The UPLB team bagged the Champion title at the Philippine Startup Challenge 9 Regional Pitching Competition for CALABARZON on October 21, 2024, at the Cultural Center of Lipa in Batangas. 

This year’s competition drew applications from 102 teams across the region, with only the Top 15 advancing to the regional pitching event.

The team called “konek.dev” is composed of students from the UPLB Institute of Computer Science (ICS)—John Robertson Despi, Kenneth Renz Tegrado, and Vincent Arellano. 

They developed Kara, a mobile application/website that uses artificial intelligence to answer legal concerns. 

The team aimed to provide a solution to the problem of Filipinos, especially young professionals who need to be more knowledgeable on legal matters. 

In addition to the Champion title, the team received the Best Pitch Presentation Award, standing out among the top teams from various universities and institutions. 

They will advance to the semifinals of the pitching competition, which will determine the top 10 finalists for the National Pitching Competition to be held in CALABARZON.

Konek.dev was mentored by the UPLB SIBOL Business Incubator, represented by Ms. Angel G. Mutia from the UPLB Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO).

They also previously won first place in the Hack4AProgress hackathon organized by the Department of Science and Technology CALABARZON.

The Philippine Startup Challenge is an annual competition organized by the Department of Information and Communications Technology that aims to inspire Filipinos to develop innovative ICT solutions that can address societal issues and become successful businesses. (Rainielle Kyle M. Guison, Angel G. Mutia, Cathrene P. Amante)