Davao Region’s DOST Scholar-Entrepreneurs Shine Bright — Inokatech Emerges as STTP Region 11 Demo Day Grand Winner
Davao City, Philippines – After five months of running, Leave a Nest is proud to announce the conclusion of the Scholars Technopreneurship Training Program (STTP) Region 11! The program culminated through the STTP Region 11 Demo Day held at The Ritz Hotel at Garden Oases, Davao City last September 22, 2025.
The STTP is an initiative by the Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) together with the DOST Region 11 Office, and with Leave a Nest Philippines, Inc as its training provider. The project is designed to equip the DOST scholars with the Question, Passion, Mission and Innovation (QPMI) framework, a Japanese-style research and business mindset where it encourages them to develop scientific innovations based on their passion to address social issues. Through a comprehensive curriculum of workshops, mentorship, and expert guidance, the program empowers scholars to transform these innovations into successful commercial ventures.
The STTP Region 11 Demo Day served as the culminating event where teams showcased their technologies before a distinguished panel of judges representing government, academia, industry, and the startup ecosystem from the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan.
Celebrating Innovation: Awards and Recognitions
The Demo Day highlighted the exceptional talent and creativity of young innovators from across Region 11. The following awards were presented to outstanding teams for their exemplary performance and innovation:
MAJOR AWARDS
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GRAND WINNER |
| Awardee: Team Inokatech |
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| 1ST RUNNER-UP Monetary Prize Worth ₱30,000 from DOST-SEI and Chance to apply for Local Grant-In-Aid (GIA) Funding up to 1 Million Pesos from DOST Region 11 |
| Awardee: Team Ecotech Solutions |
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| 2ND RUNNER-UP Monetary Prize Worth ₱20,000 from DOST-SEI and Chance to apply for Local Grant-In-Aid (GIA) Funding up to 1 Million Pesos from DOST Region 11 |
| Awardee: Team Trichomend |
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MAIN AWARDS
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BEST POSTER AWARDS |
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Awardee: Team Alertnet, Team Oleocycle, and Team Trisol |
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| PATH TO EXCELLENCE AWARD From Leave a Nest Philippines, Inc. Invitation to present at the Hyper Interdisciplinary Conference in the Philippines 2025 (Flight & 3D2N accommodation worth ₱20,000) |
| Awardee: Team Ecotech Solutions |
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| FLORES & OFRIN AWARD From the Law Office of Flores and Ofrin Free legal assistance for trademark registration |
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| Awardee: Team UMatter, Team Qpeed, and Team Inokatech | ||
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| QUEST VENTURES AWARD From Quest Ventures Two (2) Personalized One-On-One Mentoring Sessions |
| Awardee: Team Qpeed |
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| SF GROUP AWARD From SF Group of Companies Inc. Six (6) Months of Mentoring, Six (6) Months Incubation Award & Integration to Value Chain for One Year |
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| Awardees: Team Trichomend, Team LuntiAni, and Team GrainByte Technologies | ||
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| SDEC AWARD From Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation Two (2) complimentary conference tickets to IDECS2025 with 1 complimentary exhibition booth at StartUp Village in Kuching, Malaysia this 22-23rd October 2025 (including flight and accommodations) |
| Awardee: Team GrainByte Technologies |
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| KISUI AWARD From Kisui Co. Ltd Expert Consultation Mentorship Session/s (Up to Multiple Session) |
| Awardee: Team Trichomend |
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| LOUKEN GROUP AWARD From Louken Group Pte. Ltd. Venture-Model Workshop (Worth ₱250,000) |
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| Awardee: Team Ecotech Solutions and Team Trichomend | |
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| LOUKEN GROUP AWARD From Louken Group Pte. Ltd. ₱10,000 Cash Prize |
| Awardee: Team GrainByte Technologies |
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| KNOWLEDGE BRIDGING AWARD From Leave a Nest Philippines, Inc. Connection to relevant stakeholders in the Leave a Nest Network |
| Awardee: Team Edukada |
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SPECIAL AWARDS
| ADDVENTURES ASCEND INCUBATION AWARD From Ateneo de Davao – ADDVentures Innovation Center Six (6) Months Incubation Award under the ASCEND Incubation Program |
| Awardee: Team TERRA |
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| AGRI-AQUA TBI AWARD From Agri-Aqua Technology Business Incubator (ATBI) Six (6) Months Expert Mentoring Mentoring Services |
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| Awardees: Team LuntiAni and Team Trichomend | |
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USEP AGILAB TBI AWARD |
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Awardee: Team GrainByte Technologies and Team Inokatech |
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BUGSAI LAWIG AWARD |
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Awardees: Team Ecotech Solutions, Team Oleocycle, and Team UMatter |
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WADHWANI AWARD |
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On behalf of the Leave a Nest Group, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to the DOST–SEI and DOST Region 11 for entrusting us with the service to provide scholars in the Davao Region with the necessary training and experience to bring their innovation to society.
We would also like to extend our sincere appreciation, on behalf of all the organizers, to all our Local and Global Main Judges from the Department of Science and Technology Region 11, Law Office of Flores and Ofrin, Quest Ventures, SF Group of Companies Inc., eMobi.Co., Ltd., Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation, Kisui Co. Ltd., and Louken Group Pte. Ltd. for their generosity in time, effort, resources, and expertise in supporting the scholars and helping them advance their innovative ideas.
It is with great pleasure to also have Poster Judges from several Region 11-based Technology Business Incubators (TBIs) and startup enablers: Ateneo de Davao – ADDVentures Innovation Center, Agri-Aqua Technology Business Incubator (ATBI), University of Southeastern Philippines – AGILab Innovation Hub (TBI), Davao del Norte State College – BUGSAI TBI (Blue Economy Underpinning Global Sustainability through Adaptive Innovations), Wadhwani Foundation for offering their effort and facilities to our homegrown young entrepreneurs and leaders from Region 11.
Moving Forward
The Region 11 Demo Day not only celebrated the creativity and hard work of DOST scholars but also reinforced the value of collaboration between academia, industry, and government. As these next generations of startups take the next steps in developing their technologies, the program continues to serve as a springboard for inclusive, sustainable, and innovation-driven growth for Mindanao and the nation.
Stay tuned for updates and highlights as STTP Region 11 continues to empower scholars to ideate, innovate, and incubate toward building a better future for the Philippines.