Filipino start-up bags 2nd place in ITC SheTrades Hackathon

CAWIL.AI Solutions from the Philippines was awarded 2nd place out of 100 teams in the International Trade Centre (ITC) SheTrades Hackathon.

After a thorough screening, finalists from Egypt, Nigeria, the Philippines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) presented their innovative ideas to the judges during the Final Pitching and Award Ceremony held last March 21, 2022.

The jury was comprised of representatives from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Parcel Service (UPS), the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), the Groupe Spéciale Mobile Association (GSMA), and Dubai Industries and Exports.

“The SheTrades Hackathon has become the channel for CAWIL.AI to showcase our capabilities in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital transformation for everyone to be future-ready. The experience has boosted the go-to-market of CAWIL.AI which is in line with our business expansion. To date, I keep on receiving emails from overseas investors for future collaborations and investment opportunities and I look forward to taking advantage of this opportunity,” CAWIL.AI Solutions CEO Cherry Murillon said.

In July 2021, ITC and ITU launched the “ITC SheTrades Hackathon” which aims to leverage technology for sustainable development while keeping gender equality at the forefront. Participants from across the globe attempted to address how women entrepreneurs can use technology to speed up the transition to an inclusive and green economy.

Supported by the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry-Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), CAWIL.AI Solutions has been developing an online community platform that facilitates peer-to-peer learning for women in the Philippines. To enable them to continue developing its platform, CAWIL.AI Solutions was given the opportunity to take part in an international innovation camp as their reward.

CAWIL.AI is also part of the SheTrades Philippines Hub — a platform that seeks to strengthen the ability and competitiveness of Filipina entrepreneurs. This project was designed to decentralize ITC’s various in-country initiatives thru national partners such as DTI-EMB, Philippine Trade and Investment Centre (PTIC) – Geneva, and the DTI Regional Operations Group.

Nigeria’s Team Techiva Technologies who developed a revolutionary digital platform that allows users to purchase and sell excess renewable energy to people in rural areas, won the first place in the live virtual pitching — earning them a USD10,000 cash reward to support and further improve their idea.