social Media accounts in the links below.
