Ateneo student startup overall champion in national tech startup competition organized by QBO Innovation Hub

Students from Ateneo de Manila University won the top prize as the “Most Outstanding Startup” in QBO Philippines’ annual BOOTQAMP held virtually on 11 February 2022 in partnership with the Philippines’ Department of Trade & Industry, Australian Aid, and Investing in Women.

Ateneo’s team, called Murch, comprises BS Information Technology Entrepreneurship seniors Arvin Martin Santos, Frances Therese Ong, Mary Pauline Baterna, and Ma. Ysabel Aurora Poe. They were also the only students to participate in the competition.

Photo courtesy of QBO Philippines

Murch is a marketplace startup that supports communities (e.g., student and youth organizations) in their fundraising efforts by providing a platform to buy and sell merchandise (with integrated digital payment options and logistical services).

BOOTQAMP is QBO Innovation's Hub annual program designed for aspiring tech entrepreneurs in the country. For this year’s iteration, QBO partnered with Australian Aid and Investing in Women for Startup Pinay BOOTQAMP as an initiative designed to support founders developing exciting women-led and woman-focused solutions. It is a three-month bootcamp on validating business ideas and gaining early traction for women in #WomenInTech and #PinayTechSheroes. Qualifying startups undergo a series of learning sessions focused on validating and launching a scalable business venture.

In the final SHOWQASE, the startup teams gave a five-minute presentation to a panel of judges, followed by a 10-minute question-and-answer portion. The panel of judges included Ideaspace’s Executive Director Katrina Chan, Investing in Women’s Senior Manager of Impact Investing Marie Torres, Nas Academy’s Country Head Jacqueline Maye Lim, and Villgro’s Head of Venture Support and Partnerships Katherine Khoo.

Murch bested other teams in the cohort EcoVendi, Happy Wellness, & StreamCamp, as well as other startups that did not move forward to the final round.

They will receive a cash prize of Php 30,000 to help propel their startup forward and scale further while the team is still completing university.

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QBO Philippines is a public-private partnership led by the IdeaSpace Foundation and supported by JP Morgan Foundation, the Philippine Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). They aim to develop, grow, and scale a competitive startup ecosystem in the Philippines. They provide an avenue for collaboration and innovation with the vision of helping Filipino startups change the world.