TECH PLANTER in the Philippines 2025: Empowered at 9 with Partnerships for Deep Tech Impact!

GLOBAL PARTNERS

CO-ORGANIZERS

University of Santo Tomas
(through TOMASInno Center)

Yev was born and raised in Iloilo City, Philippines. He graduated with a degree in BS Chemistry from the University of the Philippines – Visayas, after which he worked as an instructor at the University of the Philippines – Manila. He came to Japan in 2013 to pursue graduate studies where he acquired his Masters in Health Life Sciences and PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences. In 2020, he joined Leave a Nest Co., Ltd. and is currently under the Human Development Division, and is part of the Kansai/Osaka office, as well as the Group Creation Division. He is also a Balik Scientist Awardee for 2020~2021, and is a co-founder and the Managing Director  for Leave a Nest’s Philippine office, their newest subsidiary.

Atty. Flores was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1999. He obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science in 1994 and a Bachelor’s Degree in Law in 1998, both from the University of the Philippines. He is heavily into litigation and corporate law practice as well as intellectual property law. He has successfully litigated cases involving construction disputes before the Construction Industry Arbitration Commission; intra-corporate disputes under the Interim Rules of Intra-Corporate Controversies; and proceedings before the regular courts involving injunctive relief, property, and family law. He has developed expertise in projects involving power, ecological solid waste management, and real estate development. He is the Corporate Secretary of various companies and industry associations including the Philippine Travel Agencies Association Inc. and the Filipinas Copyright Licensing Society.

Dara is the Head of PLDT Innovations Lab and Ecosystem Partnerships or Innolab, focused on co-creating and co-innovating breakthrough solutions with innovators. Dara inculcates a culture of innovation in PLDT Group by designing and organizing open innovation activities such as MVP Geek Olympics (an MVP group-wide hackathon) and PLDT & Smart Startup Innovation Challenge to create a sustainable collaborative environment. She manages PLDT’s co-working laboratory in Makati where solutions testing, prototyping and client POCs happen. She acts as an advocate to drive collaboration and community initiatives and execute a roll-out strategy for potential business opportunities with startups in PLDT Enterprise. She is also an alumna of Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Professional Fellow for Economic Empowerment.

Engr. Mark Joshua Halili, a registered electronics engineer from Mapúa University, is dedicated to supporting scientists, researchers, and startups in navigating early-stage commercialization. As Program Manager for SPRINT and FASTRAC at DOST PCIEERD, he provides hands-on guidance in customer discovery, problem-solution fit, and product-market alignment. His work empowers innovators to transform research into impactful ventures, helping shape a stronger science and technology-driven entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Philippines.

Atty. Tony Roman is a provincial legislator, lawyer, and policy innovator behind the Bataan Startup Ecosystem and Sandbox Ordinance, advancing deep-tech experimentation and grassroots innovation. With legal experience in both the U.S. and the Philippines, he merges public service with forward-thinking governance.

An award-winning civic leader, Atty. Roman offers free legal advice through social media and has been recognized for his educational content and public service, including the 2024 Philippine Vloggers Award and 2022 Gawad Filipino award. He is a graduate of Columbia and Ateneo Law, with further studies at Harvard Kennedy School and the University of Cambridge. In the just concluded national elections, he was elected Congressman of the First District of Bataan.

Ms. Libunao is a BS Food Technology graduate of University of Santo Tomas. Currently, leading the R&D department of Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation. Her technical experiences of more than 20 years widely grew from Sensory Technologist, Product Developer, Technical Sales, Lab, People and Project Management covering functional ingredients, powdered beverages, blended seasonings: flavor, menu, liquid among others.

Ryo Inori joined Focus Systems Corporation in 2015. He is responsible for the sales of information security products such as data encryption for the financial industry, as well as content security products such as copyright protection for still and moving digital data. He has been promoting information security products such as data encryption for the financial industry, as well as content security products such as copyright protection for digital data of still and moving images. He is also engaged in the promotion of services in the manufacturing and medical industries. Currently, in parallel with his product sales activities, he is also working with startup companies and university research laboratories.

Dr. Shuichiro Takahashi received a Ph.D. in Life Science from the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences at the University of Tokyo. He is a founding member of Leave a Nest and has been building a foundation for R&D projects as the core of Knowledge Manufacturing. He has initiated unique business models such as the “LNest Grant” which is a research grant system with private corporate partners, and has led numerous projects involving industry, academia, and the education sector. He has been the Representative Director and COO since 2010. He is also involved in investment in seed stage deep-tech startups as a Representative Director of Leave a Nest Capital. In addition, he is supporting a Japanese expansion project of a venture company from the Philippines.

Daiki Kumamoto is the Executive Director of UntroD Capital Asia Pte. Ltd., where he leads investment and growth strategies focused on deep-tech ventures solving pressing societal and environmental issues. He also heads the UNTROD Global Fund, driving investments across Southeast Asia with a strong focus on science-based innovations. He has led strategic investments in startups addressing healthcare, sustainability, and frontier technologies. He currently serves as a director of aba, a company developing excretion detection sensors for elderly care, and has played a key role in backing ventures such as NDR Medical, Austrianova, Karana, and ceEntek, among others in the region.

Prior to joining UNTROD in 2018, Daiki served as President of AIESEC in Japan, the largest youth-run nonprofit in the country, where he spearheaded initiatives to empower young entrepreneurs and leaders through international exchanges and partnerships.