Announcing the Nine (9) Finalists for the 2nd Implementation of – Mindanao TECH PLANTER, 2026

With technologies spanning various fields and domains, and teams coming from the different regions in Mindanao, Leave a Nest Philippines is excited to announce the list of finalist teams invited to present at the upcoming Mindanao TECH PLANTER 2026 Demo Day. 

The Mindanao TECH PLANTER 2026 Demo Day will be held on September 26, 2026 (Saturday) at the OLP Hall, University of the Immaculate Conception (UIC) – Bajada Campus in Davao City. Aimed to strengthen the region’s deep-tech ecosystem, the platform aims to bring together the 9 finalist teams alongside local and global judges and partners to showcase their deep-tech innovations and explore opportunities for collaboration.

Building on its inaugural implementation, the program continues to support technologies born from the unique challenges and opportunities within Mindanao. This year’s finalists will follow in the footsteps of GreenVisionsPh (or Waste4Good), the previous Mindanao TECH PLANTER Grand Winner, as they present their technologies and seek new collaborations that can help bring their solutions from Mindanao to wider markets and communities. As a closed-door event, attendance will be limited to official team members, judges, partners, and invited guests.

For this year’s implementation, the finalist teams were selected after careful deliberation and consideration, especially on how the teams use science-based technologies to solve deep social issues. Each team aims to address different societal issues by bringing new ideas and innovations to the growing startup ecosystem of the country.

Mindanao TECH PLANTER 2026 Finalists

The following are the nine (9) Finalists who will be presenting their technologies in a 7-minute pitch presentation, followed by a 5-minute Q&A with panel of esteemed judges, where each team will have a chance to receive the Leave a Nest Grand Winner award and other company awards.

TEAM	THEME
	AlgaTrop | From BARMM, AlgaTrop transforms locally farmed tropical seaweed into high-value crop biostimulants, addressing raw commodity underutilization while supporting climate-resilient agriculture, coastal livelihoods, and localized agri-input production.
	Aqua Terra Innovators | From Region XI (Davao Region), Aqua Terra Innovators aims to improve safe water access through deployable clean water systems while developing sustainable Fusarium wilt solutions, supporting disaster resilience and agricultural productivity.
	Lesstics Inc. | From Region X (Northern Mindanao), Lesstics Inc. converts coconut husk waste into ASTM-tested eco-friendly construction boards through Earth Board, offering a sustainable alternative to timber-based materials while reducing agricultural waste and deforestation pressure.
	AIMHI | From Region XI (Davao Region), AIMHI develops an AI-powered construction management platform that turns fragmented project data into actionable insights on cost, productivity, risk, schedules, materials, manpower, equipment, and field execution.
	DSense | From Region X (Northern Mindanao), DSense uses geospatial intelligence, remote sensing, and field-based indicators to identify suitable mangrove restoration sites, helping LGUs and communities improve planting success and evidence-based coastal protection.
	Trailsafe AI | From Region XI (Davao Region), Trailsafe AI develops offline search-and-rescue navigation tools that guide both missing persons and rescue teams in remote areas where signal, communication, and infrastructure are unavailable.
	BlackGold Corporation | From Region XIII (Caraga), BlackGold Corporation transforms undervalued black rice into nutritious functional NutriBars through a farm-to-bar model, empowering local farmers, promoting sustainable agriculture, and showcasing Philippine biodiversity.
	Flavours of Bukidnon | From Region X (Northern Mindanao), Flavours of Bukidnon transforms local fruits and herbs into non-dairy water kefir products, creating value-added functional beverages while supporting Bukidnon’s agricultural resources and local food innovation.
	I-Farm | From Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN), I-Farm cultivates superworms to produce protein-rich food, animal feed, and organic fertilizer, addressing affordable nutrition, alternative protein needs, and rising costs of feed and farm inputs.

All Finalist teams shall be taking part in preparation sessions with mentors from Leave a Nest Philippines in order to refine their pitch presentations and communication strategies that will be employed throughout the demonstration day. Through this, teams will be able to properly convey to potential investors and collaborators more about the issues they are facing and the solutions they propose to employ.

We once again extend our sincere congratulations to all the finalist teams who will be presenting at the Mindanao TECH PLANTER 2026 Demo Day, and to express our appreciation to all participants for sharing their innovative ideas, technologies, and research throughout the selection process. Through forming connections and opportunities for collaboration fostered by the program, TECH PLANTER continues to advance its mission of strengthening and expanding the deep-tech startup ecosystem in the Philippines.

Join Us in Developing the Innovation Ecosystem

As we prepare for the Mindanao TECH PLANTER 2026 Demo Day, we remain open to welcoming organizations and institutions interested in collaborating with us for this initiative. Through meaningful partnerships, we aim to create greater opportunities for our finalists, researchers, and innovators to connect with key stakeholders and further strengthen the innovation ecosystem and advancement of deep-tech innovation in Mindanao and across the Philippines.

For more information about Mindanao TECH PLANTER 2026, and to stay updated with the latest details, you can visit https://techplanter.lne.st/philippines/mindanao2026/ for the overview of the event.