Hustleshare

This week on Hustleshare, host Ron Baetiong sits down with Smile API co-founder Jan Pabellon to uncover how he bounced back from a failed first startup, taught himself tech, built his own dev shop, and discovered the massive credit data gap holding millions of Filipinos back. Jan also reveals what pushed him to become a founder again and how Smile API is now taking on one of the biggest challenges in Philippine financial inclusion.Resources Mentioned:Website: https://www.getsmileapi.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpabellon/Links/Sponsors:OneCFO: OneCFO

This week on Hustleshare, Ron Baetiong sits down with Pam Belen, Founder and CEO of Umpisa, to unpack how a CPA-turned-tech-founder is on a mission to make the Philippines recognized globally as a tech hub. Pam shares her journey from accountancy to winning a startup weekend in San Francisco, the fundamentals that keep Umpisa profitable and sustainable, and why Filipino founders need to stop putting bamboo ceilings on themselves.Ep Timeline:00:03:07 – Pam's hustle: leveling up the Philippines as a global tech hub00:10:13 – Origin story: from Alaminos, Laguna to leadership roles early on00:16:18 – The skills that matter: treating people with respect, optimism, and sports discipline00:21:27 – Why accountancy fundamentals are critical for every founder00:30:41 – The pivot: from Big 4 accounting to Winston Damarillo's startup world00:38:42 – Why Filipino founders must work in high-growth startups first before going all in00:48:05 – The trigger to take the leap of starting her own company00:56:38 – Finding the right co-founder: Dennis, the CTO who worked with Pam for 2 years first01:02:54 – How Umpisa grew methodically: revenues, cashflow, execution, and the right people01:10:14 – Growing and evolving as a leader and as an organization01:22:31 – Mentors who shaped Pam’s entrepreneurial journey, in and out of Endeavor’s Scale Up01:29:04 – How to achieve Umpisa’s ultimate goal"If you're going to have a co-founder, you have to make sure that you've worked with the person. At least give it a year, maybe two years. Because you won't know how the person deals with pressure unless you've been through it together." — Pam BelenResources:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pambelen/Website: https://umpisa.coEmail: pam@umpisa.coLinks/Sponsors:OneCFO: https://www.onecfoph.co/PLDT Enterprise: https://pldtenterprise.comHustleshare is powered by PodmachineDiamond Supporters: Sarisuki, PayMongo, SeekCap, Shoppable Business, Qapita, GoTyme Bank, Sprout Solutions, UNO Digital Bank

This week on Hustleshare, host Ron Baetiong sits down with Raphael Rey Bacolod, director of the Austrian Business Agency (ABA), who’s leading Austria’s push to recruit top Filipino talent in IT, engineering, and healthcare. Rafael shares how Filipinos can land jobs in Austria with no placement fees, bring their families, and enjoy world-class quality of life—just like his grandmother did when she became one of the first Filipino nurses there in 1974.Resources:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphael-rey-bacolod Website: https://www.workinaustria.com/en/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workinaustria Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ABAWorkinAustria/ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@austrianbusinessagency Links/Sponsors:OneCFO: https://www.onecfoph.co/Hustleshare is powered by Podmachine

This week on Hustleshare, Ron Baetiong sits down with Vince Yamat, CEO and Managing Director of 917Ventures, to unpack how the country’s top venture builder is reshaping Philippine innovation through people-first leadership, relentless experimentation, and a powerful ecosystem advantage. Vince shares the wins, failures, and bold new direction behind Velocity—917V’s program giving startups unprecedented access to Globe’s scale, data, and distribution.Resources:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinceyamat/Website: https://917ventures.com/Links/Sponsors:OneCFO: https://www.onecfoph.co/

This week on Hustleshare, host Ron Baetiong sits down with Cristina “Indo” Ibanez, president of Scale NCR and head of Miriam College’s Innovation Center. From growing up in a family of entrepreneurs to championing collaboration among university-based incubators, Indo shares how she’s turning classrooms into launchpads for the next wave of Filipino founders.Resources:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcibanez/ Facebook (Scale NCR): https://www.facebook.com/SCALENCR/ Website (Philippine Startup Week 2025): https://www.phstartupweek.com/Links/Sponsors:OneCFO: https://www.onecfoph.co/Hustleshare is powered by Podmachine

This week on Hustleshare, host Ron Baetiong sits down with Dave Del Rosario, Program Manager of DLSU Animo Labs and one of the unsung heroes behind Philippine Startup Week. From his early days as an intern at IdeaSpace to empowering innovators across Mindanao, Dave shares how his grassroots experience continues to shape the next generation of founders and drive inclusive growth within the Philippine startup ecosystem.Links/Sponsors:OneCFO: https://www.onecfoph.co/Hustleshare is powered by Podmachine

Kevin Brockland, Founder of Indelible Ventures, reveals the hard-earned lessons from the 2008 financial crisis that now fuel his venture capital success backing B2B tech startups across Southeast Asia. From small-town Missouri to Malaysia's dynamic startup scene, he unpacks the reality of impact investing, what makes companies truly investor-ready, and the keys to building resilient, scalable tech businesses in emerging markets.Links/Sponsors:OneCFO: The Philippines' leading fractional CFO services provider. https://www.onecfoph.co/Hustleshare is powered by Podmachine

In this episode, we sit down with Dennis Velasco, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Prosperna, an online marketing and e-commerce platform designed to empower small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and real estate professionals in the Philippines. Dennis shares his journey from growing up as an Asian-American in Texas to discovering entrepreneurship through his family’s businesses. He recalls his rise in Silicon Valley with companies like Salesforce, Cornerstone OnDemand, and Xero, and how launching a small business during the 2008 financial crisis shaped his entrepreneurial mindset. Ultimately, Dennis reveals what inspired him to return to the Philippines to found Prosperna, empowering SMEs to embrace e-commerce and digital growth.Links/Sponsors:OneCFO: https://www.onecfoph.co/Hustleshare is powered by Podmachine

In this episode of Hustleshare, we chat with Phil Renner, co-founder and CEO of Dr. Shiba, to share how a German-born McKinsey consultant turned his love for pets into one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing pet care brands. Phil breaks down how his multicultural upbringing shaped his hustle, why he bet on the Philippines’ booming e-commerce scene, and how Dr. Shiba became a go-to brand for pet parents across the region. He also talks about scaling from startup to multi-market player, the tough calls behind culture and hiring, and what it takes to build a proudly Filipino-led global brand from the ground up.Resources:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipprenner Website: https://dr-shiba.com Links/Sponsors:OneCFO: https://www.onecfoph.co/Hustleshare is powered by Podmachine