Raya Buensuceso is Managing Director of Kaya Founders, a Philippine early-stage investment firm and venture enabler. Apart from Kaya, she's also the Manila Chapter Lead of SoGal Foundation.

👋🏼 How would you explain your job to someone outside tech?

I work at a new venture enabler called Kaya Founders, which aims to nurture the next generation of Filipino entrepreneurs.

As Managing Director (and employee no. 1), I have built the foundations of Kaya from the ground up. Apart from "running the shop," much of my time is focused on recruitment and overseeing our research and venture development process.

🧐 What's something about you or your job that would surprise us?

I don't come from a traditional tech or VC background. In fact, prior to joining Kaya, I was working in a totally different sector: project finance.

Though seemingly different, there are a lot of parallels between my old job and what I'm doing now. I spent my time preparing feasibility studies and figuring out how to make hard infrastructure projects bankable.

Now at Kaya, I work with our founders to turn their ideas into viable, scalable software businesses. In infrastructure and tech, at least in the Philippines, the main challenge is building a pipeline of investment-ready projects and ventures to capitalize on ample investor interest.

🏆 What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

Working with our partners to bring Kaya to life! Kaya actually began as a pandemic passion project, born out of a sense of helplessness and the urge to do something to contribute to the recovery and development of the Philippines post-pandemic.

More than anything, I am proud of all the ventures we have helped bring to fruition over the past two years (over ten now!).

🔍 What's a startup trend or space you're watching this year?

Even as VC faces a downturn globally, I'm very optimistic about the future of the Philippine tech scene and am confident that the momentum will continue this year after the blockbuster year that was 2021.

I'm excited to see more startups emerge beyond the "iron triangle" of fintech, eCommerce and logistics — particularly in more impact-oriented sectors such as education, healthcare and labor.

💼 What advice would you give someone starting out in your industry?

Build on and leverage your personal networks. VC can be an intimidating field, especially for someone very young, but your former classmates and friends can be the best source of talent and deal flow.

🗣 What's one thing you can keep talking about for hours?

The importance of investing in women and other underrepresented founders. At Kaya, we embrace founders from all backgrounds and believe that the world's stickiest problems will not be solved by those from an ivory tower but by those closest to realities on the ground.

🎥 What's your favorite movie/TV show?

Parts Unknown by the late Anthony Bourdain — the best source of travel escapism while borders were shut!

🍨 What's your go-to ice cream flavor?

Cereal milk from Milk Bar in NYC. In the Philippines, Carmen's Best's malted milk.🥛