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| (Image Source: De La Salle Lipa) |
Reinforcing its commitment to future-ready education, De La Salle Lipa (DLSL) successfully staged the Nexus Innovation Summit 2026. Spearheaded by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Internationalization (OVCRII) through the NEXUS Innovation Labs and Intellectual Property Office, the summit served as a dynamic arena where student-led concepts evolved into purpose-driven solutions for real-world challenges.
The event brought together student incubatees, startup founders, academic leaders, and ecosystem experts. Through pitching sessions, an interactive exhibit showcase, mentoring tracks, and fireside discussions, participants demonstrated how emerging technology can be strategically harnessed to uplift local communities. In her welcome remarks, OVCRII Vice Chancellor Dr. Sheila Maloles emphasized that the program was designed to nurture every promising spark presented by the student teams. She underscored the importance of creating a campus ecosystem where creativity, mentorship, and perseverance can flourish, allowing young minds to seamlessly transform raw concepts into viable enterprises. Meanwhile, Chancellor Dr. Teodosia Merlin Suarez inspired the cohort with a message centered on ideation, teamwork, and community. She encouraged the students to anchor their designs in service and compassion, reminding them that the ultimate value of ingenuity lies not in trophies, but in its capacity to transform human lives. The summit featured a captivating Fireside Chat facilitated by award-winning Lasallian innovator and SALt Co-Founder Engr. Aisa Mijeno-Labastilla. She was joined by a distinguished panel of industry experts including former IdeaSpace Executive Director Diane Dugan-Eustaquio, AIM–Dado Banatao Incubator Executive Director Prim Paypon, DOST-TAPI Chief Science Research Specialist Caezar Angelito E. Arceo, Jeremake Founder and Make-roscope inventor Engr. Jeremy De Leon, and DLSL Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Internationalization Dr. Sheila Maloles. The panel exchanged high-value insights on resilience, ecosystem building, and the evolving Philippine startup landscape, underscoring the critical role of academe-government-industry synergy in sustaining impact-driven ventures.
A major highlight of the event was the graduation of the pioneer batch of incubatees under the NEXUS Incubation Program, honoring their year-long journey of workshops, prototyping challenges, and enterprise development. Mentors, fabrication partners, and judges were also recognized for their invaluable contributions to the cohort's growth. The summit culminated in a high-stakes pitching competition where student startups were evaluated on technical feasibility, market potential, scalability, and communication effectiveness. Special awards were conferred to recognize outstanding strengths among the teams.
• Disruptive Innovation Award: Team PoCoch
• Sustainability Award: CoNote
• Investor’s Choice Award: DrowsiGuard
• Technopreneurial Spirit Award: Aquavolt
• Ecosystem Builder Award: Eubeem
• Storytelling Excellence Award: Braillsense
• Technology Spotlight Award: WasteRain
For the final podium placements, Wastore emerged as the 3rd Runner-up, FitFighter secured the 2nd Runner-up title, and BrailleSense claimed the 1st Runner-up distinction while DrowsiGuard was crowned the overall Grand Champion for exemplifying exceptional market execution and entrepreneurial potential. In the closing address, Vice Chancellor for Academics Dr. Tessie Palma lauded the summit as a celebration of collaboration and courage. Characterizing the event as a launchpad rather than a finish line, she challenged the student creators to continue refining their ideas, embracing lifelong learning, and pursuing entrepreneurship with relentless purpose.
(With words by Cristina Alfarita Larombi, De La Salle Lipa)
