Rene Cuartero is the Co-Founder and CEO of AHG Lab – the largest independent venture studio in the Philippines that empower entrepreneurs and enrich ecosystems. With extensive experience in leadership roles at multinational companies such as P&G, Deutsche Bank, and Morgan Stanley Capital International, Rene also made a significant impact with the Red Cross and Child and Youth Finance International, scaling operations to 150 countries. Finally, Rene shares how the pandemic inspired his return to the Philippines, where he founded AHG Lab. Under his leadership, it has grown into the country’s largest independent venture studio, empowering tech founders and startups through accelerator programs, services, and ecosystem funds to foster growth and innovation across Southeast Asia.

Guaya Melgar, CEO/Co-Founder, and Adrian Co, CTO, share their journeys leading up to co-founding Mochi, a receivables management platform designed to improve billing and collections. Pete discusses his early self-taught coding experiences and forming a dev group, which led him to Proudcloud and later to Logitech. Meanwhile, Guaya reflects on her first startup, Vesl, which addressed credit access for small businesses, and how these experiences prepared her for Mochi’s creation. They both recount their initial meeting and partnership, explaining the intensive early product testing and the decision to build Mochi using TypeScript and Next.js for scalability, and Foxmont’s early investment that helped them launch. They share candid insights on navigating funding challenges, product bugs, and finding validation in their first paying customer, all while building a strong co-founder relationship based on transparency and resilience. 

Jay Olos, Founder and CEO of OneCFO, takes us through his path from humble beginnings to becoming a financial leader in the tech industry. He introduces OneCFO, his platform designed to make CFO services accessible to SMEs and startups and recounts his early entrepreneurial experiences, underscoring the grit and resilience instilled by his upbringing. Jay shares his journey from auditor to tech professional, explaining what inspired him to become an angel investor. He highlights his role in a NASDAQ exit and emphasizes the importance of CFOs in helping startups succeed financially. Reflecting on his time as CFO at GCash and PayMongo, he discusses his contributions to fundraising and scaling operations. Now, as CEO, Jay envisions OneCFO making financial guidance accessible to businesses of all sizes.

Tina Amper, a pioneer in the Philippine startup ecosystem, shares her inspiring journey. Tina discusses how she founded Geeks On A Beach as a way to give back to the community and foster innovation in the tech space. She recounts her upbringing in Cebu, early exposure to government work, and her academic experience studying engineering at USC San Carlos before moving to the US. Tina’s career in tech began with her work on integrated circuits for the space industry, which led to navigating the challenges of adapting to US corporate culture. She also reflects on her time at Siemens and Western Digital, where she balanced an intense global tech career with her MBA studies. Finally, Tina shares insights on building Cebu’s tech community, growing Geeks On A  Beach, and offers advice for female founders on resilience, grit and long-term vision.

Macy Castillo is the Co-Founder and CEO of Enstack - an app that helps small businesses set up online stores, manage payments and handle shipping seamlessly. With a background in banking and tech, she significantly advanced e-commerce in the Philippines through her work with Zalora and Shopee. Launched in 2021, Enstack transforms SME operations by consolidating order management, inventory tracking, shipping, payments, and finances into one platform, addressing the crucial challenge of payment collection and enabling merchants to sell anytime, anywhere. Enstack, after securing $3 million in Series A funding from Mangrove Capital Partners, now serves over 200,000 SMEs with versatile tools for both online and offline commerce and officially launched Q42022. Macy also encourages female founders to cultivate resilience, grit, and a focus on long-term success.