Filipino Startups Tackle Sustainability Challenges at Iloilo‘s HIC 2025
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Iloilo City, Philippines – A wave of innovation swept thru Iloilo Science and Technology University on September 12, 2025, as the Hyper Interdisciplinary Conference (HIC) 2025 Iloilo Forum brought together researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs focused on building a sustainable future for the Visayas region and beyond. The event, organized by Leave a Nest, centered around the theme “Knowledge Manufacturing: The Intersection of Research Horizons in Visayas,” and highlighted the region’s strengths in marine science, agriculture, natural resources, gastronomy, and medicine.
The DOST-Central Philippine University CPUGAD Technology Business Incubator (TBI) played a pivotal role in the conference, showcasing promising startups and co-hosting the impactful Ignition Session alongside innovation enterprise RenDewTech.
“this hyper interdisciplinary conference is for everyone to communicate, collaborate, and learn with each other, and create solutions for Iloilo, Visayas, and the world,” explained Dr. Yevgeny Aster Dulla, Managing Director of Leave a Nest Philippines, underscoring the collaborative spirit of the event.
Local Startups Shine at Research Splash
The conference provided a platform for emerging businesses incubated by DOST-CPU CPUGAD TBI to present their groundbreaking work during the “Research Splash” presentations. Featured startups included:
* HEX Technology: Maverick rico presented GROWT, an innovative IoT platform designed to optimize greenhouse operations for increased sustainability and efficiency.
* PharmaPack (PackUp): Dominique Villoga showcased pharmapack, a solution focused on developing sustainable packaging for the pharmaceutical industry.
* Dappli: Jesse Jot Auman introduced a mobile application that leverages technology to generate culturally relevant and smart food recommendations.
Igniting Sustainable Gastronomy Solutions
The highlight of HIC 2025 was the Ignition Session, co-hosted by DOST-CPU CPUGAD TBI and RenDewTech, led by CEO Renjo Debil. The session focused on “Sustainable Gastronomy: Technology for Food,Culture,and Tourism in Western Visayas,” challenging innovators to collaborate and develop solutions at the intersection of these vital sectors.
This workshop-hackathon style challenge saw teams working to co-create impactful, interdisciplinary solutions, demonstrating the power of collaborative innovation to address regional challenges. The results of the Ignition Session, and the three finalist teams, will be reported on shortly.
The HIC 2025 Iloilo Forum underscores the growing momentum of the startup ecosystem in the Philippines and its potential to drive sustainable growth across the Visayas region.
Keywords: Philippines, Iloilo, Startup, Innovation, Sustainability, Technology, Gastronomy, DOST, CPU, Leave a Nest, HIC2025, Technology Business Incubator, IoT, Sustainable Packaging, Food Tech.
