Farmvocacy

The Startup Grant Fund (SGF) Program of the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) provides funding to support innovations from the academe and startup ecosystems that have the potential for commercialization. Farmvocacy, an AIM-DBI THINCOHORT 2021-2022 Startup alumnus, is the first climate fintech startup to receive this grant. Their project, “Digital Commodity Exchange,” aims to incentivize smallholder rice farmers in Mindoro to adopt climate-smart practices. The initiative will also enable these farmers to sell their rice directly to buyers at fair prices. Congratulations to the Farmvocacy team for this important milestone! Connect with us on social media: Facebook/LinkedIn: AIM-Dado Banatao Incubator Twitter/ Instagram: @aimdbi

Last March 26, I received a call from The Luxembourg House of Financial Technology (#LHoFT) to informing me that Farmvocacy has been selected among the top 15 fintech startups in the CAPATPULT: Inclusion SE Asia accelerator program. Before joining the 1st week of the program last April in Thailand, my focus was to solve the problem of smallholder farmers in the Philippines. Having the opportunity to connect with other founders from SE Asia, I learned that smallholder farmers in their country also share the same problem. These founders, whom I now consider lifelong friends, opened up my perspective about the potential of scaling our solution to other countries. I am grateful to all the people behind the #CATAPULTSEAsia especially to the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade for introducing us to mentors, partners, and investors in Europe. This is very important to a climate fintech startup like Farmvocacy knowing Europe's leadership and experience in sustainability and climate. The program helped me find a co-founder and connect with amazing startup founder friends who inspire me to dream big like them. The access to mentors, partners, and investors will be instrumental in scaling our business and impact. Finally, thank you for awarding #Farmvocacy the COUP DE COEUR Prize. We look forward to joining you next year at African Microfinance Week 2025.

I had the opportunity to explore the beautiful and historic city of #Luxembourg. 🚀 hashtag #CatapultSEAsia | Yesterday's sessions included impactful session on: ✅ Client-Centric Approach: Prioritising clients' needs and well-being builds trust and long-term relationships. ✅ Ethical Standards: Implementing ethical standards ensures fairness, transparency, and accountability in financial services. ✅ Inclusive Financial Solutions: Creating inclusive financial products caters to diverse demographics, including underserved and vulnerable populations. ✅ Sustainable Practices: Emphasising sustainability benefits clients and promotes environmental and social responsibility. ✅ Continuous Improvement: Ongoing assessment and improvement adapt financial services to changing client needs and industry trends. Excited today to attend a networking session to unwind and connect at #Nexus2050.Nexus2050 Luxembourg - the foremost conference for financial industry innovators. Don’t miss our catapulters presenting to the #Luxembourg industry at 12:00 PM tooday at hashtag #Nexus2050. 🚨 Don't miss Catapult's final pitch on June 28. Register now: https://lnkd.in/eD4YHDGM Attend Catapult's final pitch on June 28. Register now: https://lnkd.in/eD4YHDGM #CatapultSEAsia #FintechProgram #BusinessGrowth #LHoFT #LuxembourgCityTour Earnest Wong BlueDuck Ronica Pineda-Jones Global CreditPros, Ekko - Mads Werner, AIForesee - Agustinus Gladyawan Dwi Putra, Christian Limawan, Farmvocacy - Vincent Roy P. Mendoza, Fina Fintech - Souphaphone Souannavong, Jove Tapiador, InvestEd - Carmina Bayombong, Noburo Wealth-Being - Thisana Thitisakdiskul, Wahine Capital - Rejina Rahim Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade

🚀Last week, Farmvocacy was invited to join the 15 startups selected for the #Catapult: Financial Inclusion SE program in Bangkok, Thailand. This was my first time joining a startup program outside of the Philippines. As soon as I arrived at the hotel, imposter syndrome as a Founder started to kick in. I was thinking that they must have made a mistake. As the week progressed, I started to learn more about the purpose of the program and why The LHoFT - Luxembourg House of Financial Technology, and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Luxembourg designed and organized such a program. We were a perfect candidate to unlock financial inclusion in rural areas. Key takeaways for a climate fintech startup Founder like me include: 1st - Make sure that our business model is available, accessible, affordable, responsible, and relevant to smallholder rice (grain) farmers. 2nd - Realizing that other smallholder rice farmers in Southeast Asia share the same problem and that our solution may benefit not only Filipino Farmers but all rice farmers in the region. 3rd - Learning the importance of joining the alliance of digital finance and fintech associations in scaling and spreading the impact 4th - Reinforcement of importance of integrating climate action into our financial inclusion strategy 5th - that what we do matters and that we are not alone in our mission. Grateful to have met wonderful people (Founders, Mentors, Innovators) during the Thailand program. The next step, joining the 10 selected startups in Luxembourg this June. #CatapultFinancialInclusion #FintechAcceleration #LHoFT #ASEANFintechStartups #Luxembourg