QUEZON CITY — A property technology startup co-founded by an Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) undergraduate student has secured a ₱4.8-million grant from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) as part of government efforts to back emerging local business ventures.
Soolok Properties, co-founded by Bryan Kier Leopando of the BS Information Technology Entrepreneurship (BS ITE) program under the John Gokongwei School of Management, marks the first undergraduate-led startup to receive DOST backing, according to Dr. Joseph Benjamin Ilagan, BS ITE Program Director.
Leopando signed the grant agreement on November 9, Day 1 of Philippine Startup Week 2026, at the Quezon City M.I.C.E. Center, accompanied by co-founders Kath Quintana (COO), Nicholas Ng (CMO), and Xian Bernardo (CTO).
The DOST grant—channeled through the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD)—follows a previous ₱1-million equity-free grant from the Quezon City government.
Soolok secured the municipal award at the StartUp QC Cohort 4 Demo Day on November 13, 2025, and previously graduated from the 13th cohort of the IdeaSpace Accelerator Program in 2025.
Focusing initially on foreclosed properties, Soolok aggregates bank listings and integrates AI-driven matchmaking tailored to individual buyer preferences. The platform enables families to compare foreclosed homes across various banks, review property details prior to physical visits, and process bank requirements online to minimize trips.
This digital streamline helps banks liquidate idle assets more efficiently while housing families in need.
Soolok’s development was supported by the Ateneo Business Insights Laboratory for Development (BUILD) and the Ateneo Intellectual Property Office (AIPO), which prepared and filed the application. The effort builds on a student startup incubation track launched by BUILD and AIPO in August 2025.
The team also leveraged AWS credits through BUILD’s status as an AWS Activate Provider, and plans to expand its AI tools to other real estate segments.
”We are grateful to BUILD, AIPO, and the Ateneo startup ecosystem, whose support turned our proposal into a DOST grant. Because of them, we can build AI tools that put every bank’s foreclosed properties in one place, modernizing the Philippine property purchase experience,” said Leopando, president of Soolok Properties Inc.
AIPO expressed optimism that Soolok’s milestone will encourage other student entrepreneurs.
“AIPO and Ateneo BUILD will be there to support them on their journey to help them see it through, just like Soolok,” the office stated.