Filipino startups are proving they can compete globally, with Kaya Founders saying more homegrown companies are now building in the Philippines and scaling abroad despite a challenging external environment.
Founding managing general partner Paulo Campos said the rise of artificial intelligence is accelerating that shift, noting that “with the advent of AI, businesses across the country are really taking advantage of this new technology”.
During their recent LP Summit 2025, Campos said Kaya’s own portfolio shows a clear pattern: companies “born in the Philippines but conquering the world, the region of the world.”
Kaya’s other general partners are Lisa Gokongwei-Cheng (founder, Summit Media) and Ray Alimurung ( former Lazada Philippines CEO).
Philippine-built, region-ready
Campos said more startups in the Philippines are now scaling outside the country with real traction across regions.
• ProTech Devices is present in seven countries, showing the potential for this business to scale across borders.
• Etaily and Sourcy are planting flags in multiple markets as Philippine e-commerce enablers push into regional operations.
• Plastic Credit Exchange and Firstmate Technologies are “headquartered in the Philippines but tackling the US market very successfully.”
• Edge Tutor is “connecting Filipino tutors with tutoring centers all over the world,” now serving clients in an expanding set of countries.
• Locad’s latest funding round was led by a Middle East venture capital firm, supporting its expansion into Gulf markets via its fulfillment cloud platform.
Governance: Kaya’s non-negotiable foundation
Campos said governance remains a core pillar of Kaya’s investing strategy.
“One of the things we ensure, and part of our fiduciary duty to you as our investors, is the need to ensure that we focus strongly on sound corporate governance, even at the earliest stages of the journey,” he said.
“We invest as early as the idea stage, at day zero, but even then we work closely with our founders to ensure that we’re putting in strong foundations in these companies.”
He said governance will be an even bigger priority next year.
“[T]his will continue to be a huge focus for us going into 2026,” he added.
Where the money is going?
Campos highlighted four of Kaya’s latest bets: LenderLink, which aggregates real-time loan data for small lenders serving MSMEs; SunFund, which provides residential solar-as-a-service and financing for installers; and Datung, which uses an AI-supported joint-accountability model to extend credit to MSMEs.
He also cited ProTech Devices, the Manila-based device-insurance venture now expanding across several Asian markets.
What’s next in 2026?
Kaya Founders runs two funds. The first one is built to help very early startups get off the ground, and another for companies already scaling, with check sizes ranging from about $150,000 to $500,000.
So far, the early fund has backed 11 startups and still has $1.7 million left to invest, while the growth fund has supported 20 companies and still holds $8.1 million in unused capital.
“There’s still quite a number of investments to be made in 2026,” Campos said.
—Edited by Miguel R. Camus
