Federal Express Corporation (FedEx), one of the world’s largest express transportation companies, continues its long-standing commitment to youth empowerment through the 2026 FedEx /Junior Achievement International Trade Challenge (FedEx / JA ITC). This year’s challenge once again drew ambitious young entrepreneurs from across the Philippines, six of whom have earned the chance to represent the country at the Asia Pacific regional finals in Singapore this August.
Now in its 17th year, the FedEx / JA ITC program in the Philippines is designed to build entrepreneurial thinking and global business acumen among secondary school students. Delivered in collaboration with JA Philippines, a non-profit organization dedicated to preparing young Filipinos to succeed in a global economy, the program offers students a practical look at international trade through hands-on workshops and team-based challenges.
This year’s competition challenged students to develop a Market Entry Strategy Plan (MESP) for artificial intelligence (AI)-powered warehouse drones designed to improve inventory accuracy and accelerate fulfillment in Vietnam’s rapidly growing e-commerce sector. Working in teams, participants applied strategic thinking, market analysis, and creativity to propose innovative business solutions that addressed real-world opportunities in international trade.
The six students representing the Philippines at the 2026 Asia Pacific regional finals are:
| Team: ArkSight |
| Names of students: Matthew John A. Hife and Lorente Jr. Berden |
| School:Mandaue City Comprehensive National High School |
| Product name: ArkSight |
| Product presented: ArkSight is an AI-powered autonomous warehouse inventory drone that combines computer vision, UHF RFID, autonomous navigation, and cloud analytics to improve inventory visibility in Vietnamese warehouses. Designed for Vietnam’s SME-dominated logistics sector, it operates under a Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS) model, enabling businesses to adopt warehouse automation without significant upfront investment while supporting the country’s digital transformation initiatives. The strategy targets mid-sized e-commerce and third-party logistics (3PL) warehouses, with projected Year 1 revenue of approximately US$244,000 and operating break-even expected by Month 8 through phased market deployment. |
| Team: The Visionary |
| Names of students: Minette H. Cabaluna and Jim Niño C. Gonzales |
| School:University of San Jose-Recoletos |
| Product name: Chuôn Chuôn |
| Product presented: Chuôn Chuôn is an AI-powered inventory management solution designed for Vietnam’s rapidly growing e-commerce third-party logistics (3PL) sector. The solution combines autonomous inventory drones, a wireless charging dock, real-time warehouse monitoring, and Chuôn2Bot, a Vietnamese-language conversational AI assistant, to automate inventory audits, improve inventory accuracy, and reduce labor dependency. This market-entry strategy identifies Vietnam’s expanding e-commerce and logistics industries as a strong opportunity, driven by increasing warehouse automation and a shortage of automation-skilled workers. Through a subscription-based Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS) model, strategic partnerships, pilot deployments, and localized customer support, Chuôn Chuôn offers an accessible and scalable solution that lowers the barriers to warehouse automation. Financial projections forecast the acquisition of 10 enterprise clients in the first year, generating a total revenue of $81,075 (~VND 2.1B) for Year 1. Supported by a scalable businessmodel and Vietnam’s ongoing digital transformation, Chuồn Chuồn is well-positioned to enhance inventory management and operational efficiency within the country’s e-commerce logistics sector. |
| Team:TeamMate |
| Names of students: Mico Alfonso Aviñante Nolledo and Nathan Trono Dy Pico |
| School:Everest International Academy |
| Product name: Altius AI |
| Product presented: Altius AI is an AI-powered autonomous drone system designed specifically for cold-chain warehouses in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It addresses common cold-chain problems, such as limited storage visibility, slow manual inventory checks, temperature fluctuations, humidity risks, high lighting cost, and worker safety hazards in extremely cold environments. Unlike standard warehouse drones that mainly focus on inventory scanning, Altius AI combines inventory tracking, environmental monitoring, LiDAR mapping, WMS integration, and AI-powered irregularity detection, all into one system |
“The future of innovation depends on giving young people the opportunity to learn, collaborate, and think big,” said Maribeth Espinosa, managing director, FedEx Philippines. “Bringing back the in-person workshop while continuing to welcome students virtually allowed us to reach even more aspiring entrepreneurs across the country. Through the FedEx / JA International Trade Challenge, we hope to equip Filipino youth with the confidence, global perspective, and problem-solving skills they need to turn bold ideas into meaningful business solutions.”
At the regional finals, the Philippine delegation will collaborate and compete alongside students from across Asia Pacific, including Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Beyond the competition, participants will gain valuable exposure to international business perspectives, exchange ideas with peers from diverse markets, and engage with FedEx leaders and industry practitioners, providing them with real-world insights into global trade and innovation.
Since 2009, the FedEx / JA ITC program has long served as a platform for young entrepreneurs to showcase their capabilities, with Filipino students consistently delivering strong performances, including a first-place finish in 2020 and 2021, second place in 2021, 2024, and 2025. These achievements underscore the lasting impact of the FedEx / JA ITC, which has reached more than 12,000 students in the Philippines.
Through its longstanding collaboration with Junior Achievement of the Philippines, FedEx continues to champion youth development by providing students with practical learning experiences that bridge education and industry. By nurturing entrepreneurial talent and global business acumen, the FedEx / JA International Trade Challenge reflects FedEx’s commitment to helping build a future-ready workforce and empowering young leaders to create innovative solutions for tomorrow’s global economy.
More details about the 2026 FedEx /JA ITC can be found on the JA Philippines Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/jathailand.org/