DAVAO CITY – The Davao City-based private technology business incubator Upgrade Innolab, Inc. was hailed as the Outstanding Private Business Incubator during the Davao Startup Champion Awards on September 17, 2023, at the Sotogrande Davao Hotel, Davao City, in the culmination of the recent Davao Startup Week 2023 celebration.
Upgrade Innolab president Richard R. Day expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the recognition of their team efforts for the development of the startup ecosystem of the Davao Region. “This is our first great win and a significant milestone for Upgrade Innolab, Inc. And we could have not done all of this without the support of the communities who joined us in our calls to advocate for the startup ecosystem in the Davao Region,” he said.
Other awardees include the University of the Philippines Mindanao Technology Business Incubator (UP Min TBI) for the Outstanding Higher Education Institution (HEI)-based Incubator Award, Local Government of Davao del Norte for Outstanding Startup Champion in the Local Government Unit Award, and Mugna Technologies Inc. for both the Outstanding Startup Champion in the Private Sector Award and Startup of the Year.
Davao Startup Champion Awards honors institutions instrumental in the progress and creation of an enabling environment for the startups and enterprises in the Davao Region with their initiatives, efforts, time, and resources.
The awarding of startup champions was spearheaded by the Department of Trade and Industry in Davao Region (DTI Davao Region), the Department of Science and Technology Davao Region (DOST Davao), the Department of Information and Communications Technology (ICT Davao Region), Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Davao Region, and ICT Davao. The Davao Startup Week was created to bring together entrepreneurs, investors, students, and changemakers in the City of Davao. It aims to create a collaborative community to provide access to multiple opportunities and support to startup endeavors in the Davao Region through a series of events and activities. This is an excellent opportunity to network with other entrepreneurs who are passionate about their businesses.
This year’s celebration is anchored on the theme, “Empowering communities, nurturing inclusive and sustainable digital transformation” emphasizing the role of startups, entrepreneurs, and technology in achieving and ensuring a sustainable future.
It was organized by the amazing community partners behind the Innovation and Development Accelerators Consortium for Startups in Davao Region (IDEAS Davao), the consortium of startup enablers in the region, a project funded by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD).
IDEAS Davao is a project established in 2022 under the Regional Startup Enablers for Ecosystem Development (ReSEED) Program, an initiative of the DOST-PCIEERD that aims to strengthen the startup ecosystem in the regions by establishing and formalizing a Regional Startup Ecosystem Consortium, developing a regional startup development plan, engaging with more mentors to upskill startups, and partnering with the regional development council.
