Student innovators behind solutions for waterway waste, urban farm efficiency, and poultry welfare emerged as the top winners in this year’s Startup QC Student Competition.
The third Startup topbills young Filipino students and their practical solutions for challenges affecting communities and key industries.
The latest competition wrapped up with its Pitch Day and awarding ceremony at the Quezon City MICE Center on September 03.
Creekbin was named Grand Champion and received the Php 100,000 grand prize for its solar-powered waste collection and waterway monitoring system.
The business concept combines automated collection with Internet of Things-enabled monitoring to help address floating waste in waterways.
Agriculture Farming Innovation Technology was at second place and received Php 75,000 for its proposed compact feed mixer and cutter for livestock farms, designed to improve processing and minimize clogging of raw feed materials during operation.
Birdseye cornered the third place and received Php 50,000 for its proposed AI- and Internet of Things-enabled monitoring system, improving biosecurity measures of poultry farms. The concept is designed to detect wet litter and monitor ammonia levels – two key factors that affect poultry health, optimal growth, and fowl survival rate.
The three teams emerged from a nationwide pool of 153 team applications. Following the Program Committee’s shortlisting process, 92 teams qualified for the next stage. During the mentorship, students gained practical knowledge in design thinking, market segmentation, basic financial management, pitching, intellectual property laws, and technology business incubation—helping them strengthen both their proposed solutions and their business plans.
The number of teams advancing to this stage was more than double the 37 teams that reached the cadetship phase during the Program’s second run in 2025, reflecting the growing interest among young Filipinos in innovation and entrepreneurship.
In addition to the top three winners, 11 teams received Silver Awards of Php 25,000 each, while 33 teams received Bronze Awards of Php 15,000 each. In all, 47 teams received a total of Php 995,000 cash prize to fund the development of their proposed solutions.
“What we witnessed at Pitch Day was the result of the participants’ hard work, learning, and mentorship received throughout the program. More importantly, it showed that when young people are given the right support and a platform for their ideas, they can develop solutions with real potential to address community and industry needs,” said QC LEDIPO Head Jay Gatmaitan.
Startup QC is an initiative of the Quezon City Government that aims to make entrepreneurship and innovation viable pathways for career and enterprise development.
Quezon City encourages student teams to continue refining their solutions and, once eligible, apply to the StartUp QC Professional Category, where early-stage and product-stage startups can access expert mentorship, networking opportunities, and potential equity-free funding of up to Php 1 million.
###
