Kickstart to unveil its fourth fund

MANILA  -The venture capital unit of Globe Telecom is planning to launch its fourth fund—which can be its biggest yet—to finance startups in transportation and agriculture spaces, among others, in less than 10 years.

Joan Yao, Kickstart Ventures vice president for investments, said in an event in Makati that the startup ecosystem and the venture capital market were “healthier than ever.”

“I think where the opportunity is, that is where capital goes,” she said, noting the rise of technology startups addressing human pain points.

The fourth fund, Kickstart Ventures president Minette Navarrete told reporters, could be double the amount of its latest portfolio but “it doesn’t need to be.”

The amount will depend on the demand for new funding from the startups, she explained.

Among the key areas of focus for investments are offline-to-online models, mobility solutions, food insecurity as well as technology addressing resource insecurity and climate change.

To be more specific, these are investments in e-commerce, health technology, electric vehicle charging stations, food tech, agri tech, supply chain technology, climate tech, renewable energy and battery storage.

“Wouldn’t it be great if we could create a more organized UV Express or bus network?” Yao said, suggesting the need to streamline such transportation services for ease of commuting.

Yao said they were doing more research on energy amid a looming energy crisis.

As such, a mid-term solution could be provided by startups given that massive energy infrastructure takes longer time to be established, Yao explained. INQ

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