Jay Fajardo: Philippines Founder Exit, Startup Community Hubs, AI Disrupting BPO & Services - E515

Jay Fajardo, Executive Director of IdeaSpace & QBO and Jeremy Au discussed 1. Philippines Founder Exit: Jay’s journey into tech began in 1983, when his father gifted him a Sinclair ZX81 computer, inspiring him to teach himself programming. By 15, he developed payroll software that he sold to a distributor, marking his entry into entrepreneurship. In the late 1990s, as technology director at BusinessWorld, he led its transition to the web, making it the first Philippine news outlet online. He later founded Airborne Access in 2002, deploying Wi-Fi to over 700 locations across the Philippines. The company was acquired by PLDT in 2008, demonstrating Jay’s ability to innovate and scale in an emerging market. 2. Startup Community Hubs: They discussed the Philippines’ potential as a tech hub, supported by its 114 million population and strong English fluency. Despite these advantages, the country struggled to attract venture capital in its early days compared to Indonesia. Jay highlighted foundational efforts like Roof Camp (2009) and the first Startup Weekend (2011) in Manila, which helped create a vibrant startup community. Initiatives such as IdeaSpace Ventures (founded in 2013) and Kubo fostered innovation through funding and education. The diaspora played a crucial role, with Filipino professionals from Silicon Valley returning to share global expertise, while challenges like brain drain persisted. 3. AI Disrupting BPO & Services: AI emerged as a pivotal theme, with its potential to disrupt the $30 billion BPO sector, which employs 1.3 million people. Jay advocated for local startups to develop AI-driven solutions to replace and improve existing systems. The conversation also touched on the pandemic’s impact, which accelerated digital payment adoption and fostered hyperlocal businesses such as cloud kitchens. Despite challenges like limited middle-management talent and ongoing migration of skilled workers abroad, Jay remained optimistic about the ecosystem’s ability to adapt and innovate. Jeremy and Jay also touched on the increasing focus on follow-on funding for mature startups, niche applications of AI, and opportunities for local startups to exit through acquisitions or stock exchange listings. They reflected on early-stage startups as key to reinvigorating the ecosystem and Jay’s experience balancing entrepreneurship with family life. === Watch, listen or read the full insight at www.bravesea.com/blog/philippines-startup-community Nonton, dengar atau baca wawasan lengkapnya di www.bravesea.com/blog/philippines-startup-community 观看、收听或阅读全文，请访问 www.bravesea.com/blog/philippines-startup-community Xem, nghe hoặc đọc toàn bộ thông tin chi tiết tại www.bravesea.com/blog/philippines-startup-community Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea Spotify English: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TnqkaWpTT181lMA8xNu0T Bahasa Indonesia: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Vs8t6qPo0eFb4o6zOmiVZ Chinese: https://open.spotify.com/show/20AGbzHhzFDWyRTbHTVDJR Vietnamese: https://open.spotify.com/show/0yqd3Jj0I19NhN0h8lWrK1 YouTube English: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyAu?sub_confirmation=1 Apple Podcast English: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/brave-southeast-asia-tech-singapore-indonesia-vietnam/id1506890464 Learn more about Nika.eco! Reach out to [email protected] if you are a geospatial data scientist or climate researcher who is interested to partner on a pilot or research opportunities