Philippine MedTech startups have been invited to expand their reach across Southeast Asia through a new regional program called KUMIHIMO Tech Camp Singapore 2026.
The initiative is organized by a Japanese electronics components provider in partnership with an open innovation platform, bringing together Filipino innovators and peers from ASEAN and India to co‑create purpose‑built healthcare technologies.
Three core challenge areas drive the program: preventing and detecting dual disease burdens, monitoring environment‑linked health risks from pollution, heat, and climate change, and expanding affordable screening and diagnosis beyond major urban centers.
Selected teams will participate in a structured curriculum that includes technical onboarding, mentorship, and direct engagement with engineering and business development experts. Participants gain access to hardware platforms, components, and core technologies, supported by guidance from engineers and business representatives.
The program culminates in a Demo Day on November 26 in Singapore, where startups present to a panel of leadership, mentors, and industry partners. One winning team will receive a cash prize of S$10,000 to recognize its innovation and commercial potential.
High‑potential teams may continue into Proof‑of‑Concept and Non‑Recurring Engineering engagements, with opportunities for long‑term co‑development and partnership that align with the program’s strategic focus areas.
Eligibility is limited to deep‑tech and MedTech startups headquartered or operating in eligible countries, at a Technology Readiness Level of 3 or higher. Solutions must be disease‑centric, combining hardware and software, and can leverage existing component technologies or one of three core tracks: downsizing, sensing, or information and communications technology.
Solutions focused solely on lifestyle or wellness, or those that are pharmaceutical or biological in nature, are excluded from the program.
Applications close on July 31, 2026, with the top ten teams selected by mid‑August. The development phase runs from September to November, leading up to the Demo Day on November 26.
“Healthcare challenges across ASEAN and India are real and urgent, and off‑the‑shelf technology was not built to solve them. Startups that can combine hardware innovation with deep local context are best placed to change that.”
“Alongside hardware platforms and engineering depth, the program will put extensive regional networks to work for selected teams, facilitating one‑to‑one sessions with strategists, subject matter experts, and investors who have shipped and invested in MedTech across Southeast Asia and India. That contextual guidance, combined with deep‑tech collaboration, turns strong technical ideas into deployable, commercially viable solutions for the markets that need them most.”
The program seeks to merge global component expertise with a robust network of startups, mentors, and industry specialists across the APAC region, accelerating solutions that address pressing health needs.
