Filipino ingenuity shines at the Red Bull Basement World Final as Aldrin Sojourner “Soj” Gamayon wins the title of world champion. Held last December 5 at Tokyo, Japan, the award ceremony was the penultimate event of a three-day affair for the Red Bull Basement World Final, bringing together the winning teams from about 40 countries.
Gamayon earned his win for his innovation, “AgriConnect.” This ingenious idea for an agriculture tracking app will allow even remote farmers to monitor their crops, build resilience, and increase yield. Gamayon claimed that this idea was inspired by his family.
“This means so much because I’m doing it beyond myself. I’m doing this for Filipino farmers,” Gamayon said of his win. “This wasn’t just about competing or winning. It’s about sharing moments and memories with people who are like-minded. I share this with all the other teams who are here.”
Following his win, Gamayon plans to head home and establish more partnerships in the Philippines. “It’s vital for the next steps for my startup (is) to get it out there, to develop partnerships or collaborations with people that could help me further the idea. I firmly believe that I could not do this alone, it takes a village. And, I’ll do whatever it takes to make it successful.”
Gamayon, who came from a rice-farming family, shared that the idea for “AgriConnect” was developed after he returned from his internship in Singapore. He said, “I wanted to make an impact for the Filipinos. I do acknowledge that flying to another country to study is a privilege and I feel that there is a responsibility for me to give back. Piecing that together with my experiences and the things I really feel strongly (about) led me to the farmers.”
He added. “It’s always (been) my mantra to build something greater than myself.”
Being the first-ever representative of the Philippines to the Red Bull Basement World Final, Gamayon said that he hopes his win will inspire more Filipinos to pursue their innovation and drive their sense of ingenuity forward. His advice to young, aspiring innovators is, “to not think, just do.” He explained that most people do not progress with their start-ups because they overthink. “Coming in to Red Bull Basement, I had so many different directions and ideas. But, it only started because I actually just did it.”
During the finals, Gamayon and the other Top 10 finalists pitched their ideas to the global judging panel which included Microsoft for Startups Head Hans Yang, Plug and Play Early-stage Investor Letizia Royo-Villanova, influential entrepreneur and business mentor Jun Yuh, “AMD Meet the Experts” Host and Producer Ryan Sagare, and Red Bull Cliff Diving athlete and entrepreneur Molly Carlson.
Gamayon’s Agriconnect outshone ideas ranging from Germany’s mental strength training app for athletes to Italy’s sustainable vehicle battery designed to revolutionize the transport sector. As the Red Bull Basement World Champion, Gamayon is set to embark on an all-expenses-paid trip to Silicon Valley in California, USA for a three-week program of networking and mentorship with tech and VC leaders.
Over 110,000 entries were submitted across the world for Red Bull Basement 2024. The national winners flew to Tokyo for the Red Bull Basement World Final for the exclusive opportunity to represent their countries at the competition. The Red Bull Basement World Final featured intensive workshops, AI training, and networking opportunities with international entrepreneurs, innovators, coaches, and business leaders. This included Red Bull esports professional and founder of several businesses Amar Al Naimi and Microsoft Corporate Vice President for Data, AI, and Digital Applications Jessica Hawk, and many more.
