The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), with funding support from the Government of Japan through the Japan-ASEAN Integrated Fund (JAIF), announced an acceleration program targeting aspiring startup founders and innovators across Southeast Asia: ASEAN Sparks.

ASEAN Sparks is a program designed to address climate and energy pressures by accelerating the growth of climate tech enterprises. The program empowers early-stage startups with the tools, expertise, and networks needed to scale while fostering a gender-inclusive environment that drives impactful clean energy solutions across the region.

Partnering with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), ASEAN Sparks is designed as a measurable and structured journey through three program phases: Ignite, Catalyze, and Elevate.

The ASEAN Sparks will start with the Ignite phase, which focuses on nurturing early-stage solutions and equipping the founders with the essential skills to scale their business ideas effectively. Most promising participants will then advance to the Catalyze phase, where startups receive targeted mentoring, market-readiness training, and strategic business development support.

The journey culminates in the Elevate phase, during which top-performing startups will pitch their refined solutions on the Grand Pitching Day at the 25th ASEAN Energy Business Forum (AEBF-25) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. These participants will then gain exposure to potential investors, corporate partners, and government stakeholders to explore funding, partnerships, and cross-border scaling opportunities.

Accelerating innovation to address climate challenges

In response to growing climate-related challenges across ASEAN, the program will center around six key energy pillars, which include Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Smart Grids, Energy Storage, Clean Mobility, and Other Climate & Energy Technologies.

“This program is aligned with APAEC (ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation), especially in increasing the role of private sector and financial institutions,” Dr. Zulfikar Yurnaid, acting manager of Energy Efficiency and Conservation (CEE) Department of the ASEAN Centre for Energy, said.

“By fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in clean energy, ASEAN Sparks directly supports the development and adoption of energy-efficient solutions across ASEAN.”

Beyond capacity-building, ASEAN Sparks also aims to strengthen the regional ecosystem by connecting diverse stakeholders — from experts and mentors to startups and policy makers — within a collaborative and inclusive environment.

To ensure consistency and alignment throughout the program, all participating experts will receive a certification tailored to the ASEAN Sparks framework. This step supports a shared understanding of the program’s methodology, tools, and impact goals — enabling experts to deliver guidance that is cohesive and high-impact across all stages.

Startups and solutions will be assessed on the technology and business readiness level which includes team credibility and commitment, product impact, as well as market potential and scalability.

The ASEAN Sparks is a dynamic and inclusive platform for energy innovators to synergize in advancing global climate goals, contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, and SDG 13: Climate Action. Throughout the program, participants will be accompanied by mentors and trainers to develop their solutions in various areas from technology, business, and impact.

Running from June to October 2025, the ASEAN Sparks program invites aspiring founders, researchers, and innovators to submit their applications for ASEAN Sparks: Ignite by May 22, 2025.

SparkUp is BusinessWorld’s multimedia brand created to inform, inspire, and empower the Philippine startups; micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs); and future business leaders. This section will be published every other Monday. For pitches and releases about startups, e-mail to bmbeltran@bworldonline.com (cc: abconoza@bworldonline.com). Materials sent become BW property.

Working with the European Union (EU), the Department of Trade and Industry’s Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (DTI-CITEM) will launch an initiative aiming to push for a more resilient Philippine food industry.

The Sustainability Solutions Exchange (SSX) Exhibition and Conference 2025, CITEM’s flagship initiative promoting sustainable practices and resources, will debut as a physical event on May 22-24 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

It will be located at the Sustainability Hall within the International Food Exhibition (IFEX) Philippines 2025, the country’s premier international food trade show. This move is set to underscore the country’s commitment to sustainability and circularity in the food industry.

The SSX exhibition will connect entrepreneurs with industry leaders and sustainable solutions providers, showcasing innovations in sustainable food production, packaging, and distribution. It will also feature business matching and pitching sessions to prompt collaborations among industry stakeholders.

The conference will run in parallel at the neighboring Pasay City headquarters of the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC). The PTTC Global SME Academy (PTTC-GMEA) is CITEM’s Training and Event Partner for SSX 2025.

Sessions will explore topics aligned with this year’s theme, “Green Innovations: Navigating Sustainability Solutions to Future-Proof the Food Industry.” Discussions will focus on building a circular food system, and tackle challenges and opportunities such as food security, social responsibility, packaging, and sustainable waste management.

The two-day conference will feature local and international experts, including EU Delegation Head of Cooperation Marco Gemmer.

The EU is supporting SSX as part of the EU-Philippine Green Economy Partnership under the Global Gateway — the European strategy for engaging with partners globally to promote investments around shared priorities. The partnership focuses on achieving sustainable and inclusive growth through policy dialogue, championing of local initiatives, investments and the creation of green and decent jobs.

Organized by CITEM, SSX launches with the objective of helping micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) transition to a circular economy. The event aims to boost entrepreneurs’ global competitiveness and promote adherence to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Interested innovators, policy makers, and advocates are encouraged to visit sustainability.ph now to access the program and register as a delegate to SSX 2025.

SparkUp is BusinessWorld’s multimedia brand created to inform, inspire, and empower the Philippine startups; micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs); and future business leaders. This section will be published every other Monday. For pitches and releases about startups, e-mail to bmbeltran@bworldonline.com (cc: abconoza@bworldonline.com). Materials sent become BW property.

Xinyx Design, one of Southeast Asia’s largest companies in microchip development, has launched what it calls the Philippines’ “first flexible learning platform,” focused entirely on integrated circuit (IC) design, a field at the core of modern electronics.

The platform, LABS by Xinyx, was officially unveiled on May 9 at Colegio de Muntinlupa (CDM). Designed for engineering students and professionals, the program aims to build local talent in IC design and microelectronics — critical components found in everything from smartphones and laptops to medical devices and electric vehicles.

The launch was attended by Muntinlupa City Mayor Ruffy Biazon, CDM President Dr. Teresita Fortuna, DTI-BoI Director Corieh Dichosa, TESDA Deputy Director-General Nelly Dillera, and representatives from the Private Sector Advisory Council, Asian Development Bank, and several academic institutions offering or planning to offer IC design programs.

LABS by Xinyx supplements the traditional BS Electronics Engineering curriculum and offers a new pathway for senior high school students, university students, STEM graduates, educators, and industry professionals to gain hands-on training, expert mentorship, and globally-aligned coursework in IC Design. Courses are delivered through flexible formats such as online, in-person, or hybrid to allow learners from various backgrounds to build real-world engineering skills tailored to current industry demands.

“LABS by Xinyx is the Philippines’ first premium, flexible platform focused on IC Design and Microelectronics. It’s designed to close the skills gap that limits the growth of our semiconductor industry,” Charade Avondo, president of Xinyx Design, said.

The platform aligns with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s 2024 directive prioritizing the development of the semiconductor and electronics sector. Despite growing global demand, a shortage of IC Design talent persists locally, partly due to outdated curricula and limited access to specialized training in higher education.

Ms. Avondo noted that this will build on the reputation of Filipino workers abroad. Multinationals in Europe and the US, she pointed out, already hold Filipino workers, including engineers, in esteem for their creativity, resilience, and innovation. “Filipino engineers are already trusted leaders in R&D teams abroad. It’s time we bring that level of innovation home,” she said.

IC Design is a vital yet often overlooked component of the global semiconductor value chain, creating and enabling innovations in AI, aerospace, healthcare, renewable energy, automotive tech, defense, and more. LABS by Xinyx sets to position the Philippines as a competitive player not just in electronics manufacturing but in design-led innovation by nurturing Filipino talent and steering young engineers towards this lucrative field.

SparkUp is BusinessWorld’s multimedia brand created to inform, inspire, and empower the Philippine startups; micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs); and future business leaders. This section will be published every other Monday. For pitches and releases about startups, e-mail to bmbeltran@bworldonline.com (cc: abconoza@bworldonline.com). Materials sent become BW property.

In partnership with Arizona State University (ASU), Mapúa is offering students a more interdisciplinary learning experience through courses that blend creativity, critical thinking, and technical skill.

Led by Prof. Corinne Romabiles, the initiative aims to equip future professionals with both analytical rigor and creative fluency, preparing them for a fast-changing world where storytelling, empathy, and culture are increasingly valued alongside strategy and execution.

The programs at Mapúa University E.T. Yuchengco School of Business, in collaboration with ASU, train students to develop agile, creative, and critical thinking skills to succeed in the rapidly changing tech-enabled business industry.

Prof. Romabiles noted this approach to business education is critical for students to develop a foundation that understands the importance of the arts and humanities. “I developed the art-science course to allow students who have probably not gotten so familiar with the humanities to know more about what the liberal arts is about,” she said.

As a business professor at Mapúa University E.T. Yuchengco School of Business, she teaches art-science thinking, or the meeting of art and science, to instill in her students the practice of combining both disciplines in crafting new ideas and innovations in their business strategies. 

Through art-science, Prof. Romabiles aims to expose business students to art history, art theory, and art criticism in ways that they could apply to business practice. The ability to think outside the box, read between the lines of literature, comprehend trends in the past, and examine art forms critically hones their innovative thinking and decision-making.

“Art-science reintroduces creative thinking and artistic thinking to students. In courses that are not so familiar with humanities, sometimes, there is so much emphasis on math, science, or history that they forget that there is an intellectual side to the art,” she said. “Art-science is art studies at the service of the hard sciences.”

The university will also apply similar principles with its Global Classroom, which provides students with access to globalized and internationalized learning sessions at ASU. This enables them to immerse themselves in a different culture and hone their soft skills, encouraging them to go beyond conventional thinking and widen their perspectives on business knowledge and strategies.

“The course uses arts to develop critical thinking, so business students have better decision-making skills, and they can sharpen their higher order thinking skills,” Prof. Romabiles explained. She shared that it is also equally important to teach art-science in other programs, like Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) courses.

In developing future business professionals, the Mapúa University’s E.T. Yuchengco School of Business collaboration with ASU trains students to find the balance between technical competence, and cultural and creative literacy. While financial models and statistical analysis will always be fundamental to business, the collaboration ensures that the value of the arts is never lost.

SparkUp is BusinessWorld’s multimedia brand created to inform, inspire, and empower the Philippine startups; micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs); and future business leaders. This section will be published every other Monday. For pitches and releases about startups, e-mail to bmbeltran@bworldonline.com (cc: abconoza@bworldonline.com). Materials sent become BW property.