These General Terms and Conditions (“Terms and Conditions" or “Terms”) will govern the PLDT & Smart Startup Innovation Challenge (“PSSIC” or “Competition”). By registering, joining, participating, and/or submitting an entry to the PSSIC, participants of the Competition (the “Participants”) agree to these Terms and Conditions. These Terms and Conditions are a legally binding agreement between the Participants and PLDT Inc. (“PLDT” or the “Organizer”). The Organizer shall have the right to modify these Terms and Conditions at any time, which modification shall be effective immediately upon posting/publication/dissemination.

Participation and Eligibility

1. The Competition is open to any local mature startup business consisting of at least three (3) to five (5) individuals, all of whom must be of legal age and have the right and capacity to enter into contracts in the Republic of the Philippines. The startup business must have at least a Minimum Viable Product (or “MVP”) that meet the following conditions:
   1. Has a proprietary and working demonstration of its existing solution;
   2. Has been operating for more than one year;
   3. Has at least one paid or paying client; and
   4. Is legally registered in the Philippines.

2. Section 1 notwithstanding, the following persons are not eligible to participate in the Competition: (a) members of the Competition’s organizing committee; (b) employees of PLDT Inc., Smart Communications Inc., and ePLDT Inc.; and (c) immediate family members or relatives within the third degree of consanguinity or affinity of the aforementioned persons described.

3. The Participant agrees to these Terms, including the Privacy Policy.

4. The Organizer reserves the right to disqualify any startup team at any point during the Competition if it has reasonable grounds to believe that it or any of its members has breached or violated any of these Terms or is acting in a way that is inconsistent with the spirit of the Competition. The Organizer will have the sole discretion to verify and determine the existence of breaches or violations committed by the startup teams of these Terms, which determination will be final and binding upon the teams.

5. Participants may be required to take part in publicity activities managed by the Organizer. Participants agree that the Organizer may use their registered startup company name, company address, company logo, and Participant's names and photos, to announce the Top 10 shortlisted startup teams of the Competition and for other reasonable and related promotional purposes. By submitting your entries to the Competition, you grant us the right to use, reproduce, publish, and distribute your photos and videos, along with any associated captions or descriptions on all forms of media or platforms, including but not limited to online, print, and broadcast media, for the purposes of Project Documentation and Event Promotion.

Submission of Entries

6. Submitting an entry to the Competition is free of charge.

7. Interested participants can submit their entries until August 31, 2023, through our Online Application Form available at https://forms.office.com/r/q4Kj2J4w62. The following information must be submitted to qualify:

1. Startup Company Name
2. Names, Designation, and Email Address of the 3-5 individuals that will represent the startup company
3. Designation of each members
4. Email Address of all the startup team members
5. Registered Business Address of the startup
6. Summary of Startup Solution
7. Features of the Startup Solution
8. Target Market
9. Year the Startup was launched
10. Main Company Website (if available) – will be checked and reviewed for further clarification of the submitted solution
11. Demo Video URL link (publicly uploaded on YouTube or Facebook) – will be used to have a clearer view of the submitted startup solution)

8. Entries must address or present business solutions for any of the following categories: a) ESG or Environmental, Social and Governance; b) smart city; c) artificial intelligence; d) augmented reality, mixed reality, extended reality and/or metaverse; e) 5G; and f) internet of things.

9. The Organizer will not accept entries that are incomplete. Furthermore, entries that are blatantly fake or submitted as a joke, or those that promote illegal, illicit, unethical or immoral matters, will be rejected.

10. After completing the Online Registration Form, a system-generated email notification from Innolab@pldt.com.ph, with the subject “PLDT & SMART Startup Innovation Challenge: Application Received”, will be sent to the participant’s registered email address.

11. The Organizer shall retain the Personal Data of all Participants throughout their participation in the PLDT & SMART Startup Innovation Challenge and until November 30, 2023.

12. Neither the Organizer nor any of its officers, employees, agents, or representatives will be responsible for the non-receipt and/or non-inclusion of entries in the Competition because of lost, late, illegible, incomplete, or invalid entries, technical failures, including failures within the control of the Organizer or its officers, employees, agents or representatives.

13. There is no limit on the number of entries a team can submit. However, if two (2) or more entries of a team make it to the Top 10 round/stage, only one (1) entry will be allowed to proceed from that round/stage and onwards, at the option of the team.

14. Should you wish to CANCEL your application entry, you may send an email to Innolab@pldt.com.ph. Our PLDT & Smart Startup Innovation Challenge team will assist you with the cancellation request through email correspondence. When you CANCEL your team’s registration to the PLDT & SMART Startup Innovation Challenge, all Personal Data associated with your team’s entry will be permanently deleted from our systems manually, and you will be informed of the successful deletion of your personal data via email within 1-2 business days from their validated request.

Top 10 Pre-Screening

15. All entries received from the Online Application Form will undergo screening for the selection of the Top 10 best entries that will proceed to the final round (mentorship and prototyping stage) based on the following criteria:

1. ORIGINALITY AND INNOVATION 20% - Is the product or solution something new? Does it do something entirely novel, or at least take a fresh approach to an old problem?
2. PRODUCT DESIGN AND READINESS 20% - Is the product usable in its current state? Does the team have a working demo of their solution?
3. PROBLEM-SOLUTION FIT 20% - How well does the team’s solution address the problem statement? Does it solve real-life challenges or societal needs?
4. SCALABILITY 20% - Can it be developed or manufactured with ease? Are resources needed already available in the market?
5. BUSINESS IMPACT 20% - How well is the market defined? How well are the key revenue streams presented and are they realistic?

16. The Top 10 shortlisted participants will be announced via social media on PLDT Enterprise’s Facebook and Linkedin pages. The announcement may also be posted on other official Facebook and Linkedin pages of PLDT and Smart. The Top 10 startup teams will also receive a Congratulatory Message from Innolab@pldt.com.ph, which will include the Non-Disclosure Agreement.

Bootcamp and Mentoring

17. The Members of the Top 10 shortlisted startup teams are required to attend the bootcamp and mentoring sessions.

18. Sessions can either be in-person or virtual. In-person activities will take place in Innolab Makati, ePLDT Vitro Data Center. PLDT Innolab will use the personal data of the Top 10 team members for pre-registration into ePLDT’s Visitor Management System for access to the building. Participants will be subject to the independent CCTV monitoring activities of ePLDT as Building Owner. Virtual sessions will be via Microsoft Teams.

19. All communication and invitations relating to the bootcamp and mentoring sessions will be sent by PLDT Innolab through the email address innolab@pldt.com.ph.

20. Each of the Top 10 startup teams must be represented by at least one (1) member at the bootcamp and mentoring sessions.

Pitching and Demo Day

21. The Top 10 startup teams are required to join the Pitching and Demo Day to be held on October 13, 2023, which serves as the culminating activity of the Competition. All members of the Top 10 startup teams will be required to register individually and separately as delegates to the PH Digicon 2023, through the Digicon registration portal accessible via [link].

22. Criteria for judging:

1. PRESENTATION/PITCHING – Did the team present their solution clearly?
2. MARKET OPPORTUNITY – Did the team clearly define their target market? Did they provdie insights that define their target market?
3. BUSINESS MODEL – Did the team clearly present their business model? Did the solution have a sustainable revenue model?
4. INNOVATIVENESS - Has the team clearly identified the intended impact of their solution, while stating the technologies being used? Does the solution provide a product or service offering that is not already offered in the market? Or does it significantly improve on an existing product or service offering?
5. TECH READINESS - Is the product usable in its current state? Does the team have a working demo of their solution? Does their working solution match the problem they are trying to address?

23. During the Pitching and Demo Day at the PH Digicon 2023, the Top 10 startup teams will be given one (1) booth each to be able to fully showcase and demonstrate their solutions to the PH Digicon attendees. The Organizers will not be liable or responsible for any activities, interactions, and communications between the Top 10 startup teams and the attendees of the PH Digicon 2023.

IP Terms and Provisions

24. Participants acknowledge that nothing in this agreement will function to transfer any of the participant’s Intellectual Property rights to the Organizer. Participants will retain exclusive ownership of its Intellectual Property developed before this agreement or developed outside the scope of this agreement.

Other Conditions

25. The Organizer reserves the right to cancel, alter, and/or amend the Terms of the Competition at any stage if deemed necessary in its own opinion and entirely at its own discretion, or if any circumstances arise outside of the Organizer’s control.

26. By participating in the Competition, the Participants agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Organizer and its directors, officers, employees, agents, and/or representatives from any liability for any loss (including, without limitation, indirect, special, or consequential loss), expense or damage which is suffered or sustained (whether or not arising from any person’s negligence) in connection with any breach by such Participants of these Terms and Conditions (including, but not limited to, in connection with any breach by such Participants of the IP Terms and Provisions).

27. Insofar as is permitted by applicable law, the Organizer, its directors, officers, employees, agents and/or representatives will not in any circumstances be responsible or liable to any Participant and/or the winner in connection with this Competition. Without prejudice to the foregoing generality, and insofar as is permitted by applicable law, the Organizer, its directors, officers, employees, agents and/or representatives do not accept any liability for any loss, damage, personal injury, or death occurring as a result of the winners taking up the prizes. The statutory rights of Participants are not affected by this Section.

28. The Competition and these Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of the Philippines. In case of any dispute arising out of or in connection with the Competition and these Terms and Conditions, Participants agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the proper courts of the City of Makati, to the exclusion of all other courts.

29. By submitting an Entry, Participants acknowledge that they have read and fully understand the contents and consequences of these Terms and Conditions and that they have sought and secured legal advice regarding these Terms and Conditions where appropriate.