PhilSA launches Space Business Innovation Camp to help Filipino innovators harness space data

The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) launched the Space Business Innovation Camp (SBIC) 2026 on 14 August 2026, a structured technical and business mentoring program that aims designed to support college and graduate students, professionals, startups, and companies that do data analytics and AI, in transforming their ideas into a space-enabled ventures.

The launch, held as part of this year’s Philippine Space Week, featured a panel discussion titled “Building the Next Generation of Space-enabled Businesses”. The discussion convened experts from government, industry, and the startup ecosystem to showcase how space data can be transformed into practical applications, spark innovation across sectors, and pave the way for new business opportunities in the growing space economy.

Opening the launch, PhilSA Acting Director General Gay Jane P. Perez, Ph.D. underscored the importance of making space data more accessible to innovators, entrepreneurs, and problem-solvers seeking to address challenges in their communities and industries. “We want innovators to see satellite data not as something distant or highly specialized, but as a building block—one that can be combined with existing technologies and local knowledge to solve real problems,” she said.

Dr. Perez further emphasized, “Every satellite launched into orbit generates something even more valuable than images. It generates data that when combined with creativity, artificial intelligence, machine learning, Internet of Things, and entrepreneurial thinking becomes insight. Insights become innovation, and innovation creates businesses, and businesses create impact. This is why the SBIC exists.”

PhilSA Acting Director General Gay Jane P. Perez, Ph.D., during her opening remarks, emphasizes that building the future of the Philippine space economy requires the collective contributions of entrepreneurs, researchers, students, testers, and partners alongside government.

The panel featured Dr. Reinabelle C. Reyes, PhilSA Space Science Missions Bureau (SSMB) Director; Engr. Rudolph Peralta, ARUP Digital Services Lead; Mr. JT Solis, Mayani Founder; and Engr. Edward Paul Apigo, Department of Science and Technology–Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) Senior Science Research Specialist.

The discussion highlighted applications of satellite data in agriculture and infrastructure projects, the importance of talent development and support for startups and smaller firms, and available government funding and support mechanisms for building viable, data-driven ventures.

PhilSA Deputy Director General for Space Operations, Infrastructure and Industry Denis F. Villorente, during his closing remarks, shared how programs like SBIC show how science and entrepreneurship are connected, encouraging the participants to start with the right questions, identify problems worth solving, and explore how their ideas can create value for people, industries, economy, and the country.

He also highlighted how satellite data, when combined with other sources of information and the right expertise, can provide more information, support better decision-making, and open opportunities that may not have been seen before.

SBIC 2026 is open to students, researchers, professionals, entrepreneurs, and business owners engaged in data analytics or AI. Through SBIC, participants will receive expert guidance in early venture development and enable them to apply satellite-derived data alongside existing datasets to address business needs. The program will also connect participants with government funding and financing initiatives that can support the growth and development of their ventures.

Applications for the SBIC 2026 mentoring program are ongoing. The program is open to Filipino students, professionals, entrepreneurs, startup teams, and companies of all sizes interested in exploring the use of space data for business and innovation. For more information, visit this link.