Makati, Philippines, 14 July 2020 – The Manila Angel Investors Network (MAIN) and Investing in Women, an initiative of the Australian Government, have partnered to improve access to early stage capital for women’s SMEs in the Philippines and to support more women to become business angel investors. This investment partnership will play an important role to stimulate economic recovery for long-term resilience in Metro Manila and across the country.
Through the partnership, MAIN has committed to catalyse investments into at least 10 early-stage and high-growth women’s SMEs. The angel network will also run a business acceleration program to improve the investment readiness of women’s SMEs, as well as provide post-investment support to scale their operations. Leveraging the strength of its member base, MAIN will increase and diversify the Philippines’ pool of angel investors, as well mobilise angel investment and build in a Gender-Lens investment approach. A formal launch of the partnership will take place in the near future, as conditions permit.
“There are not enough women angel investors in the Philippines. This is despite the strong representation of women at senior levels of Philippines businesses. Our partnership with Investing in Women will help us to engage more of these women leaders to finance and mentor female start-up founders,” says Mr Francisco Dennis Manzano, President of MAIN. “Connecting their experience with the women founders who are just starting their entrepreneurial journey will unleash the immense entrepreneurial potential of the Philippines. It is an opportunity which has been estimated could add USD 40 billion to our economy each year. In this critical time, bolstering support for female startup founders is more relevant than ever. Investing in innovative high-growth businesses at the early stage is critical in driving economic activity, developing new products that create jobs and power growth.”
“This partnership is geared towards closing the financing gap experienced by women-led businesses in the Philippines. Encouraging more women to gain influence in growing businesses through participation in investment deals and sharing of their expertise are critical. Our collaboration with MAIN will enable more women not only to run businesses, but own businesses too. Gender lens investment opportunities at the early stage are catalytic drivers of broader economic growth in the Philippines,” said Julia Newton-Howes, CEO of Investing in Women.
If you are interested in joining MAIN, or learn more about angel investing as well as the network’s gender lens-related activities, please send an email to info@main.ph.
Media Contact
IRIS GOKEELAO, Partnership Coordinator, Impact Investing, Investing in Women, +63 2 5304 9153, iris.gokeelao@iwa.asia.