Hustleshare

Jojo Gendrano, Senior Vice President and Head of Enterprise and International Business at PLDT Enterprise, shares his incredible journey from Wall Street to shaping the future of technology in the Philippines. From his early days as a self-proclaimed geek to landing a role at Goldman Sachs, Jojo takes us through the high-stakes world of investment banking, his leap into sales at Verizon, and his p...

Jessie Jiang, founder and CEO of Basically Borrowed, joins us to share her fascinating journey from chemistry student to journalist to impact-driven entrepreneur. From her early days navigating the intense academic world of Peking University to reporting for The New York Times and Time Magazine, Jessie’s career took an unexpected turn when she moved to Manila and identified a gap in sustainable fa...

Marvin and Jenny Galang, the powerhouse duo behind JuanTax, return to the show—this time with an exciting new chapter. Joining them is Ajay Gopal, co-founder and CEO of Jaz, to discuss their game-changing merger and what it means for the future of accounting and fintech in the Philippines. Ajay shares his unconventional journey from finance and product management in Silicon Valley to launching Tin...

Juca Lacsina, Co-founder and CEO of GoEden – pioneering startup revolutionizing the agricultural supply chain in the Philippines. Juca shares her journey from growing up in a rural farming family to earning scholarships at prestigious institutions like UPLB, Michigan State, and Rutgers, recounting how these experiences shaped her vision for GoEden. Juca also discusses the challenges farmers face,...

Charles Guinto and Leo Cabal, founders of The Lounge Booth – an elevated photo booth experience designed to capture unforgettable moments at special events. Meeting through Tumblr in the early 2010s, the duo turned a pandemic-era experiment at their friend Albert Posis’s wedding into a thriving business. What started as Charles filming the wedding video and Leo curating a distinctive photo booth c...

Allan Tan is the Founder and CEO of Predictive Systems – a cutting-edge AI and machine learning solutions company, shares his journey from Daet, Camarines Norte, to becoming a trailblazer in the Philippine tech startup scene. In this episode, Allan reflects on his early passion for computers, pivotal career moments, and the challenges of scaling Ideyatech, including bootstrapping, cash flow strugg...

Timothy Go is the Co-founder of Buildit , a tech-driven procurement platform transforming how construction supplies are sourced and purchased across the Philippines. He will discuss how his roots in his family’s construction supply business shaped his entrepreneurial journey and inspired his drive to digitize the industry. Tim recounts his career highlights, including roles at Chevron, Lazada, and...

Ron Hose is the Founder and CEO of Coins.ph – a blockchain-enabled platform providing financial services to over 10 million unbanked users, including remittances, bill payments, and online transactions. He will share his journey as a maker, the lessons learned from his early startups that didn’t succeed, and how he achieved his first startup acquisition. Ron will also discuss his transition into v...

David Almirol Jr. is the founder and CEO of Multisys Technologies Corporation, a premier IT solutions provider in the Philippines. David rose from humble roots to create a tech powerhouse acquired by the PLDT Group, overcoming grueling conditions in the Middle East and turning his passion for programming into success. He also shares his strategy for delivering scalable, cost-effective solutions th...

Kendrick Geluz Kho is the Founder & General Partner of Hyperparameter, an early-stage VC firm driving AI innovation in industries like healthcare, manufacturing, and finance. He previously founded Fourth Realm, where he invested in groundbreaking companies like SpaceX and Stripe, and served as Partner at Global Founders Capital, backing renowned startups such as Deel and Brex.  Kendrick s...

Jeremy Au is the COO of Lucence, a cancer diagnostics company that analyzes circulating tumor DNA from blood samples to help cancer patients find effective precision therapies. He is also the host of the Brave Podcast, a platform focusing on the Southeast Asian startup ecosystem through interviews with founders, venture capitalists and industry leaders. Jeremy shares his diverse career journe...

Gia Santos is a visionary entrepreneur and the co-founder of Bookspine. After a challenging journey through startup hell, she's back and ready to inspire. Gia’s story began at just 10 years old as a freelance writer and evolved through ventures in blogging, e-commerce, and health tech with her startup HeartSmart. In July 2020, during the height of the pandemic, Gia and her co-founder John Etchouse...

Michael Calma, Country Manager at Advance AI, introduces the company’s goal of enhancing financial inclusion by providing seamless identity verification and credit assessment tools powered by artificial intelligence. He reflects on his early hustles and learning programming in the 2000s, leading to key corporate roles, including his time at NEC where he acquired valuable hard skills. Transitioning...

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 Internati...

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 f...

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 pr...

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 te...

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...

Jeffrey Ong is the Co-founder and CEO of Mobee Group, a platform that facilitates car buying and selling in the Philippines. Jeffrey explains how Mobee serves both car owners and used car dealers by offering transparent pricing and ensuring seamless transactions. He discusses the growing demand for both new and used cars in the Philippines, driven by social mobility and poor public transportation....

Enrique Hormillo (CEO) and Miguel (Mixx) Locsin (COO) are the co-founders of DOON, a peer-to-peer car-sharing platform that transforms traditional rentals by linking car owners directly with renters. Enrique and Mixx share their rollercoaster journey from personal setbacks to raising $1.5 million in pre-seed funding to fuel growth and expansion, comprising $500,000 in equity and a $1 million debt...

Erika Aquino is the founder of M Squad, an organization dedicated to supporting women and minority-owned startups in the areas of sustainability, wellness, education and the future of work. Her career began with corporate roles at Shell, financial services, and as a PR manager at Mandarin Oriental before moving into the startup space with Lendo, where she played a key role in scaling the user base...

Michael Bantigue Walter Boo are the dynamic co-founders of Invesko, a Filipino-founded investment platform, Invesko's growth was driven by a $1.6 million seed round from regional VC firms in early 2023. The company allows investors to build diversified portfolios with minimal capital by offering fractional shares, SIPC protection, and instant portfolios, thus promoting financial growth and securit...

Georg Steiger is the CEO and Co-Founder of BillEase, a fintech company providing consumer loans and “Buy Now, Pay Later” services to the emerging middle class in the Philippines. Georg shares insights into how BillEase manages default risks and fosters customer loyalty, while drawing comparisons between the financial landscape of the Philippines and its neighboring markets. He recounts his career...

David Yao is the General Manager of Vertiv’s Manila Hub, a pivotal entity in delivering essential digital infrastructure and continuity solutions. Starting with his early influences and hustle lessons from his uncle, David’s path took him from studying architecture to becoming a pivotal figure in the tech industry. David recounts his time at Amazon, where he shifted from managing customer service...

Bianca Cruz Azurin is a leader in the future of work. Her passion for real estate and tech startups led her to flexible workspaces, where she expanded Acceler8 Coworking, earning it the title of Best Coworking Space for several years. She then moved into crypto and blockchain, driving business development at Moneybees and partnering with trusted names like Tambunting and Cebuana Lhuillier to make...