A new startup is born in Davao. A team of young entrepreneurs and problem-solvers took home the top prize after besting other contenders in the 3-day TechStar Startup Weekend that concluded last August 14 in Davao City.
The winning startup idea came from Autocare, an “all-in-one car management and car service locator app.” Autocare provides a user-friendly map that allows users to locate the nearest car repair shop and the lowest gas prices within the immediate vicinity.
AutoCare is comprised of a group of product designers and architects namely Vonrie Viscayno, Vincent Binobo, Franz Vilela, Zian Callao, Gab Jacinto, Mark Sijera, and Patrick Castro. Their innovative idea will be rewarded with a P200,000 incubation package from UPGRADE TBI – UP Mindanao and $10,000 AWS Credits. They will also receive other perks and prizes from Google for Startups, Miro, and GoDaddy.
TechStar Startup Weekend is part of a series of startup events in different parts of the globe, bringing together entrepreneurs with the goal of creating startups in just 54 hours. The Davao leg kicked off on August 12, spearheaded by Innovation and Development Accelerators Consortium for Startups (IDEAS) Region XI.
The event is co-presented by Poplar Homes, a US property tech company with a large base in Davao City hosting their operations, marketing, and engineering teams. As a startup itself, Poplar was one of the first in the city to give our local talents the opportunity to experience the startup environment.
Serving as one of the judges in Startup Weekend was Keenan Ugarte, Poplar’s Director of M&A, who underscored the value of events like this, especially for young innovators and entrepreneurs in the region.
‘’Startup Weekend gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to connect with other like-minded people, and this network effect is what helps the startup ecosystem thrive. It is important for entrepreneurs to not only create products and services but to utilize network effects to bridge them to the right audience. This is important to all entrepreneurs,’’ said Ugarte.
‘’I believe that Startup Weekend is the beginning of something bigger for the city of Davao. We’ve seen this in Manila and we are now seeing it in Cebu. It’s only a matter of time before Davao catches up to the rest of the market,’’ added Ugarte.
Startup Weekend is a refreshing and exciting opportunity for budding innovators and entrepreneurs to launch their groundbreaking business ideas that provide solutions to real-life problems. With tech events like this starting to gain a foothold in Davao, we look forward to the growth of the startup community and the tech community in the region.
