Filipino Students Built an App to Help Navigate Autism Care at InnOlympics 2026

InnOlympics 2026, organized by Google Developer Groups on Campus PLM, is a weekend-long hackathon where students collaborate, code, and build real-world solutions using Google and open-source technologies. This year, the competition focused on three tracks: education and opportunity access, health and well-being access, and governance, trust, and livelihoods.

For Team SCALE, the hackathon became an opportunity to build something purposeful and grounded in real human needs. Composed of Drix Almonte, Martin Cosico, Winnie Li, and Justine Abejaron, the team joined InnOlympics to learn, compete, and experience what it takes to turn an idea into a working solution.

After choosing the health and well-being access track, the team focused on mental health, particularly autism care. Their goal was not to stop or control autism, but to help families better manage it and support the cognitive and social development of autistic children.

“We knew this meant helping those who are in unfair situations or are bound by things they shouldn’t have to be bound by. We wanted to build something to help those people and let them pursue their dreams the same way we do,” said Drix Almonte of Team SCALE.

This led the team to build Aliri, a web-based application accessible on both mobile and desktop. Designed as a companion to autism therapy and care, Aliri offers learning modules that help parents better understand how their child’s mind works and how they can provide more informed support at home.

The platform also includes Ali, a chatbot that guides parents through the modules and answers simple questions related to autism care. The team designed the chatbot to avoid diagnosis and stay focused only on relevant care-related topics. To make support more accessible, Aliri also features a Google Maps-powered directory of nearby mental health clinics and a QR code containing the child’s basic information for faster clinic registration.

Throughout the hackathon, mentorship played a key role in shaping the team’s direction. Their mentor, Jake Go, Managing Partner of Springboard, guided them through practical frameworks and honest feedback. According to the team, Jake helped them look beyond the business model and target market, pushing them to consider who would be affected by their idea and whether it truly solved a real problem.

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That process helped Team SCALE refine their thinking, challenge their assumptions, and arrive at a solution they believed was worth building. They learned that strong ideas are not built on creativity alone. They also require validation, empathy, and the willingness to pivot.

Although Team SCALE did not finish at the top of the competition, they left with no regrets. For Drix, the experience became a reminder that building something meaningful often starts with pressure, uncertainty, and the decision to keep going.

“Always take the opportunities and don’t let your fear of failing stop you from living and exploring what you can do,” Drix shared.

For the team, InnOlympics showed the importance of giving students spaces where they can experiment, make mistakes, and learn through execution. They believe companies can help young innovators move from the idea stage to real-world application by showing them not only what to learn, but how to start learning.

This is where Springboard’s commitment to young talent becomes meaningful. By mentoring student innovators and helping them think through real problems, Springboard supports practical learning that goes beyond the classroom.

Partner with Springboard to turn promising ideas into practical technology solutions.

Team SCALE entered the hackathon as beginners, faced a difficult path, and worked through the challenge of creating a viable solution under competition pressure.

Their journey shows that young Filipino builders are resourceful, capable, and determined to keep moving forward even when faced with uncertainty.

At Springboard, this is the kind of potential we believe in: young innovators who are willing to learn, build, test, and keep going.

Have an idea, student program, or innovation initiative you want to bring to life? Connect with Springboard