Kaya Founders Targeting to Raise Investments Totaling $25M

Philippines-based venture capital firm Kaya Founders has announced the second close of its two latest funds to support the next generation of technology startups across Southeast Asia. With this development, the total committed capital of its new funds has reached PHP1 billion ($18 million), increasing the firm's total assets under management (AUM) to PHP1.25 billion ($22.5 million). Among the investors participating in the funding round are Singapore-based Pavilion Capital, Gabriel and Geraldine Sunshine of Boston-based hedge fund Bracebridge Capital, and Concentric Equity Partners, along with family offices, high-net-worth individuals, and established entrepreneurs. Kaya Founders aims to raise PHP1.4 billion ($25 million) across two new funds dedicated to investing in early-stage startups in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

Established in 2021, Kaya Founders has already built a portfolio of 44 companies spanning various sectors, including eCommerce, software as a service, healthcare, financial services, agriculture, and more. The new funds, named the "Zero to One" and "One to Ten" funds to reflect the stages they focus on, aim to support an additional 30-40 startups in the Philippines and Southeast Asia over the next four years.

Some notable investments made by Kaya Founders include eCommerce enabler Etaily, cloud logistics platform Locad, salary on-demand provider Advance, global plastic credits marketplace Plastic Credit Exchange, and microinsurance platform RuralNet. Behind Kaya Founders are prominent technology operators and investors from the Philippines, including Paulo Campos (Co-founder and Former Chief Executive Officer of ZALORA Philippines), Ray Alimurung (former Chief Executive Officer of Lazada Philippines), and Lisa Gokongwei-Cheng (Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Summit Media).