BioCoat-Z Emerges as the Grand Winner of TECH PLAN Demo Day in the Philippines 2023

MANILA, Philippines – On the 13th of May 2023, TECH PLAN Demo Day in the Philippines 2023 built new bridges between researchers and tech developers to industry leaders and investment firms. Its joyous spirit and cheers reverberated throughout the hallowed halls of the Ateneo de Manila University, where nine (9) finalists and six (6) lightning talk teams pitched their technologies that aim to solve the deep and urgent issues that we face today. Each of the teams delivered their impassioned presentations in front of an esteemed panel of judges hailing from Leave a Nest Philippines, Inc., Focus Systems Corporation, RTHD Singapore Pte. Ltd., EBARA Corporation, Euglena Co., Ltd., PLDT Inc., the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD), Nomura Research Institute, IdeaSpace Foundation, Inc., and Beavrr. 

All of the presentations were cogent in each of their vision of a future made better by their passion for science, resonating throughout the a crowd of inquisitive individuals. Out of all the finalists, one particular team captured the curiosity and trust of the judges. After careful deliberation, BioCoat-Z emerged as the Grand Winner of TECH PLAN Demo Day in the Philippines 2023. BioCoat-Z's vision is to boost cacao production through the use of Philippine natural zeolite to combat insect pests. With the team's collective expertise in particle film technology, they have developed a cheap and easy-to-use product that replaces sleeving and pesticide application.

The Leave a Nest Team extends our utmost gratitude to all the judges for their valuable feedback and sage advice that have surely aided all the finalists in further developing their technologies and ventures. Moreover, we deeply appreciate the administrators and officers of Ateneo Intellectual Property Office for partnering with us in ushering new technologies to break out and create impact through programs such as the TECH PLAN Demo Day in the Philippines 2023.

TECH PLAN Demo Day in the Philippines 2023 has created  We see that these bonds will remain steadfast as all the shared visions from each potential collaboration hold powerful ideas.

SUMMARY OF TECH PLAN DEMO DAY IN THE PHILIPPINES 2022 AWARDEES

1. GRAND WINNER: BioCoat-Z

Technology Theme: Nanoclay particle film for cacao pods

Award Inclusions: PHP 50,000.00 Cash Prize and an Invitation to present at the TECH PLANTER ASEAN Final 2023

Reason: The product is cheap, simple to use, and easy to deploy. The impact of the product is high because there are a lot of cacao farmers in the Philippines. Also, zeolite is an abundant resource in the Philippines.

2. LEAVE A NEST AWARD: EnviSense

Technology Theme: Customizable groundwater monitoring system

Award Inclusions: Invitation to present at the TECH PLANTER Asia Final 2023

Reason: EnviSense can be connected to Leave a Nest's vast array of partners dealing with water, and the TECH PLANTER Asia Final is a great avenue for them to pitch their technology.

3. FOCUS SYSTEMS AWARD: EnviSense

Technology Theme: Customizable groundwater monitoring system

Award Inclusions: PHP 30,000.00 Cash Prize

Reason: Their monitoring system can be used outside of the Philippines and has potential for development, as other countries have the same issue.

4. REAL TECH HOLDINGS SINGAPORE AWARD: MakilingTek®, Inc.

Technology Theme: Nanoformulated macronutrient fertilizer

Award Inclusions: PHP 30,000.00 Cash Prize

Reason: The technology is unique and has a huge impact in agriculture, which is an important sector in the Philippines.

5. PLDT ENTERPRISE AWARD: ARES

Technology Theme: Nanoformulated macronutrient fertilizer

Award Inclusions: Six (6) months use of Innolab Space for showcase and co-development

Reason: ARES' vision is in line with PLDT's thrust of providing smart IoT solutions to communities, and their technology can be integrated to telecommunication solutions.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS AND PARTICIPANTS!

We sincerely hope that the technologies being developed by these passionate researchers and venture teams will be able to find their way to solve issues in the society soon.

The TECH PLANTER ASEAN Season still continues, and the next country will be INDONESIA on May 20, 2023! Watch out for the next announcements!

For any inquiries about TECH PLANTER in the Philippines 2023, please contact [email protected] or Ludhovik Luiz Madrid ([email protected]).