Hustleshare

Jan Alvin Pabellon - The Hustle Behind Smile API

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/ [https://www.getsmileapi.com/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpabellon/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpabellon/] Links/Sponsors: OneCFO: OneCFO [https://www.onecfoph.co/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Pam Belen - The Hustle Behind Umpisa

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 hub 00:10:13 – Origin story: from Alaminos, Laguna to leadership roles early on 00:16:18 – The skills that matter: treating people with respect, optimism, and sports discipline 00:21:27 – Why accountancy fundamentals are critical for every founder 00:30:41 – The pivot: from Big 4 accounting to Winston Damarillo's startup world 00:38:42 – Why Filipino founders must work in high-growth startups first before going all in 00:48:05 – The trigger to take the leap of starting her own company 00:56:38 – Finding the right co-founder: Dennis, the CTO who worked with Pam for 2 years first 01:02:54 – How Umpisa grew methodically: revenues, cashflow, execution, and the right people 01:10:14 – Growing and evolving as a leader and as an organization 01:22:31 – Mentors who shaped Pam’s entrepreneurial journey, in and out of Endeavor’s Scale Up 01:29:04 – 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 Belen Resources: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pambelen/ Website: https://umpisa.co Email: pam@umpisa.co Links/Sponsors: OneCFO: https://www.onecfoph.co/ PLDT Enterprise: https://pldtenterprise.com Hustleshare is powered by Podmachine Diamond Supporters: Sarisuki, PayMongo, SeekCap, Shoppable Business, Qapita, GoTyme Bank, Sprout Solutions, UNO Digital Bank ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Raphael Rey Bacolod - The Hustle behind ABA

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 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphael-rey-bacolod]  Website: https://www.workinaustria.com/en/ [https://www.workinaustria.com/en/]  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workinaustria [https://www.instagram.com/workinaustria]  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ABAWorkinAustria/ [https://www.facebook.com/ABAWorkinAustria/]  YouTube: https://youtube.com/@austrianbusinessagency [https://youtube.com/@austrianbusinessagency] Links/Sponsors: OneCFO: https://www.onecfoph.co/ [https://www.onecfoph.co/] Hustleshare is powered by Podmachine [https://www.podmachine.com/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The Real Hustle Behind 917Ventures: Leadership, Failure, Talent, and the Power of Velocity

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/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinceyamat/] Website: https://917ventures.com/ [https://917ventures.com/] Links/Sponsors: OneCFO: https://www.onecfoph.co/ [https://www.onecfoph.co/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Cristina Ibanez - The Hustle Behind Scale NCR

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/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcibanez/]  Facebook (Scale NCR): https://www.facebook.com/SCALENCR/ [https://www.facebook.com/SCALENCR/]  Website (Philippine Startup Week 2025): https://www.phstartupweek.com/ [https://www.phstartupweek.com/] Links/Sponsors: OneCFO: https://www.onecfoph.co/ [https://www.onecfoph.co/] Hustleshare is powered by Podmachine [https://www.podmachine.com/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.