AHG Lab, the independent venture builder in the Philippines, has secured a total of $4 million in Pre-Series A funding aimed at fueling the growth of the venture builder, its portfolio of ventures and programs, and the wider startup ecosystem.

AHG Lab said in a statement on Friday that the funding round was backed by investors that align with the company’s goal of empowering Filipino entrepreneurs.

According to the statement, the investors of this round includes a United States family office and two Filipino family offices: the Rufino Family and David Leechiu.

In addition, venture capital and investment funds from the United States have also participated in the round including Seaborne Capital and Imagine If Partners.

Lastly, a network of Filipino, American, and European angels that have invested in earlier rounds have also participated.

“The funds raised will bolster our venture-building efforts by strengthening our operational, strategic, and funding support for our 10+ startups – with more in the pipeline being incubated as we expand to more verticals and geographies,” AHG Lab Chief Executive Officer Rene Cuartero said.

Additionally, he said the capital will expand the firm’s support in founder-focused programs like Founders Launchpad, its ongoing hands-on incubator and accelerator program.

Finally, he said these funds will pave the way for its service organizations, providing crucial operational, finance, compliance, product, tech, and marketing support for Philippine startups, forming an essential part of the startup ecosystem’s backbone.

Cuartero highlighted that these are rooted on AHG Lab’s unique approach as a venture builder which resonated with startups, founders, and investors alike.

He said AHG Lab remains committed to their comprehensive and hands-on founder support, spanning industry-specific strategic advisory up to providing dedicated operational teams to run back-office and tech requirements of portfolio companies.

More importantly, he said AHG Lab has worked and believes in fostering an agile environment and a supportive community of founders and leaders, encouraging collaboration in addressing business challenges, seeking partnerships, and acquiring customers.

AHG Lab is a venture studio in the Philippines that gives entrepreneurs unparalleled end-to-end strategic, commercial, and back-end operational support so that startups and founders can focus on building their venture.

To date, the firm’s impressive portfolio features diverse ventures with traction in various industries, led by driven founders and leaders.

Among these companies are startups that have closed their Angel and Seed rounds showcasing value creation for the venture builder and its investors.

These include Shoppable Business, a business to business (B2B) wholesale supplier and distributor marketplace showing double-digit growth in revenue; GoGym, a tech-enabled affordable gym business now with four locations; DOON, a peer-to-peer car-sharing marketplace; and Founders Launchpad, an incubator aimed at supporting startups and its
founders now running its first cohort with six promising startups.

According to the statement, the funds raised for an independent venture builder highlights the fact that there is a strong investor interest in the Philippines.

“We’ve tapped an investor base that believes in the potential of the Philippines,

“They recognize the Philippines’ strong up trending macros, our mobile-intensive demographic, and with local solutions’ potential for quick expansion due to our English-speaking population,” said Cuartero.

AHG Lab said that the firm will continue to help startups to address key operational challenges, enabling ventures in their portfolio to focus on product-market fit, customer pain points, and business stability for scaling.

It said this was the cornerstone of the company’s fundraising efforts which echoed with investors, recognizing that venture builders who tackle and understand these startup challenges contribute to higher startup growth and success.

“Beyond investments, we are composed of a team of former founders and operators that understand the power of community and the pain points that startups face and solve day-to-day,

“This is what gives us a more unique and deeper empathy for founders, which motivates us toward our mission of building and supporting the ecosystem,” said Cuartero.

Other than fund raising, AHG Lab reckoned that startups need to be aware and understand the operational challenges of starting, managing, and scaling a business in order to overcome them, and that is something the firm is well-equipped and designed for – and what it aims to deliver to its portfolio and the wider startup ecosystem.

Ten Filipino startups complete the 917Ventures Accelerator Program by 500 Global