The Philippines’ startup ecosystem is poised for strong growth, thanks to the country’s rising GDP, fast adoption of online services and a new generation of founders. Launched by tech and investment veterans, Kaya Founders wants to back the most promising startups from the very beginning. The venture firm announced today that it has closed $12 million in funding across two new funds, bringing its total committed capital to $16.5 million, with a target of $25 million. The new funding was led by the Gokongwei family.
Kaya (which means “can do” in Tagalog) was founded in 2021 by former Zalora Philippines CEO Paulo Campos, Summit Media president Lisa Gokongwei-Cheng and Locad CEO Constantin Robertz. Both Gokongwei-Cheng and Robertz are prolific angel investors, and have backed startups like Good Glamm Group, Kumu, Dali and Edamama.
The firm now has 32 companies in its portfolio, including e-comme...
