IGNITE X 2026 / The pitch stage
One Philippine startup will represent the country in San Francisco and compete for a $1M investment prize.
Startup World Cup / 2026
The approved 2026 judging panel — more judges to be announced.
Partner
TA Ventures
Richard Armstrong is a Partner at TA Ventures, where he leads the firm’s investments across Asia and the US. TA Ventures has backed 17 unicorns, including SumUp and DeepL. Richard’s personal investment portfolio includes Anthropic, xAI, Rainmaker, Superpower, and Corgi, among others. He is an active angel investor with investments worldwide, with a particular focus on technology, AI, and emerging markets.
Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Foxmont Capital Partners
Franco Varona is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Foxmont Capital Partners, one of the first institutional venture funds established in the Philippines. Under his leadership, Foxmont has grown to ~$50M in assets under management across three funds, backing more than 40 active portfolio companies and helping create income opportunities for nearly 500,000 Filipinos.
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Kaya Founders
Co-founder and former CEO of ZALORA Philippines. Prominent angel investor and venture capital leader actively funding high-impact digital ventures across Southeast Asia through Kaya Founders.
Senior Advisor for Investments
UnionBank of the Philippines
William "Billy" Valtos, Jr. is Senior Advisor for Investments at UnionBank of the Philippines, where he leads strategic investments, M&A, and partnerships. He brings extensive cross-border experience across the Philippines, Japan, Silicon Valley, Hong Kong, and Singapore, with expertise in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, venture capital, private equity, and strategic finance. He previously served as CEO of DBS Bank’s investment banking affiliate in the Philippines. Over his 24 years with the firm, he led the investment banking, venture capital, and asset management business units.
Managing Partner and Founder
Kickstart Ventures
Dan is Managing Partner and Founder of Kickstart Ventures, the corporate venture capital firm of one of Southeast Asia’s leading telecom companies. He also concurrently supports Globe in M&A activities, which have included acquisitions of Yondu (formerly Entertainment Gateway Group) and Bayan Telecommunications. Dan’s career track has mostly been in global tech-related companies, particularly in telecommunications, personal portable computers, and over a decade in tech venture investing with JAFCO Asia, with senior-level stints in key global markets including the US, Japan, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Australia.
Managing Partner, Head of the Philippines
TNB Aura
David, Managing Partner at TNB Aura, covers the Philippines market and assists the team with due diligence, deal sourcing in the startup ecosystem, and other portfolio value adding activities. TNB Aura has been actively involved in the ecosystem, and David plays a crucial role on the ground as the market approaches maturity, especially with an uptick in venture activities in the Philippines in recent years.
Apply to Startup World Cup Philippines 2026 and take your venture toward the global pitch stage.
Application deadline
October 26, 2026
Scan to apply
Deadline: October 26, 2026
The SWC Philippine Regional Finalist lineup will be announced on November 3, 2026.
Announcement date
November 3, 2026
Startup World Cup Philippines 2026
Finalists announced: November 3, 2026
