Shell Pilipinas Corporation champions local innovation through Shell LiveWire, its flagship enterprise development programme aimed at empowering startups and local enterprises in the Philippines.
The programme has recently announced the top three innovative business ventures that will be mentored to refine their business ideas further and will get a chance to win up to 1 million pesos in cash.
Shell LiveWire finalists
The program recently announced the top three tech startups to enter the final stage, carefully selected for innovative solutions in agriculture, energy efficiency, and sustainability.
The list includes Agridom, which introduces drone-powered precision framing tools to improve agricultural efficiency and sustainability for smallholder farmers in the Philippines; Greentech Ecobooster, a fuel optimisation device that can enhance combustion engine performance while lowering fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions; and Pili AdheSeal Inc., a green tech company transforming agricultural waste into sustainable adhesive and sealant products.
Under the programme's acceleration phase, the startups are not only receiving financial support for team and product development, but also expert mentorship and guidance to help them refine their businesses.
To further scale their startups, the winning team will receive PHP 1,000,000.00 in equity-free cash, while the runners-up will each receive PHP 500,000. The winners will be announced in September.
Growing startup ecosystem
A report by Startup Blink noted that the country’s startup ecosystem ranks 6th in Southeast Asia, with 515 startups.
“The Philippines’ startup ecosystem is anchored by robust sectors such as Fintech, E-commerce, Healthtech, Edtech, and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). This diversification is propelled by a large digital consumer base and increasing regional demand,” the report stated.
However, according to the same report, several factors limit the ecosystem's growth, including a lack of infrastructure and slow regulatory support.
