Local digital startups under the portfolio of Kickstart Ventures, Inc., a wholly-owned venture capital firm of Globe Telecom, are expected to benefit significantly from the recently announced partnership among the startup innovation arms of Singtel (Singtel Innov8), Orange (Orange Fab), Deutsche Telekom (hub:raum) and Telefónica (Telefónica Open Future).
The four telecom giants have joined forces to bridge the start-up ecosystems across Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East with the aim of catalyzing the growth of eligible start-ups and launching them beyond their respective home markets.
“We are excited over this development since this global mutual support network is especially relevant to our own startups which have global growth aspirations. Singtel, Orange, Deutsche Telecom, and Telefonica are a formidable partnership covering all of the planet. We couldn’t have better telecom partners to start a global journey with,” said Minette Navarrete, President of Kickstart.
She added: “It is Kickstart’s role to build bridges to enable close and relevant engagement between the business community and the startup founders. Thus, working with other incubation and investment companies drives that goal forward, fostering collaboration and creating a startup community that goes not only beyond the Philippines’ borders but even beyond Southeast Asia.”
Kickstart currently has 22 portfolio companies with various products and services encompassing SaaS (Software as a Service), e-commerce, social impact, digital lifestyle, FinTech, and HealthTech, several of which have already ventured to other countries.
The partnership benefits are available to startups supported by hub:raum, Orange Fab, Telefónica Open Future and Singtel Innov8, as well as all members of Innov8 Sparks – a network of start-up support and funding initiatives across Southeast Asia, founded by members of the Singtel Group including Kickstart.
Select startups will have the opportunity to tap the resources and network of the said telecom leaders. This includes market insights, introductions to partners, use of co-working spaces and access to the companies’ operating businesses as well as gain access to all operators’ collective mobile customer base of over one billion people across the globe.
