Indonesia's Furis wins NIPA's AI Youth Festa 2026 in Manila
24 teams from Korea and 12 other countries competed in Manila; Korea's Byeol Ttareo Gaja took second and the Philippines' A2Any third.
The National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA) held the AI Youth Festa 2026 AI development and startup competition in Manila, Philippines, on November 4-5, 2026, the agency announced. Indonesia's Furis took first place and a $20,000 prize.
24 teams competed in Manila after being selected through national preliminaries in 12 countries, including Korea and 11 ASEAN countries plus Timor-Leste.
Korea's Byeol Ttareo Gaja placed second and won $10,000, while the Philippines' A2Any placed third with $5,000.
The teams went through an 8-week pre-incubation program covering business model localization analysis, one-on-one mentoring and English investor pitch coaching, according to digitaltoday.co.kr. NIPA also ran a one-on-one investment consultation session that brought in Southeast Asian local venture investors and startup accelerators.
Five-year programme
From 2025 to 2029, a five-year project funded by Korea's Korea-ASEAN Cooperation Fund (AKCF) is being carried out to strengthen startup capabilities of young entrepreneurs in Korea and 11 ASEAN countries and to activate the AI startup ecosystem.
Quick answers
Who won the AI Youth Festa 2026?
Indonesia's Furis took first place and a $20,000 prize, ahead of Korea's Byeol Ttareo Gaja in second and the Philippines' A2Any in third.
Where was the AI Youth Festa 2026 held?
It was held in Manila, Philippines, on November 4-5, 2026, organised by the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA).