Converge ICT Solutions Inc., in partnership with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), is rolling out a nationwide 24-hour hackathon series dubbed Byte Forward, designed to deliver innovative tech solutions to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across the country.
The initiative will be held alongside PCCI’s regional business conferences in North Luzon, Visayas, National Capital Region, Mindanao, and South Luzon and will culminate at the 51st Philippine Business Conference and Expo set for October 20 to 22, 2025 at the SMX Convention Center in Manila.
“We want to maximize the use of technology in every area where business owners stand to benefit. In the hackathon, we will not just concentrate on solving real-life problems of business owners but crucially, we will tap students that have the technological know-how to solve these problems and put them in the same room,” said Converge CEO Dennis Anthony Uy, who also chairs this year’s Philippine Business Conference and Exhibition (PBC&E).
Converge and PCCI’s local chambers, composed mostly of MSMEs, will define key business challenges based on actual pain points encountered by enterprises. Ten student teams, composed of third- and fourth-year college students from host regions, will be tasked to develop viable tech-driven solutions within a 24-hour coding sprint.
“The hackathon is certainly a welcome move for MSMEs, particularly as it will come up with viable and practical technology solutions that meet their needs and can help them move up the value chain. We are happy that Converge, through the efforts of our PBC Chair Dennis Uy, is making this happen,” said PCCI president Enunina Mangio.
Each regional leg will award P50,000 to the top-performing team while regional winners will advance to a national face-off during the PBC&E in October, where a grand prize of up to P500,000 will be at stake.
“Linking up the private sector and the academe has always been an advocacy of PCCI. But where we can bring value is injecting this focus on innovation, as a way of encouraging these businesses to look to emerging technologies to future-proof their operations,” Uy said.
The first stop of the Byte Forward hackathon series will take place during the North Luzon Business Conference in Bataan from June 19 to 20, 2025. The two-day event will also feature a trade fair exhibit and keynote sessions from leaders in government, academia, and industry, carrying the theme “Northern Philippines: Agile. Innovative. Soaring.”
