DTI, P&G join hands to scale up PH startups

Procter & Gamble (P&G) Philippines, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and startup support organization QBO Innovation have partnered to scale up a program aimed at addressing challenges in supply chain management, retail execution and digital commerce.

In a statement on Wednesday, the DTI said more than 60 startups responded to a nationwide call to participate in the vGROW Program, P&G’s open innovation platform that helps startups overcome business challenges.

A select group of startups presented scalable solutions to senior P&G leaders from both the Philippines and Asia Pacific.

QBO Innovation carefully selected these startups based on their potential to resolve specific business challenges and their readiness for integration into business operations.

“We are excited to explore innovative solutions that will enable P&G and our brands to better serve Filipino consumers, our stakeholders and the society,” P&G Philippines President and general manager Agraj Sharma said.

“We look forward to collaborating with innovative Filipino startups to address real business challenges and create opportunities with P&G Philippines, our business partners and P&G regionally,” said Shivangi Jain, senior director and P&G Asia Pacific head of purchases.

The initiative will focus on supply chain, retail and selling, activations and digital systems in this year’s edition.

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“It allows startups to bring a new way of thinking to solve real business issues. P&G has led the way in shepherding startups into the corporate arena,” according to Rene Meily, president of IdeaSpace Foundation and QBO Innovation.

DTI-Bureau of Policy Research and Innovation OIC-assistant director Karl Lyndon Pacolor said the program represented a “significant step” toward attaining the goal of “linking startup entrepreneurs with meaningful value chains catalyzing expansion and growth and fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in the country.”

“This is a manifestation of the Innovative Startup Act at work—enterprise leadership, startup agility, and policy alignment driving an inclusive and resilient economy,” Pacolor added.