Kaya Founders announced a new cohort of Venture Partners on May 5, 2025, to support its portfolio companies and strengthen its role in the Philippine tech ecosystem.

These Venture Partners will assist with founder sourcing, advisory roles, business development, and community-building initiatives.

New members include Kendrick Kho, a venture capitalist focused on AI; Martin Gonzalez, an organizational development leader at Google DeepMind; and Mandy Arbilo, an expert in ecommerce and program management.

Other additions are AI entrepreneur Calanthia Mei, She Loves Tech co-founder Rhea See, ecommerce specialist Gelo Torres, and PropertyGuru executive Alex de Leon.

The program aims to leverage their expertise to support Philippine startups and drive growth in the local tech landscape.

🔗 Source: Kaya Founders

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Venture Partner programs represent a strategic evolution in Southeast Asian VC

Kaya’s expansion of its Venture Partner program reflects a broader maturation of venture capital models in emerging Southeast Asian markets like the Philippines.

This shift comes as the Philippine startup ecosystem valuation has grown significantly, with reports indicating it could reach $15 billion by 2030 from just $2 billion in 2025 1.

Venture Partner networks have become increasingly important as firms seek to differentiate themselves in competitive funding environments and provide value beyond capital—a response to the challenging startup landscape where entrepreneurs face the highest business registration costs in Southeast Asia at 23.3% of GNI per capita 2.

For Philippine startups particularly struggling with regulatory bottlenecks and limited funding diversity, these cross-functional networks of seasoned operators provide critical guidance through complex growth challenges 3.

By recruiting leaders with global experience at organizations like Google DeepMind, PayPal, and PropertyGuru, Kaya is building connections between the local ecosystem and international resources, addressing a key challenge identified in ecosystem reports.

2️⃣ Regional expansion beyond Manila creates new opportunities for tech investment

Kaya’s diverse Venture Partner roster, including specialists across various regions and sectors, aligns with a documented trend toward regional diversification in the Philippine startup ecosystem.

Recent reports specifically highlight the growth of startup activity beyond Metro Manila, with regional innovation hubs emerging as significant contributors to the ecosystem’s overall development 4.

Recent Kaya Founders developments