Keenan Ugarte

The Independent Investor is a digital newsroom covering early-stage businesses across emerging economies. We are a young team of writers, investors, and entrepreneurs who believe that accurate reporting and radical transparency are essential to supporting the future of business in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. We believe there should be more to enterprise journalism than reportage on conglomerate and later-stage enterprises. We aim to be bold and unconventional in our coverage, shining a light on the founders and investors often overlooked by traditional channels. Our mission is to find the most interesting grassroots stories from the Philippine early-stage ecosystem, and to share them with the world.

Were the biggest fully-owned laundry player in the Philippines, with over 68 branches across Metro Manila, Palawan, and Siargao. Our two brands, Weclean and Metropole, combine laundry and technology to serve half a million customers every year.

Point Blue is founded on the unwavering belief that five star design and property management are achievable at every price point in today’s rental market. ​ Our mission is to widen access to apartment living for Manila’s professionals without requiring them to sacrifice style and convenience. We address the housing needs of young professionals; creating sustainable, beautifully designed and master planned spaces where they can relax, thrive and commune with their peers. ​ We build our projects using material specifications and design inputs from the Philippines​ leading architects, designers, housing developers and contractors. We pair our design sense with the commitment to first class property management.

Cocopan’s mission is to help Filipinos power through their day by providing satisfying, affordable and accessible breads, coffee & pastries. Our vision is to be the Filipino’s favorite bakery chain with a goal of achieving 1000 stores by 2028

Poplar Homes is your lifetime real estate partner. We use innovative technology and careful human touch to streamline the renting process. Through our system, we are able to deliver unbeatable value in helping our rental owners and their residents achieve success in their entire real estate journey — from renting to buying and beyond. We are currently providing service to over 5,700 owners and 16,000 residents. We are now present in 15 metro areas across 8 states, including CA, WA, NV, CO, and TX. We continue to expand our service reach nationally. Based in Cupertino, CA, Greg Toschi, Rico Mok, and Chuck Hattemer founded Poplar Homes (formerly Onerent) in 2014. To know more about the trending topics for owners and renters and important industry news, visit our Insights Page www.poplarhomes.com/blog/ Apply today: https://jobs.lever.co/onerent

The Independent Investor is a digital newsroom covering early-stage businesses across emerging economies. We are a young team of writers, investors, and entrepreneurs who believe that accurate reporting and radical transparency are essential to supporting the future of business in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. We believe there should be more to enterprise journalism than reportage on conglomerate and later-stage enterprises. We aim to be bold and unconventional in our coverage, shining a light on the founders and investors often overlooked by traditional channels. Our mission is to find the most interesting grassroots stories from the Philippine early-stage ecosystem, and to share them with the world.

Were the biggest fully-owned laundry player in the Philippines, with over 68 branches across Metro Manila, Palawan, and Siargao. Our two brands, Weclean and Metropole, combine laundry and technology to serve half a million customers every year.

DayOne Capital Ventures is an independent Philippine based private holding company that partners with entrepreneurs across a wide range of industries, with a preference for tech enabled startups at the Seed/Pre-Series A stage. Beyond capital, our aim is to provide additional value through our existing relationships, local strategic insight, and potential synergies with existing portfolio companies.