FIVE ATENEANS reigned supreme in the 2013 Filipino Youth Innovation (FYI) competition held today, April 6.

Under the team name “Ateam2013,” senior management majors Guia Bulanhagui, Lia Chua, Kim Concepcion, Ron Habla and senior management-honors major Billie Dumaliang bested four other teams in the final leg of FYI.

The group won P100,000 capital for their proposed project, Coconelas, a footwear line with soles made from coconut noir.

“[It] offers a unique footwear experience that promotes responsible fashion and provides unparalleled comfort by using 100% ethically sourced natural materials handcrafted by a Gawad Kalinga (GK) community,” said Dumaliang in an e-mail interview.

“Imagine that you’re walking on a bed—that’s the kind of feeling you’ll get when you use Coconelas,” she added.

FYI is a business plan competition organized by the Inter-University Management Alliance, a group of student-run business organizations from the Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University and the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

The competition was organized in partnership with GKonomics International, Inc.

Participating teams were tasked to come up with marketable and sustainable business ideas that would benefit GK communities.

The final round and awarding ceremony were held today at the GKonomics Design Lab and Showroom in Taguig.

“One step forward”

Dumaliang explained that the team proposed its product to help improve waste management in the country, saying that Coconelas would “[take] a step towards solving the issue.”

With the tagline “One step forward,” Coconelas will make use of bio-waste as an alternative to synthetic rubber.

“Our big vision is for every Filipino to own a pair of Coconelas, and for a Philippines that is cleaner, better and wiser,” she said.

A percentage of Coconelas’ profits will benefit its partner GK community, as well as the Ocean Conservancy International, the organization responsible for the annual International Coastal Cleanup.