When ideas step out of the lecture hall and onto the frontlines of community transformation, education becomes more than a subject. It becomes a heartbeat.
That heartbeat is KisLap.
From academic exercise to formidable catalyst for student-led social innovation, KisLap returns for Year 2 — bolder, bigger, and braver in its belief that young founders can build the future now.
Technology that tills for good. AgriConnect uses AI to help farmers identify agricultural risks and make informed, data-driven decisions — where it matters most: on the field. The idea has already competed beyond Ateneo, placing Top 3 in the ASEAN leg of the 2025 China- ASEAN Innovation Quest and advancing to the international finals in Guilin, China. Mentored by Mr. Zab Jimenez, it’s proof that student-led innovation can be both local in heart and global in reach.
Jointly presented by the Ateneo Center for Social Entrepreneurship (ACSEnt) and the Kwan Laurel Social Enterprise Fund, KisLap Year 2 will award up to ₱1 million each to three winning student-driven social enterprises — moving ventures from classroom concept to community frontline.
This year, KisLap widens its doors. The call is now open to undergraduate and graduate students from across the Ateneo de Manila University higher education units: the John Gokongwei School of Management, Dr. Rosita G. Leong School of Social Sciences, School of Humanities, School of Science and Engineering, Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design, Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, Ateneo Law School, Ateneo School of Government, and Ateneo Graduate School of Business.
The official launch is set this Wednesday, September 30, at the APS Amphitheater in Rockwell Center, Makati City.
From farm to scoop. Sibol Creamery turns locally-sourced rice and Filipino ingredients into rice-based ice cream — creating additional value for our farmers while reimagining a familiar dessert. Even before the grant, the team was already on the ground, working with farmer cooperatives in Tarlac, Laguna, and Bulacan and sourcing organic red rice. Since then: pop-ups, online sales, restaurant partnerships, and real market traction — guided hands-on by mentor Mr. Leofel Vergara, who helped turn a classroom concept into a venture with flavor and future.
The evening opens with the formal unveiling of KisLap Year 2 — its evolved vision, its deepened commitment to youth-led impact, and how it builds on the groundwork first laid in 2025. What follows is a clear walkthrough of the grant mechanics, from application to acceleration, and how founders will be supported beyond funding — with mentorship, ecosystem, and staying power.
And because KisLap has always put people over pitch decks, the night will close with what matters most: meaningful dialogue. An open Q&A and exclusive interview opportunities with ACSEnt leads and the student innovators themselves — young Filipinos whose lived experience and quiet grit are already shaping tomorrow.
At its core, KisLap was built on one stubborn belief: young people have the capacity and the desire to solve social problems. What they need is the right platform, resources, and ecosystem to turn desire into measurable action.
Clearing the way for MSMEs. KLARO is an AI-powered point-of-sale system that gives small entrepreneurs real-time business insights — helping them spot losses, understand operations, and make better decisions. More than a product, it makes digital tools accessible to those who need them most. With hands-on mentorship from Dr. Joben Ilagan since day one, KLARO turns tech into practical help for the backbone of our economy.Arkel Mendoza, KisLap Project Head, traces it back to its origin story — to the visionaries who dared to bring it off the ground, headed by Robby Kwan Laurel.
“It is to empower and support the next generation of social entrepreneurs through a partnership with the Ateneo Center for Social Entrepreneurship and the Kwan Laurel Social Enterprise Fund,” Mendoza shares.
“From that experience, we saw an opportunity to take the concept further. We wanted to move beyond a classroom project and create something that could provide social entrepreneurs with the resources they need to actually build and grow their ventures. In 2025, that became KisLap.”
A classroom spark is now a shared light. And it keeps burning.