11 tech start-ups qualify for Shell’s acceleration program

TO help strengthen entrepreneurship in the country, Shell Pilipinas Corp. (SPC) has chosen 11 companies qualified to its flagship enterprise development project for this year where they will receive mentorship, training and financial support. Shell LiveWIRE is a program aimed at helping businesses identify their core strengths and build a system that can bolster their capacity to scale, improve their products, expand their market, and generate sustainable streams of revenue.

“In these uncertain times, the significance of platforms like Shell LiveWIRE cannot be overstated. They act as catalysts for progress, fostering connections, driving innovation, and empowering local enterprises to navigate challenges and thrive in an ever-changing world,” SPC Vice President for Corporate Relations Serge Bernal said.

This year, Shell LiveWIRE received 219 applications, of which 141 are technology start-ups, and 78 are community enterprises. The selection process was done by a panel of judges comprised of Shell leaders, Department of Trade and Industry representatives, and venture capitalist experts in industry and market requirements. Three of the 11 shortlisted candidates are early stage tech businesses with focus on innovation, energy solutions, value chain integration, and economic diversification. They are LITHOS Manufacturing OPC, a company focused on adding value to the local minerals for industrial, agricultural, aquaculture, and environmental applications; Lycan, an integrator of smart technologies into two-wheeled electric vehicles; and Farmvocacy Inc., a social climate fintech start-up that supports climate-smart rice farming, environment-friendly, and high-yielding planting systems.

The six community-driven enterprises, on the other hand, are Samahang Mangingisda ng Dalupaon, a group of fishermen that entered into an agricultural enterprise related to fish processing; Tagbilaran Young Workers Association, a producer of bags and other souvenir items with upcycled plastic waste; PHILIA Variety Store, a direct market conduit for smallholder community farmers of coffee, cacao, coconut and other agricultural products; DLR Foods Supply Trading, a firm that provides ready-to-eat meals in retort pouches that are halal certified; Odicon Small Coconut Farmers’ Organization, an agri-enterprise that specializes in the sustainable processing of coconut byproducts; and AgriVINO Enterprises, a poultry business that provides egg incubation service to the community, reducing travel costs for fellow growers. The two other businesses that made it to the Shell Sponsor’s A-List are Forent, a homegrown Philippines’ peer-to-peer car-sharing platform provider that allows auto owners to rent out their vehicles to anyone in need of transportation; and USHER Technologies or the Universal Structural Health Evaluation and Recording System, a firm that offers equipment that monitors and analyze the structural health of buildings.

All of these will get a chance to pitch their ideas and win funding needed for their business growths. At stake are P1 million for tech start-ups and P100,000 for community enterprises, which will be awarded in the culminating event later this year.

On top of these, all participants get a chance to be a part of the Shell Value Chain as suppliers or vendors in the company’s ecosystem. Roderick L. Abad