{"id":71200,"date":"2025-08-27T07:07:43","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T23:07:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/?p=71200"},"modified":"2025-08-18T17:11:28","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T09:11:28","slug":"young-innovators-build-future-ready-solutions-at-metro-manila-hackathon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/2025\/08\/27\/young-innovators-build-future-ready-solutions-at-metro-manila-hackathon\/","title":{"rendered":"Young innovators build future-ready solutions at Metro Manila hackathon"},"content":{"rendered":"

The future of Philippine business is getting a digital upgrade courtesy of the country\u2019s next generation of innovators. The Metro Manila leg of the Byte Forward Hackathon, held August 7-8 at Seda Vertis North in Quezon City, showcased how student-led ingenuity can solve pressing business challenges through technology.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Organized in collaboration with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and hosted by Converge SME Solutions and Rev21 Labs, the 24-hour hackathon brought together ten teams from top universities across the region. Each team tackled real-world problems sourced directly from PCCI members and Converge SME partners \u2014 ensuring the solutions were not only innovative, but also grounded in actual operational needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cHackathons like this are more than just competitions\u2014they are launchpads for the country\u2019s future innovators,\u201d said Ron Puno, CEO of Rev21 Labs Inc. \u201cBy giving young talents real business challenges to solve, we\u2019re not only testing their skills, we\u2019re unlocking fresh perspectives and bold ideas that can transform how enterprises operate. The creativity and drive we saw here prove that investing in the next generation is an investment in the nation\u2019s digital future.\u201d<\/p>\n

After an intense round of designing, prototyping, and live pitching to a panel of judges from PCCI, Converge, and Rev21 Labs, three standout teams emerged victorious:
\n\u25cf 1st Place, De La Salle University (DLSU): A voice-powered mobile app that delivers sales and inventory insights, creates smart suggestions like pricing and bundling, AI-powered Q&A, and an auto-ordering feature.
\n\u25cf 2nd Place, Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP): A voice-command sales and stock logging solution with an analytics dashboard, designed for micro and small businesses, including live sellers.
\n\u25cf 3rd Place, Asian Institute of Management (AIM): A web portal that provides MSMEs with pricing assistance based on competitor data, using optical character recognition (OCR) and data clustering.<\/p>\n

The winners received cash prizes of \u20b150,000, \u20b130,000, and \u20b120,000, respectively, with the 1st and 2nd place teams also earning 12 months of free internet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe learned how important teamwork is\u2014trusting each other\u2019s ideas, dividing roles, and making the most of AI tools,\u201d shared one participant. \u201cOur output isn\u2019t perfect, but that\u2019s the beauty of it\u2014it has room to grow. What matters is that we were able to integrate AI in a way that makes a real impact, and we believe it has the potential to help businesses in the real world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Present in the awarding is Butch Guerrero, co-chair of Philippine Business Conference & Expo and PCCI Director for Labor and Services. He said, \u201cThe NCR Hackathon was not just an event\u2014it was a celebration of the brilliance, creativity, and determination of the youth of tomorrow. We witnessed students from some of our top universities come together to tackle real-world challenges with tech-driven solutions that reflect both heart and innovation.”<\/p>\n

This milestone would not have been possible without the unwavering support of Converge, whose commitment to digital empowerment inspires us all, and our trusted partner Rev 21, whose energy and vision helped bring this initiative to life. Together, we are building a platform where ideas flourish, talents are discovered, and future leaders are born. The NCR Hackathon proves that the Filipino youth are not just ready for the future\u2014they are already shaping it,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Consul Enunina V. Mangio, President of PCCI, commended the participants for their innovative spirit and alignment with local priorities. \u201cThis hackathon proves that when we empower young minds with real business challenges, they rise to the occasion with creativity and purpose,\u201d said Consul Enunina V. Mangio, President of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry. \u201cIt also reflects PCCI\u2019s advocacy to harness innovation and technology in strengthening MSMEs and bridging the digital gap, so every sector can actively participate in the country\u2019s economic growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

The journey continues at the 51st Philippine Business Conference and Expo on October 21-22, 2025 at the SMX Convention Center, Manila. There, breakthrough ideas from across the country will converge for the final tournament and grand awarding of the Byte Forward Hackathon\u2019s national champion \u2014 all under this year\u2019s theme, \u201cThe Future Is Now: Unleash the Power of Digital Transformation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 24-hour hackathon brought together ten teams from top universities across the region. Each team tackled real-world problems sourced directly from PCCI members and Converge SME partners \u2014 ensuring the solutions were not only innovative, but also grounded in actual operational needs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":71201,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[7749,4837,2323,7750],"class_list":["post-71200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-headlines","tag-byte-forward-hackathon","tag-converge-ict-solutions","tag-hackathon","tag-philippine-chamber-of-commerce-and-industry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71200"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71202,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71200\/revisions\/71202"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}