Mindanao’s Innovation Takes Center Stage: Waste4Good Technologies Crowned Champion at Inaugural Mindanao TECH PLANTER 2025 Demo Day!

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – A new chapter in Mindanao's innovation journey began last Saturday, July 19, as the first-ever Mindanao TECH PLANTER Demo Day 2025 concluded with resounding success in Davao City. This pioneering event showcased the region's most brilliant minds and their deep tech innovations, leaving a lasting impression on attendees and the startup community alike. This landmark occasion firmly established Mindanao as an emerging hub for technological advancement and groundbreaking solutions.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our partners: Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation (Philippines), Focus Systems Corporation (Japan), Alphaswift Industries Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia), ARQCapital Partners (Philippines), Aster Co., Ltd. (Japan), Department of Science and Technology Region 11 (Philippines), Department of Trade and Industry Region 11 (Philippines), Wela School Systems (Philippines), UPGRADE Innolab Inc. (Philippines), with IDEAS Davao as the Co-Organizer, and the Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute as the Strategic Partner. Their invaluable support made this event possible, and their commitment to fostering innovation in Mindanao has been instrumental in the success of the first-ever Mindanao TECH PLANTER.

The 1st Mindanao TECH PLANTER kicked off with opening remarks from Engr. Ronezza Delos Santos, Director of Leave a Nest Philippines, and Ms. Joanna Marie Cua, Project Leader for Mindanao TECH PLANTER. Both speakers emphasized the critical role of deep technology in addressing regional challenges and fostering a vibrant startup ecosystem in Mindanao.

 

Engr. Ronezza Delos Santos (Director of Leave a Nest Philippines) shares about the deep tech ecosystem and inspires the next generation of untapped potential in issue-driven and science-based solutions

Ms. Mai Cua (Project Leader of Mindanao TECH PLANTER 2025) shares her story as a homegrown Mindanaoan and how Leave a Nest Group hopes to hone deep tech innovators here in Mindanao through this new TECH PLANTER program.

 

John Vincent Fiel (Co-Founder and CEO, Wela School Systems) inspire the participants as one of the early successful Mindanaoan alumnus from TECH PLANTER in the Philippines program.	Partners all over the Philippines and abroad have utilized this program to support up and coming startups. (Photo showing ARQCapital’s initiatives and programs)

 

Prior to all the pitch presentations, Mr. John Vincent Fiel, Co-Founder and CEO of Mindanao-based startup Wela School Systems and a TECH PLANTER Program alumnus, delivered the keynote speech. He shared his journey and achievements as an inspiration for aspiring deep technology startups across the country. His experience and the success story of Wela School Systems serve as a testament to the potential of local teams to make a global impact when fueled by passion and supported by initiatives like TECH PLANTER.

 

Mr. Koichiro Watabe (Associate Director – R&D and QA, Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation), Mr Ryo Inori (Business Creation Department, Focus Systems Corporation) along with other judges clarified the teams’ startup vision, technology, business models, and offering their insights and suggestions to all finalist teams
Representative pitchers of all finalist teams go head to head during their Pitching Session! (Top and bottom: Capilli Trading Inc. and Mustard Industrial Sales Corp.)	Lightning Talk pitchers maximized their pitching time to share about their team’s goals, technologies, and collaboration points. (Top and bottom: Team AIDA and Team Chlomet)

 

From a pool of exceptional 8 finalists and 4 lightning talk speakers, the following teams emerged victorious:

Waste4Good Technologies was crowned the Grand Winner of the first Mindanao TECH PLANTER 2025 for their innovative solutions to pressing agricultural challenges. Their winning concept, “AI-driven solutions for agricultural waste and farm management,” directly tackles issues like imprecise farming techniques and environmental degradation in the sector.

Waste4Good presented two core solutions: an enhanced Compost Activator Solution (eCAS) and an Artificial Intelligence-Driven Farm Management Module (AID-FMM). The eCAS stands out due to its unique formulation, which helps reduce agricultural waste. Meanwhile, the AID-FMM is unique for its comprehensive approach to managing farm operations, offering a holistic solution to farmers.

Find the other program highlights and awardees below:

The 1st Mindanao TECH PLANTER Demo Day 2025 Awardees

GRAND WINNER: Waste4Good Technologies (Website)

Award Inclusions: PHP 30,000.00 Cash Prize

Technology Theme: Offers AI-driven solutions to improve farming and reduce agricultural waste. Their unique approach combines an enhanced Compost Activator Solution (eCAS) for efficient waste transformation with an Artificial Intelligence-Driven Farm Management Module (AID-FMM) for comprehensive farm optimization.

 

Leave a Nest Award: FiberForms Creatives

Award Inclusions: Invitation to HIC Philippines 2025 (Flight and 3D2N Accommodation in NCR)

Technology Theme: Develops “Cacaban Leather,” a plant-based bioleather made from agricultural byproducts like cacao pods, calamondin peels, and dried banana leaves. This multi-source approach creates a sustainable and biodegradable alternative that addresses the environmental and ethical concerns of traditional and synthetic leather.

 

Ajinomoto Philippines Award: Capilli Trading Inc. (Website)

Award Inclusions: PHP 20,000.00 Cash Prize

Technology Theme: Turning human hair waste into a valuable resource by upcycling it into felted mats and booms. These 100% sanitized products offer a more sustainable and 25% cheaper solution for effectively cleaning up oil and chemical spills, providing a superior alternative to synthetic materials.

 

Focus Systems Award: Pic-A-Talk (Website)

Award Inclusions: PHP 30,000.00 Cash Prize

Technology Theme: Pic-A-Talk empowers children with speech disorders to communicate effectively by providing an offline-accessible mobile app that uses image boards. This unique solution stands out by being affordable, requiring no internet, and specifically catering to non-English speaking users, unlike many existing expensive and online-dependent AAC tools.

 

Alphaswift Award: Shiftech Marine

Award Inclusions: 3 Months of Mentoring

Technology Theme: Shiftech Marine provides fisherfolk with “Powertubes,” sustainable and affordable marine-grade battery packs designed to replace bulky, frequently recharged lead-acid car batteries. These lightweight, long-lasting power solutions can be solar-charged, offering a unique and reliable energy source for their boats.

 

The Mindanao TECH PLANTER program was also attended by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) scholars from Region 11 and 12, who are part of the Scholar’s Technopreneurship Training Program (STTP) of DOST-SEI with Leave a Nest Philippines as the training provider. Beyond observing and asking questions during the poster session, their enthusiastic cheers and unwavering support brought a lively and encouraging atmosphere to the Mindanaoan innovators, making it a less nerve-wracking and more dynamic experience for all involved.

 

Judges share their final messages to all the Mindanao TECH PLANTER 2025 teams and audience. (Top left to bottom right: Engr. Ronezza Delos Santos (Leave a Nest Philippines), Mr. Val Anthony Cimafranca (UPGRADE Innolab, Inc.), Mr. Romeo V. Castañaga (Department of Trade and Industry Region 11) and Dr. Shanthanu Menon (Aster Co., Ltd.)
Almost 200 participating scholars of the Scholars Technopreneurship Training Program (STTP) of the Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute during the Mindanao TECH PLANTER and its Poster Session (above)

 

Ready to be the next Filipino Deep Tech Champion?

This inaugural Mindanao TECH PLANTER Demo Day 2025 marks just the beginning of a vibrant innovation journey for the region. We are incredibly excited by the talent and ingenuity showcased and are committed to nurturing this growing ecosystem! For those who are interested to join the next cohort and implementation of Mindanao TECH PLANTER as a Finalist, please accomplish the quick  Mindanao TECH PLANTER Interest Check form (https://techplanter.lne.st/PH-InterestCheck). 

As we look forward to continuing this vital initiative, we invite passionate organizations and individuals to partner with us in empowering Mindanao's deep tech startups. For collaboration opportunities, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at: [email protected]

For more details related to all the Finalist and Lightning Talk teams who pitched during the event and all the Judges who participated in the program, you may check out this related news articles:

https://global.lne.st/news/ph/2025/07/11/mintp2025-finalists/

https://global.lne.st/news/ph/2025/07/16/mintp202525-partnersjudges/