2 PH start-up teams win global awards

MANILA, Philippines – Two Philippine start-up teams won international awards in Beijing, China, for projects that help achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN).

Start-up teams Arooga Health and Phinix bagged two of the five 2018 Asia-Pacific Youth SDG Innovative Awards in Beijing on Thursday, August 2. 

The SDGs aim to end poverty, safeguard the planet, and ensure world peace. 

In line with the SDGs, Arooga Health seeks to match individuals with trusted health care providers for their emotional and mental wellness. Phinix, on the other hand, aims to be a pioneer textile recycling center in the Philippines.

“It’s always been an honor to represent the country,” said Pamela Nicole Mejia of Phinix.

“What I would really love for the country to do is help creative enterprises and small enterprises access to funding and to scale our businesses. It’s unfortunate that other countries give us support even if we bring honor to our own country,” she added.

Grand champion #HackSociety team LawKo also qualified to join the competition in China but was unable to push through given a prior engagement. 

The 3 start-ups have gone a long way since winning HackSociety, the Youth Co:Lab qualifiers competition in the Philippines. In December, AroogaHealth won MaGIC Malaysia’s Pre-Accelerator Bootcamp. In March, Phinix also won the UN Environment Asia-Pacific’s Low Carbon Business Challenge. – Rappler.com