Team iNVEX earns honorable mention at Bett Asia
Team iNVEX, a Cohort 1 incubatee of the DOST-CSPC ASOG Technology Business Incubator (ASOG TBI), earned an Honorable Mention in the Higher Education Students category of the Bett Asia Schools Challenge 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
As one of the category finalists, Team iNVEX presented AHON (Alert Help Offline Network) during the live final at Bett Asia on September 24, representing the Philippines alongside finalist teams from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Addressing disaster communication
AHON is a decentralized, offline-first mobile application designed to facilitate communication during disasters when cellular and internet services are unavailable.
The system uses the Bluetooth Low Energy capability of modern smartphones to establish a peer-to-peer mesh network, allowing users to exchange messages without relying on conventional telecommunications infrastructure.
The challenge called on participants to develop innovative, technology-driven solutions to environmental or social issues affecting their local communities. For the Higher Education Students category, entries could take the form of AI tools, data-driven platforms, sensor-based systems, or applications designed to address a prevalent community challenge.
Philippines represent
The Bett Asia Schools Challenge returned for its fourth year in partnership with Google, with the program encouraging students to develop technology solutions that address environmental and social challenges in their local communities.
Team iNVEX members are Abbe Gerald Rivero, Blessie Faith Bongalos, Harvey Lloyd Palacios, John Raymond Alba, and Jobert Longares, with Ms. Tiffany Lyn O. Pandes, AI Mentor at ASOG TBI, serving as their coach.
Bongalos served as the team’s solo presenter during the live final, competing against finalists who presented as full five-member teams. Reflecting on the pressure of the international final, she said in a Facebook post, “To say the pressure was insane would be a massive understatement, but by grace, we held our ground.”
