FyrLab Accelerator

STARTUP ILOILO MILESTONE: ILOILO CITY STARTUP ORDINANCE APPROVED 🚀

After an active push from startup founders and enablers, the Iloilo City LEDIP Office, and the Office of Councilor Rudolph Jeffrey Ganzon, the Sangguniang Panlungsod has PASSED on second and final reading the "Iloilo City Comprehensive Technology-based Startup Development and Incentives Ordinance of 2026" today.

Key policy provisions for qualified startups:
* business permit discounts for up to 5 years
* priority in startup enablement initiatives (with a PHP 3M budget)
* intros to potential investors, partners, or buyers
* establishment of an "innovation hub" for aspiring founders

This ordinance—authored by Councilor Ganzon—effectively repeals the similar ordinance previously approved in 2023.

Mayor Raisa Treñas has also expressly supported the passage of this ordinance that will strengthen Iloilo City's position as a national and global startup hub.

Padayon kita!

🧠🔬🚀🔥

An Ilonggo chemistry student from West Visayas State University (WVSU) led his biotechnology startup to a podium finish at a major national competition for student-led scientific innovation.

Sheenlou Eian M. Bartolome, a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry student from WVSU's College of Arts and Sciences, guided CARBNØ Biotech to the First Runner-Up title in the College Category of DisruptorX 2026 on May 25, 2026, at Limketkai Luxe Hotel in Cagayan de Oro City.

DisruptorX is organized by Serial Disruptors in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Oro Trade and Investment Promotion Center (OROTIPC).

The competition gathered promising student entrepreneurs, startup founders, researchers, and innovators from across the Philippines.

Out of 305 applicants nationwide, CARBNØ Biotech advanced through a rigorous selection process to become one of the Top 10 National Finalists before securing a podium placement at the National Demo Day.

For Bartolome, the recognition carries weight beyond the competition itself.

"It demonstrates that student-led scientific innovations from Western Visayas can compete on a national stage and contribute meaningful solutions to global environmental challenges," he said.

CARBNØ Biotech, which Bartolome founded, is committed to developing marine-derived and bioengineered materials into multifunctional biopolymer systems capable of replacing conventional plastic-based alternatives.

The startup is currently developing what it describes as the world's first bioactive intelligent marine-derived biodegradable straw—a next-generation biomaterial platform.

Bartolome argues that sustainability innovation must move beyond simple plastic substitution.

"Today, a biodegradable straw alone is no longer innovation—it is the baseline. The future lies in intelligent biomaterials capable of delivering additional environmental and functional value while remaining sustainable throughout their lifecycle," he explained.

CARBNØ Biotech's research aligns with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including those focused on clean water and sanitation, decent work and economic growth, responsible consumption and production, and the conservation of marine ecosystems.

The startup's long-term vision is to pioneer intelligent marine biomaterials that redefine sustainability through biotechnology, materials science, and regenerative innovation.

Bartolome said he hopes the achievement will inspire more young Filipinos, particularly students in the sciences, to pursue research-driven innovation and contribute to solving the country's most pressing environmental challenges.

Insights from the Iloilo Startup Community - particularly those who attended FyrFest Iloilo in December last year - contributed to the completion of the undergraduate architecture thesis project "AXON: Hedonistic Sustainability Design for Iloilo Startup Innovation Hub."

The University of San Agustin's College of Technology - Department of Architecture recognized this thesis project as the BEST (1st Place) among their batch this year.

The research team, which comprises FyrLab / Youth First Initiative Philippines, Inc. interns in their senior year in college, says THANK YOU to everyone who helped! 🔥🚀

This comes at a time when there's rising interest among enablers in providing more "innovation spaces" to accommodate founders - from Iloilo and beyond - who are building the next big thing.

Economic, policy, budget, and investment promotions leaders from select local government units under the Iloilo Provincial Government will gather in a forum that will, among others, map the innovation ecosystem in their municipalities and districts, and equip them on how to craft their respective localized startup ordinances.

We now have an ordinance that enables innovative ventures in Iloilo Province. It's time to work to make Ilonggos to feel its benefits.

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FyrLab Accelerator by Youth First Initiative Philippines, Inc., by affiliation with UMWAD Western Visayas, is a startup-enabler sector representative in the Iloilo Province Startup Development Committee, the multi-sector unit implementing the ordinance.

Iloilo Province has the 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆. Now it needs the 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚.

Provincial Ordinance No. 2025-332 (Iloilo Startup Development Ordinance) is in place. The Iloilo Province Startup Development Committee, or IPSDC, exists to carry it forward.

And on May 28, 2026, LGUs from across the province will take the first formal step toward making it felt on the ground.

⭐ "𝗜𝘀𝘂𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗹𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗼: 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗚𝗨𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝘁𝘀”
🚀 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟴, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 • 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗹, 𝗜𝗹𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗼 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆

📌 Follow this page for updates on this event Iloilo’s provincial startup ecosystem.

Designing for families navigating special needs care means designing for people who are already carrying a lot.

B Academy’s User Acceptance Test (UAT) for the THRIBO apps put their screening and assessment apps through a rigorous, empathy-driven feedback session with user proxies who evaluated them not just for functionality, but for cognitive accessibility.

The test was structured around a specific question: does this app reduce mental effort, or create it? Testers examined everything from how clearly instructions were written, to whether the app’s flow supported users who may struggle with focus, memory, and emotional regulation. Visual noise, error recovery, navigation logic, and aesthetic professionalism were all on the table.

For a platform designed to guide families through assessment, evaluation, and specialist matching, those details are the product. A confusing screen, a punishing error message, or a cluttered layout—any minor friction point for most users can be a real barrier for the people THRIBO is built to serve.

That standard shaped every part of how this session was run, and every part of how B Academy will build from here.

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🔥 FyrLab Accelerator, backed by DOST Western Visayas, brings together strategic startup support players in the region's startup and innovation ecosystem. We believe Filipino founders deserve inspiration and the tools to build businesses that last.

Technical mentorship allows founders to ensure their product is ready for deployment to first users.

For The B Academy PH Studios, preparation happened during FyrLab Cohort 3's Product Development Office Hours, where THRIBO, their screening and assessment apps for families of people with special needs, was put through a structured mentor review.

UI, UX, and infrastructure were examined together with one goal in mind: getting the product to a state where real users could engage with it meaningfully and safely.

The sessions were a direct precursor to the apps’ User Acceptance Testing, or UAT, where user proxies evaluated THRIBO against cognitive accessibility standards on behalf of the families it's designed to serve.

For a platform guiding caregivers through assessment, evaluation, and specialist matching, being “functional” isn't the finish line.

Every screen, every flow, and every interaction has to hold up under the real conditions of its users, and the groundwork for that was laid here.

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🔥 FyrLab Accelerator, backed by DOST Western Visayas, brings together strategic startup support players in the region's startup and innovation ecosystem. We believe Filipino founders deserve inspiration and the tools to build businesses that last.

In early-stage product development, what you don't know can cost more than what you do.

Our Product Development Office Hours brought MyTutor and DigiHwy the kind of bespoke, architecture-level mentorship that most startups don't get until something breaks.

Each team's current build was examined on its own terms against the specific demands of their stage, their users, and their next major milestone.

The output of the session: a clear, sequenced path forward grounded in what each product actually needs right now.

Structured mentorship at the right moment improves a product and protects the entire venture.

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🔥 FyrLab Accelerator, backed by DOST Western Visayas, brings together strategic startup support players in the region's startup and innovation ecosystem. We believe Filipino founders deserve inspiration and the tools to build businesses that last.

Never do marketing unless you know and understand who you’re talking to (i.e. your customers).

FyrLab Cohort 3's Marketing & Sales Office Hours with DigiHwy, B Academy, and MyTutor pushed past surface-level marketing conversations and into the harder questions:

✅ Who exactly are you talking to?
✅ What do you want them to feel?
✅ Does your messaging actually reflect that?

They may have different products and distinct audiences, but they were all led to actionable steps that can address their one consistent challenge: turning scattered effort into a focused, coherent approach.

When the foundation is right, everything built on top of it gets easier.

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🔥 FyrLab Accelerator, backed by DOST Western Visayas, brings together strategic startup support players in the region's startup and innovation ecosystem. We believe Filipino founders deserve inspiration and the tools to build businesses that last.

Having a growth plan and having the right growth plan are two very different things.

That distinction was at the heart of FyrLab Cohort 3's Marketing & Sales Office Hours with Astral Visions and Algacon (JUAN ALGAE-Algal Paste).

Both teams came in with activity: content posted, outreach attempted, pipelines started. What the session surfaced was the gap between doing things and doing the right things in the right order.

The coaching went straight to strategy: what’s actually driving growth, what’s getting in the way, and what needs to change before the next move makes sense.

Honest conversations are hard. They're also the ones that move the needle.

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🔥 FyrLab Accelerator, backed by DOST Western Visayas, brings together strategic startup support players in the region's startup and innovation ecosystem. We believe Filipino founders deserve inspiration and the tools to build businesses that last.

Three startups. Three very different businesses. One session that didn’t let any of them off easy.

FyrLab Cohort 3’s Business Development Office Hours with DigiHwy, MyTutor, and B Academy delivered the kind of coaching that reorients how founders think and what they do next.

Government deals, school-facing edtech, and a care ecosystem for families: each team came in with their own set of assumptions, and each left with those assumptions pressure-tested. The advice was frank, the action plans were specific, and the direction was clear.

This is what it looks like when acceleration goes beyond the pitch deck.

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🔥 FyrLab Accelerator, backed by DOST Western Visayas, brings together strategic startup support players in the region's startup and innovation ecosystem. We believe Filipino founders deserve inspiration and the tools to build businesses that last.