MANILA, Philippines—29 March 2016—In a joint effort to discover and empower the next big innovation addressing mobility, Impact Hub Manila and LBC have chosen to support SkyEye, Inc. As the winning team of the Impact Hub Fellowship on Innovation in Mobility with LBC, they will receive a grand prize amounting to P750,000, which includes seed funding of P320,000. Apart from the cash prize, SkyEye will receive continued support and development with LBC and Impact Hub Manila for the next 9 months. They gain access to a collaborative workspace, valuable local and global network, focused mentoring, and continued skill development worth more than P430,000.
SkyEye, Inc. was started by a group of researchers and engineers gathering weather data and producing maps with UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle or drone) technology. They have since grown into a technically skilled enterprise dedicated to maximizing UAV technology in various applications. From comprehensive and cost-efficient land surveying, to deed titling, infrastructure planning and construction, to humanitarian response. It is their mission to provide clients with the optimized technology as well as the guidance to make better decisions about property, land, and developments.
The winning Fellow was among three teams that pitched their businesses to a panel of industry experts and investors led by Mr. Dino Araneta, LBC’s Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer.
Aside from SkyEye, two other companies entered the 3-month Cohort Phase of the Fellowship, and also participated in Impact Hub’s KICK Incubation Program. Food Planner, are a post-harvest food processing initiative taking food direct from the farmers to the market. They are pioneering the production of dehydrated food products. Wave are a ride-sharing, booking, and social platform that acts as an affordable alternative for daily commuters and urban professionals. The teams were exposed to esteemed mentors and gained access to a global network of innovators as well as the local start-up community.
“Our team was able to grow really fast over the last three months,” said Matthew Cua, co-founder of SkyEye, Inc. “As engineers, thinking about business models and thinking about sales is not a natural thing for us. The whole program enabled us to better communicate our value proposition and make it more compelling. We were able to make our tool sets as entrepreneurs even stronger and gain valuable insights from industry experts and other start-ups. Overall, we are a stronger company now.”
SkyEye, Inc. was chosen because of their innovative approach, combining hardware, software, and highly talented people to create services to benefit the customers and the country. “We believe their pioneering use of drone technology has a huge potential to bring positive change to the Philippines and abroad. Through further development, we anticipate a diverse range of solutions and applications in the subject of mobility,” said Dino Araneta. “Through the Fellowship, we’ve seen SkyEye’s improvements first-hand, taking them to a stage where their company is ready to scale. Together, we will be able to gain even innovative companies and minds in the mobility sector and was able to create partnerships with several of the more than 40 applicants.”
“All three teams went through an intensive 3-month cohort phase where we observed them in action; how they work, how quick they learn and adapt, and how they progress,” said LizAn Kuster, co-founder of Impact Hub Manila. “We look forward to hosting more Incubation and Innovation Programs with excellent partners such as LBC, who are driven by innovation, and actively support and incubate start-ups and social enterprises such as these.” LBC was instrumental in launching this very first Impact Hub Fellowship. The partnership between LBC and Impact Hub exceeded expectations, since all three teams took big steps in refining their business skills and preparing the next phase of their respective companies.
With their logistical experience and operational knowhow as the country’s chief courier service, LBC were at a pertinent vantage point to tackle issues of mobility and value chain management. LBC proves they are a company motivated by constant innovation, bent on empowering small to medium businesses.
Stay tuned, since we will launch more innovation, impact and incubation programs in the future.