Homegrown business-to-business (B2B) software-as-a-service (SaaS) company and HR tech leader Sprout Solutions launches “IMPACT ’23: The PH SaaS Challenge” in partnership with Kaya Founders, an early-stage investment firm in the country that backs visionary entrepreneurs in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.
IMPACT ’23: The PH B2B SaaS Challenge is a startup accelerator challenge designed to uncover the next wave of innovative B2B solutions from local and international early-stage startups. The program is jointly organized by Sprout, Kaya Founders, and in partnership with companies including Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Beeline.
With the power of digital transformation, Sprout and Kaya acknowledge that the accelerator program will be an opportunity to fast-track startup growth in the rapidly growing B2B SaaS market. The program will also provide startups an avenue for fresh ideas, narrow focus, and ambitions to scale up.
“In line with our North Star to impact the lives of every Filipino by improving business in the Philippines, this program provides an avenue where you can market your products or solutions, and drive transformational impact,” Patrick Gentry, chief executive officer and co-founder of Sprout, shared.
The program is open to innovative SaaS founders and startups that are either based in the Philippines with ambitions to expand internationally or international companies seeking to expand into the Philippines. Whether the team is in the pre-launch, pre-seed, or seed stages of your startup, they are welcome to join as long as their company does not exceed US$3,000,000 funding raised cumulatively since inception.
Interested participants can sign up until Dec. 9. Short-listed applicants will go through an eight-week program and receive mentorship, technical training, and platform access from Sprout, Kaya Founders, and other industry partners. The top three finalists will have the opportunity to share their ideas at SaaScon PH, the leading B2B SaaS conference in the Philippines.
Participants will get the rare chance to position their solutions for any of the three program categories: From Hire to Retire: Managing the Employee Life Cycle, which is open to solutions that help streamline the employee life cycle; The Future of SaaS: Enabling a Fintech-powered Landscape, which is the category for solutions that automate or take away barriers to financial transactions; and The Post-ERP Era is Here: What’s Next?, for solutions that automate or make key business processes more efficient.
“As disruptive technologies display unabated growth, SaaS-driven applications lie at the heart of digital transformation. Along with Sprout, we believe that B2B SaaS startups with best-in-class solutions will bring the next wave of digital transformation,” Paulo Campos, managing general partner at Kaya, said.
All short-listed participants will receive the following benefits: high-quality mentorship, cloud platform access, up to $5,000 AWS Credits, and high-impact media and networking visibility from Sprout, Kaya Founders, and B2B SaaS experts.
Meanwhile, the top three winners will receive stage time and booth space at SaaScon, a professionally produced demo video, up to $10,000 AWS Credits, and full flight payment and accommodations coverage in the Philippines.
Finally, the grand winner will be fast-tracked to Kaya Founders’ venture studio or fund, including up to US$100,000 in equity capital and strategic support, based on the last qualified fund-raising round (acceptance is optional).
Winners will also get the opportunity to present their solutions at the upcoming SaaScon PH on March 28, 2023, at the Manila Marriott Hotel, to an audience of 700 potential clients, investors, startups, and industry influencers. The event, also co-organized by Sprout and Kaya, promises to be the must-attend B2B SaaS event of 2023.
To join or know more details about Impact ’23, visit their website at www.saaschallenge.ph.
