Forty students from 10 universities and colleges showcased digital solutions to address small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) challenges during the Byte Forward Hackathon organized by Converge ICT Solutions Inc., the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
Participants came from Ateneo de Davao University, Western Mindanao State University, Caraga State University, University of the Philippines-Mindanao, and other schools. The hackathon, now on its fourth leg, is part of the lead-up activities to the 51st Philippine Business Conference and Expo (PBC&E) chaired by Converge CEO Dennis Anthony Uy.
“This platform gives our youth the space to innovate and shape the nation’s progress. By empowering them, we are building a future-ready Philippines,” said Ron Puno, CEO of Rev21 Labs, the innovation arm of Converge, whose executives also served as mentors during the hackathon.
Students pitched ideas across key areas, including logistics, agriculture, food service, and digital health records. Emerging as winners were:
- Team K-MAS (UP Mindanao) – developed TaraTruck, a freight exchange platform that matches MSME truckers with shipments to cut empty return trips.
- Team Codeez (Western Mindanao State University) – created HealthE, a secure, QR and PIN-based electronic health records system giving patients greater control of their data.
- Team Stuck Underflow (University of Southern Mindanao) – proposed Abtik Data Hub, a digital health records system that transforms paper charts into AI-powered insights.
The hackathon series has already been held in the NCR, Visayas, and Northern Luzon, with the Mindanao leg marking its latest run. The Southern Luzon round will follow in Bacoor, Cavite on September 29-30.
Regional champions will face off at the final tournament of the PBC&E on October 20-21 at the SMX Convention Center in Manila, where prizes of up to P500,000 are at stake.
