Kaya Founders to Put the Spotlight on PH Startups in Stanford University-Led Panel

The Philippine startup ecosystem is set to take center stage in a panel discussion led by Stanford University, with Paulo Campos of Kaya Founders joining the roster of speakers. The discourse, titled “The Startup Ecosystem of the Philippines: Current Trends and Opportunities,” will provide insights on the ways forward for the country’s startup landscape.

Campos, founding managing partner at the early-stage investment firm Kaya Founders, is expected to bring his wealth of experience in entrepreneurship as one of three distinguished speakers in the panel. Concurrently a founding partner at Pulse 63 Healthcare Ventures, he invests in startups involved in digital health, e-commerce, and financial technology, and has established himself as one of the thought leaders in the industry.

Before venturing into the startup scene, Campos co-founded ZALORA Philippines, which has become one of the well-known online shopping platforms in the country. He gained his consulting and management expertise when he started his career at Ayala Land, Inc. and The Boston Consulting Group. Campos is an alumnus of both Harvard Business School and Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

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For Campos, Kaya Founders' participation in the panel is an opportunity for the Philippine startup ecosystem to present and market itself to the international market.

“What I’d like to impart to the global audience is that we are in a very specific window of opportunity, with Southeast Asia’s defining companies to [be] built over the next [five to 10] years,” Campos told an interview. “The Philippines is particularly the most exciting venture ecosystem in the world right now, thanks to favorable macroeconomic and demographic factors, as well as [the] thriving enabling ecosystem. Investors and founders alike should be paying attention."

Joining Campos in the panel are two other key entrepreneurs and investors, namely Fourth Realm VC’s co-founder and general partner Kendrick Geluz Kho and Alquemie Ventures LLC’s principal Christina Laskowski. 

Kho, a first-generation Filipino immigrant and Stanford University alumnus, is known for his expertise in Applied AI. With a $20-million portfolio, he invests in companies like SpaceX, Universal Hydrogen, and Stoke Space. Laskowski, on the other hand, is an experienced strategy and transformational professional, who has led non-profit efforts for startups in the Philippines. She previously helmed VMware, Inc. and FBR Capital Markets.

With an exceptional lineup of speakers — each an expert in their own field — the discussion is expected to offer varying perspectives that could shape the future of startups in the country.  These include the trends and opportunities in the entrepreneurial landscape, which are relevant to the Silicon Valley.

The talk, part of Stanford University’s course "Entrepreneurship in Asian High-Tech Industries," will take place on Wednesday, May 29, at 7:30 a.m. (Philippine time).