Like any other startup, we started with an MVP and a pitch.

No marching orders. No top-down instruction. And like everyone else, no funds.

We imagined that we could create new pathways for innovation: one that leveraged the assets of our parent company, Globe Telecom, and Globe’s major shareholders SingTel and Ayala Corporation; but used them in previously unimagined ways to support startups who were doing pretty amazing things. We wanted to break through protocol and bureaucracy to accelerate collaboration between enterprises and startups. We wanted ecosystem-wide innovation: not corporate or startups, but corporate AND startups, together. There wasn’t a natural process for that, so we were going to create it.

In short, we were going to hack the system.

The internet provides a bunch of estimates for a three-year survival rate of startups. The numbers seem to converge on a 50-60% survival rate. By that token: so far, so good.

But none of us is in this to survive, right? The objective isn’t to “not fail” — the mission is to succeed, and to succeed well.

Our metrics are, like any investment outfit, to deliver a return on investment. A decent financial ROI. A healthy innovation ecosystem. An engaged community. Helping a bunch of startups make a great exit. Getting the Philippines on the global innovation map.

It’s way too early for a fantastic exit (the 2014 EY study suggests an average of seven years for an IPO or a trade sale), and we’ve lots to learn and #flearn. But the signs are good, and it’s been an awesome adventure.

We’re glad you’re here: there’s a lot more to do, and we’re thrilled to start, and venture onward, with you.