Searching for the right attitude in founders

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Hello readers,

I truly think that in cases where you have to exert lots of effort, having belief in your own abilities is half the battle.

I often face this while I’m halfway through a bouldering session at the climbing gym. It’s been an hour or so, my fingers are scraped raw, my forearms feel like someone’s poured hot lead through my veins, I’m hanging onto a hold that’s a centimeter in depth, and I need to make the next move, which seems impossibly far.

Couple that with my short stature, and I often find myself falling into the trap of thinking that I’m not tall or strong enough to clear the next move. But many times, even after I’ve taken half a dozen attempts, there’s a part of me that always says: “Who cares man, I just need to believe I can get it.”

And many times – at least I think so – it does work. I “just whack only,” as I like to say, and complete the route.

Similarly, bringing a startup to life takes a lot of this “can do” spirit, something that Kaya Founders is looking out for. In today’s story, we take a closer look at this Philippine VC firm.

Today we look at:

• Kaya Founders’ startup investment philosophy
• Whether Shopee can successfully follow in Free Fire’s footsteps
• Other newsy highlights such as Grab’s new Web3 feature and OpenAI founder Sam Altman being the first person to receive Indonesia’s golden visa.

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Just do it

Image credit: Timmy Loen

When I first saw Kaya Founders’ name, I thought to myself: “Mmmm kaya toast sounds lovely right now,” referring to the coconut jam often used in Southeast Asia. “That’s a cute name for a VC.”

I was surprised to see that it had a much deeper meaning in Filipino: “can do.” It embodies how the VC firm assesses potential founders and whether they’re worth investing in.

• Sticking point: According to Paulo Campos, the firm’s general managing partner, “what separates the founders who can really show progress versus those who just look good on paper are the founders who are able to show growth and learning from each touchpoint to the next.”
• Marching in two by two: There are two components to Kaya Founders’ investments. The Zero to One fund invests in the idea, pre-revenue, or pre-product stage, while the One to Ten fund targets startups further along in their journeys.
• A tale of two cities: Campos likens Manila to Jakarta, noting that the Philippines has the second-largest population after Indonesia and the youngest population in the region. This could become “a new window of opportunity” for investors.

Lord of the Bling: The Return of the King

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