Promoting SCP in ASEAN countries
ECOTHON in the Philippines 2023
Participants in the online group training
HSF
Following the success of Ecothon in Lao PDR, the second competition of Ecothon 2023 series was held in the Philippines by the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) and the ASEM SMEs Eco-Innovation Center (ASEIC) with the support of the Department of Trade and Industry and Brainsparks Inc. The competition commenced with an online training course specifically designed for participants in Ecothon in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, the majority of whom was in the prototyping stage of their businesses. The 2-day training course covered a broad spectrum of essential areas of impact entrepreneurship such as ESG, SDGs, business model development, business strategy and plan, impact investment, branding strategies. Furthermore, the shortlisted teams were also equipped with IR pitching skills in order to prepare for the Demo Day.
Participants in the offline Demo Day in Makati City
HSF
After the training course, each of the 15 shortlisted teams of Ecothon in the Philippines had opportunities to join 1:1 mentoring and coaching sessions with international and local experts which were designed to support them to develop their business plans, pitching decks and pitching skills. Based on the teams’ assignments submitted within the framework of the online training course and their attendance in the mentoring and coaching sessions, 11 teams with great determination to tackle both social and environmental problems not only in the Philippines but also in the region were selected to the Demo Day on 30th August in Makati City where they pitched their polished-up business development strategies to international and local experts, start-ups accelerators and investors.
First prize winner of Ecothon in the Philippines 2023
HSF
Sikai convincingly won first prize of Ecothon in the Philippines 2023 with the fantastic solution for reforestation using drone and seedball technology. Second prize went to Session Groceries who developed an app to promote a sustainable lifestyle and support local agribusiness by connecting local farmers and consumers. The third prize was awarded to Insiklo Ph who produced biodegradable plastics from biowaste. Together with winners of Ecothon in Lao PDR, winners form the Philippines were given a precious chance to join and pitch their sustainable business ideas at the Global Startup Festival COMEUP 2023 which is scheduled from 8th to 10th November in Seoul.