The Philippine startup landscape continues to mature, with founders solving complex challenges across finance, logistics, health, and agriculture. As the ecosystem expands, the need for stronger infrastructure becomes clearer. Talent pipelines, digital skills, regional innovation hubs, and government-backed support systems are now essential for the country’s next stage of growth.
To help accelerate this momentum, Gobi Partners, an Asia-focused venture capital firm, signed two significant Memorandums of Understanding with the National Development Company (NDC) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) at Philippine Startup Week. These agreements signal a new era of collaboration aimed at strengthening the foundations of the country’s startup ecosystem. Both DICT and NDC are key supporters of the Philippine Startup Ecosystem Report 2025: The Next Wave of Innovation.
The first MOU was signed with the National Development Company (NDC), represented by General Manager Saturnino Mejia. The partnership strengthens support for the Philippine Innovation Hub (iHub), launched in April 2025 as a collaborative platform for government and the private sector to stimulate economic growth. The MOU will introduce initiatives that promote innovation, financial inclusion, and founder development across key regional locations.
Gobi and NDC will support iHub through the following measures:
1) Support the hub by facilitating mentorship, training, incubation, and community-building for startup founders.
2) Developing a Fund of Funds to invest in innovative enterprises
3) Strengthening innovation and entrepreneurship programs in key regional locations in the country
The second MOU was signed with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), represented by Secretary Henry Aguda, Undersecretary Leandro Angelo Aguirre, and Assistant Secretary Atty. Celine Dee. The partnership focuses on skills development, employability, and capacity building to prepare Filipino startups for both local and international competitiveness.
1) New capacity-building initiatives
2)Competency and employability development
3) Upskilling and reskilling programmes tailored to specific industries
4) Partnerships that promote job creation, job matching, and talent placement
In a statement, Carlo Chen-Delantar, Partner and Head of ESG at Gobi, said, “We are very pleased about these new opportunities to strengthen the Philippines’ startup ecosystem with major stakeholders like the National Development Company and the Department of Information and Communications Technology. By working closely together on specific targets, including skills development, we expect to prepare Philippines’ startups to compete on both a regional and global scale.”
Thomas G. Tsao, the Co-founder and Chairman of Gobi, said, “Gobi’s mission is to support emerging ecosystems throughout Asia, enabling them to become stronger and more resilient. Our two new MOUs with the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the National Development Company underscore that our commitments extend beyond capital. We are building the foundation of the startup ecosystem in the Philippines. We are excited to embark on these two important new partnerships.”