{"id":72112,"date":"2025-11-10T06:52:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T22:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/?p=72112"},"modified":"2025-10-29T12:56:51","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T04:56:51","slug":"innovation-drives-digital-progress-during-51st-philippine-business-conference-and-expo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/2025\/11\/10\/innovation-drives-digital-progress-during-51st-philippine-business-conference-and-expo\/","title":{"rendered":"Innovation drives digital progress during 51st Philippine Business Conference and Expo"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Byte Forward Hackathon 2025 concluded with an inspiring showcase of innovation and collaboration as young Filipino students competed in the Grand Finals held during the 51st Philippine Business Conference and Expo (PBC&E) at the SMX Convention Center.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Organized by Converge ICT Solutions Inc. and Rev21 Labs, under the auspices of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the nationwide hackathon brought together Filipino tech talent from across the country to develop digital solutions that address real-world business challenges. From 200 participants across 5 regional rounds, 15 finalists advanced to the national stage to showcase how Filipino creativity and technology can shape a smarter, more connected future.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn launching the Hackathon, we wanted to partner with the largest economic force in the country \u2014 our SMEs. They drive so much of our economy and we believe that once we connect these businesses to strong digital infrastructure, they\u2019ll have the power to ideate, build, and innovate. Over the last six months, through our partnership with PCCI, we\u2019ve seen this play out. We took real business challenges from SMEs across the country and gave them to students \u2014 and the ideas that came back were nothing short of inspiring,\u201d<\/span><\/i>\u00a0shared Rev 21 CEO Ron Puno.<\/span><\/p>\n

After intensive rounds of pitching and live demos,\u00a0 Team TECHMEHOW2DOUGIE from De La Salle University Manila emerged as the Grand Winner for their project\u00a0 Caya, an AI-powered inventory assistant that helps small business owners make smarter restocking decisions. When an item runs out of stock, Caya automatically evaluates its profitability, negotiates with suppliers and initiates restocking, or recommends reducing or discontinuing purchases — turning complex business data into clear, actionable insights for entrepreneurs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI would really encourage aspiring developers to join hackathons because you learn so much from the experience,\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i>said Christina Sijera, one of the members of the winning team. \u201cThere\u2019s no major risk if you don\u2019t win, but there\u2019s so much to gain\u2014opportunities, growth, and learning. Byte Forward stood out for its strong support system, access to tools, and valuable mentoring and networking opportunities.<\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t let fear get in the way,” added teammate Brendan Castillo. \u201cAnyone can think of a great idea, but it\u2019s easy to doubt if it\u2019s really doable or achievable in a short time. You\u2019ll never know until you try.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Second place went to Team\u00a0 K-MAS from the University of the Philippines \u2013 Mindanao, while Team CABUYAO from the University of Cabuyao placed third. Each team presented forward-thinking projects that demonstrated the vast potential of Filipino tech talent to create real impact through technology.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond the competition, the hackathon featured workshops, mentorship sessions, and networking opportunities designed to sharpen participants\u2019 skills and connect them with industry professionals. It also served as a platform for collaboration between students, tech experts, and business leaders to turn innovative ideas into impactful solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Byte Forward Hackathon reflects our belief that Filipino innovators have the creativity and drive to transform communities through technology. By supporting programs like this,\u00a0 we\u2019re helping bridge digital gaps and empowering the next generation to lead in the country\u2019s digital transformation,\u201d said Converge CEO and 51st PBC&E Chairman, Mr. Dennis Anthony Uy.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The event was supported by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, further solidifying the collaborative ecosystem driving digital innovation in the Philippines.<\/span><\/p>\n

Empowering young developers to build real solutions not only strengthens local businesses but also supports our shared goal of inclusive, technology-driven growth. This kind of collaboration is what truly moves the nation forward,\u201d added Consul Enunina V. Mangio, PCCI President.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The Byte Forward Hackathon is part of Converge SME Solutions\u2019 initiatives to strengthen the country\u2019s tech ecosystem by providing platforms that inspire innovation, encourage collaboration, and develop digital solutions aligned with the government\u2019s digitalization goals.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Team TECHMEHOW2DOUGIE from De La Salle University Manila emerged as the Grand Winner for their project\u00a0 Caya, an AI-powered inventory assistant that helps small business owners make smarter restocking decisions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":72113,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[4837,2323,96],"class_list":["post-72112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-headlines","tag-converge-ict-solutions","tag-hackathon","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72112","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=72112"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72114,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72112\/revisions\/72114"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}