The Mindanao-based forestry startup Galansiyang composed of Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) alumni has bagged the Philippines’ first-ever major awards in the United States Department of State’s Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) Virtual Catalyst Pitch Competition.
Team Galansiyang represented the Asia-Pacific region and won first place in two categories at the GIST global finals.
The Filipino startup was named this year’s winner of the People’s Choice and Spirit of GIST awards after besting over 250 applications from participants around the globe.
Galansiyang competed against four contenders from Uganda, Colombia, Egypt, and Turkey in the final rounds of the contest which gave science and technology entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop innovative solutions through virtual pitching.
Team Galansiyang is composed MSU-IIT alumni Jay Arneil Gajudo, Joshua Fernandez, Maynard Costanilla, Jiko Colita, Engineer Dreamer Lamberte, and Engineer Harold Cuerbo,
Galansiyang is a forestry support services startup that aims to help the mining industry speed up the process of mine rehabilitation by providing them with drone and IoT technology to automate forestry, including aerial seeding for reforestation and forest monitoring.
“This is a great opportunity for us, as the Philippines right now is navigating a very challenging recovery from the pandemic, but also is essential as we renew our supply chain for raw materials and to our island as we fight rapid deforestation,” Jay Arneil Gajudo of Galansiyang Inc. told the organizers of the U.S. state competition held on November 9, 2021.
“So you’re not helping us, but are helping the people who are doing their job with blood, sweat and tears… to the communities we represent, the marginalized indigenous people we work with… this is an enormous help.”
Galansiyang is also a global nominee in the NASA Space Apps Challenge for the development of their LANTAWA App, which empowers communities, mining industries, and the government against environmental injustices by just automating forestry.
MSU-IIT’s FAB LAB Mindanao and iDEYA supported the alumni innovators by mentoring them on the sustainability plans of their product, as well as assisting them in their presentation and pitching skills during the competition.
A recent collaboration between MSU-IIT and DOST resulted in the development of plant-based packing material.
The Philippines’ Mobility over Air Quality Index (World MAQI) won the Global Best Use of Technology Award in the all-virtual Earth Observation (EO) Dashboard Hackathon of the United States space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Four Filipino startup companies have landed on Forbes Asia’s inaugural “100 to Watch” list while Manila was named among the Top 30 cities in Asia for startups in this year’s Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER).
SEND CONGRATULATIONS in the comments below to the Mindanao-based forestry startup Galansiyang for bagging the Philippines’ first-ever major awards in the U.S. Department of State’s Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) Virtual Catalyst Pitch Competition.
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