Student-led proptech Soolok lands US$93.6K DOST grant
What's the deal? Soolok PropertiesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Philippine proptech startup, has won a US$93.6K grant from the Startup Grant Fund of the DOST Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD). Co-founder Bryan Kier Leopando signed the agreement on November 9 at the Quezon City M.I.C.E. Center. It is the first undergraduate startup from Ateneo's BS Information Technology Entrepreneurship program to secure a DOST grant.
What's the endgame? The grant funds an AI-powered platform for the "hazard-informed, end-to-end digital acquisition" of Philippine residential properties. Soolok aggregates foreclosed listings from banks including BDODealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, UnionBankDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and Security Bank, then adds AI matchmaking to a buyer's preferences. Families can compare homes across banks, check property details before visiting, and complete bank requirements online.
Why now? The signing fell on the opening day of Philippine Startup Week 2026. The award builds on Soolok's momentum: a US$19.5K equity-free grant from the Quezon City government in November 2025 and graduation from the 13th IdeaSpace AcceleratorDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → cohort.
What's the context? The application ran through the Ateneo Business Insights Laboratory for Development (BUILD) and the Ateneo Intellectual Property Office (AIPO), which prepared and filed it. "AIPO's help with the proposal made that possible," said Joseph Benjamin Ilagan, BS ITE program director.
What could go wrong? The money is non-dilutive R&D support, not venture backing. DOST says the fund aims to push technologies toward commercialization, but the grant alone does not prove commercial traction or investor validation. Foreclosures are only a starting point; Soolok plans to extend its tools to other property segments later.
The signal: DOST's grant program has grown into a meaningful early-stage channel, with US$12.4M allocated to 178 startups across its councils from 2021 to 2025. Soolok shows how a student-founded venture, backed by a university's incubation and IP support, can tap substantial public funding before raising private capital.
Read more: ateneo.edu
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
