Who we are
We're a Manila-based open innovation agency and startup ecosystem accelerator dedicated to creating environments that give birth to founders and ventures building the future of South East Asia.
Transforming ecosystems & Accelerating Ventures
Through a comprehensive suite of services—including expert mentorship, an extensive network of venture capital firms & industry partners, and hands-on guidance—Launchgarage engages founders, ventures, and ecosystems to refine business models, sharpen strategies, and bring transformative technologies to market.
Launchgarage also collaborates with local and international government agencies, development organizations, and private enterprise to establish and nurture thriving innovation ecosystems. By serving as a collaborative hub for entrepreneurs, digital creatives, and tech enthusiasts, Launchgarage fosters an environment where bold ideas intersect with practical, real-world support, creating the perfect conditions for ambitious founders to learn, grow, and collaborate.
Meet the Team
Jojo Flores
Jay Fajardo
Abe Lozada
Dondon Cabacuñgan
Our Story: The Birth of an Ecosystem
In 2011, the 1st ever Startup Weekend Manila gave birth to a nascent startup community that would nurture a new breed of Philippine entrepreneurs eager to build and launch tech-enabled ventures in the mold of the thriving startup hubs around the world.
Organized by Manila based agile software agency PROUDCLOUD, and telco giant GLOBE's New Business Group, the 3-day hackathon was designed to give would-be founders the experience of ideating, team-sourcing, and venture building over one intensive weekend. The goal was to catalyze the birth of tech-startups in Manila nd the rest of the country.
2 more Startup Weekends Manila were organized over the next 2 years, while Proudcloud and the Globe-NBG, now spun-off as KICKSTART VENTURES set out to create an acceleration platform that would fill the funding and guidance gap, now that enthusiastice founders were starting to emerge from the fledgling ecosystem.
The 1st Philippine Startup Accelerator
From 2012 to 2013, Launchgarage accelerated a total of 8 startups across two cohorts, in verticals ranging from mobilty, edtech, traveltech, enterprise workflow, and lifestyle.
Each startup received an investment of $30,000, guidance from industry and innovation experts from around the globe, and went through the first structured Lean Startup program ever implemented in the Philippines.
"The key to EXPONENTIAL INNOVATION lies in exceptionally bright and driven people, gathered in one place, collaborating together."
-- Jay Fajardo, Managing Director
A Venue Where Ideas Take Shape
After the 2nd cohort, Launchgarage paused the program-based acceleration, observing the slow growth of startups coming out of the fledgling ecosystem.
Noting the role physical hubs played in the creation of innovation ecosystems throughout Latin America, the MENA region, Africa, and South east Asia, Jay Fajardo was convinced that a gathering place where builders and change-makers cloud meet, might be the venue for startup creation at the grass-roots.
In 2015, Jay Fajardo and Plug and Play co-founder Jojo Flores, opened an innovation hub where founders, investors, creatives, and change-makers, would meet and collaborate with like-minded people in the community.
Meanwhile, the KICKSTART team has grown to become the Philippine's largest and foremost venture capital firm, as the ecosystem matures and the need for later-stage investing had started to emerge.
Contact Us
Launchgarage Innovation Hub, Level 2 Industria Mall, Circulo Verde, Calle Industria, Bgy. Bagumbayan, Quezon City, 1110Mon-Fri, 7am-6pm+63 2 7004 9015
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