THE entry of Internet of Things (IoT) in the third installment of a start-up contest is expected by the government to generate innovative ideas, especially from young consumers.
“We see IoT as an emerging trend in the industry that innovators, especially the youth, can explore to create relevant technology,” Information and Communications Technology Office (ICTO) Deputy Executive Director for eInnovation Monchito Ibrahim said.
Ibrahim spoke during the official launching of the third installment of the Philippine Startup Challenge (PhlSC).
“We believe that the evolution of this competition—from mostly software innovation to now exploring robotics and hardware—is a great step in welcoming a wider talent base to the community and will create more exciting use for technology and connectivity,” Ibrahim said on April 29 in Makati City.
The PhlSC is a nationwide startup competition for college students, which encourages youth to develop and promote bolder, more creative and socially relevant technological innovations that could solve real-life challenges, according to documents provided by the ICTO. This year’s PhlSC introduces a new IoT track. The IoT track, according to Ibrahim, was developed in collaboration with the Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA) and Intel Corp.’s Philippines office. “The new track will allow young innovators to utilize IoT to further develop innovations that are relevant to their daily lives,” documents provided by the ICTO said.
“IoT presents a huge opportunity for aspiring inventors, as it touches almost everything in our lives,” said Calum Chisholm, Intel Philippines country manager. “Intel is committed to supporting innovation in this space and look forward to the entries that have the potential to transform experiences across industries and society.”
Chisholm, however, didn’t say how the company’s reported shedding of employees would impact on this partnership with the Philippine government.
To join the competition, teams should submit a five-minute video pitch presentation about their start-up idea. From the overall number of entries, top 10 teams will be selected for further mentoring sessions. The finalists will be given a chance to pitch their start-up ideas to a panel of judges, consisting of local start-up experts, during the PhlSC National Finals. For IoT entries, Intel Philippines will be selecting 20 entries who will be receiving Intel boards, which they can use in developing their innovations.
Image credits: Noriel de Guzman
1 comment
I agree. If students are interested, revert, i may be of help.