Philippine Start-Up Oh My Genie! Crazy Fast, bested 60 Indian startups and 40 ASEAN startups in the recently concluded ASEAN-India Startup Festival held at the Taj Vivanta, Dwarka, New Delhi, from November 28-30, 2024.
The annual gathering celebrated outstanding minds and innovation in a grand valedictory ceremony that was attended by Prof. Braj Bhushan, Deputy Director of Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur; and Dr. Nagaboopathy Mohan, DST Coordinator for the ASEAN region.
Exceptional talent and innovation were recognized across four award categories, where Karl Kesner, CEO and Co-Founder of OMG! received the First Prize award for Problem Solving Excellence Focus on ASEAN Regional Challenges. The award was presented by Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh, the Defence Secretary of India.
OMG! Oh My Genie Crazy-Fast is transforming the fulfillment and delivery landscape in the Philippines by leveraging cutting-edge AI to automate processes and create a hyperconnected, hyperlocal, & decentralized distribution ecosystem. Their mission is to build a future where distance is no longer a barrier to opportunity, turning fulfillment into a driver of economic and environmental progress in the country, and soon in the ASEAN region.
Upon his return to the Philippines, on December 2, 2024, Kesner was invited to the Embassy of India (Chancery) in Makati, Philippines, where facilitation of a collaboration in developing market opportunities in India was discussed with Counsellor Dr. Sadre Alam, Head of the Economic & Commerce Wing of the Embassy.
OMG!, a Cebu based startup is a DOST-PCIEERD funded startup under the Startup Grant Fund (SGF) was selected by the office of DOST Dr. Leah J. Buendia, Undersecretary for Research and Development, Romelen Tresvalles, Regional Director of DOST-NCR, and Edward Paul Apigo, Senior Science Research Specialist at DOST-PCIEERD.
The Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) at IIT Kanpur, in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India and the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT), organized the ASEAN-India Start-up Festival 2024. The event aims at bringing together entrepreneurs and innovators from India and the 10 ASEAN countries to strengthen cross-border collaborations and promote innovation.
The festival highlighted deep-tech and sustainable innovations, featuring groundbreaking solutions during the three-day programme featuring a range of activities, including seminars, startup exhibitions, pitch competitions, and networking sessions. The event concluded with industry visits to prominent organisations in the Delhi-NCR region, offering participants a unique opportunity to explore India’s vibrant innovation ecosystem.
