UP Tacloban’s Team KaUPod and Team Bantay Iskolar won second and third place, respectively, at the Philippine Startup Challenge X (PSC X) – Eastern Visayas Regional Pitching Competition, organized by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Region VIII and held virtually on 30 October 2025.

 

Team KaUPod, composed of BS Computer Science students Julius Caeza Macadine, Nikka Angela Naputo, and Brian Pangue, placed second for their business idea “GoTita,” a platform that connects female household and traditional workers with nearby clients to ensure safe, reliable job matches and fair, stable income opportunities.

 

Team Bantay Iskolar, with BS Computer Science students Eugene Esguerra and Dynise Manuelle Lira, and BS Management student Airelle Pearl Naboya, placed third with their project “UTrack,” a smart safety app that auto-detects trips, tracks journeys, and alerts trusted contacts of safe arrivals or potential dangers.

 

The teams also received several special awards: Best Video Pitch and Best Rebuttal (Team Bantay Iskolar), Best Pitch Deck and Best Startup Logo (Team KaUPod), and Best Pitch Presenter (Dynise Manuelle Lira, Team Bantay Iskolar). Both teams were mentored by Dr. Marla B. Sudario of the Division of Management.