About Kickstart Ventures
Kickstart Ventures is a venture capital firm founded in 2012. It is primarily based out of Makati, Philippines. As of May 2026, Kickstart Ventures is an active investor, having invested in 67 companies, with 4 new investments in the last 12 months. It primarily invests in Seed round in Philippines based startups. Its investments are spread across a wide range of sectors from Enterprise Applications to Consumer and Retail. Most recently it participated in the $***** Seed round of Sprouts Overall, Kickstart Ventures portfolio has seen 2 unicorns and 6 acquisitions including key companies like Xendit, Coins.ph and Dialpad. A lot of funds co-invest with Kickstart Ventures, with names like Gentree sharing a substantial percentage of its portfolio. Kickstart Ventures has team of 11 people including 3 partners.Key Metrics
Team Members
Portfolio Sectors
Portfolio Locations
Rounds of Entry
Seed, Series A & 3 more
Portfolio Soonicorns
Deals in last 12 months
Kickstart Ventures' List of Top Investments
Kickstart Ventures has a portfolio of 67 companies, including 2 unicorns. Their most notable investments are in PICKUP COFFEE and ZipMatch.Their portfolio spans across Philippines, United States, Singapore and 6 more locations. They have invested in Enterprise Applications, Consumer, Retail and 23 other sectors, across stages such as Seed, Series A and 3 more. Here is the list of top investments by Kickstart Ventures:
1. Xendit
Online payment and money transfer platform for businesses. The company serves commerce startups to large enterprises enabling businesses to accept payments, disburse payroll, run marketplaces, and more. Payments can be accepted via multiple channels including direct debit, virtual accounts, credit and debit cards, e-wallets, retail outlets, online installments, and more. Application is made available on Android and iOS platforms.
Key facts about Xendit
- Founded Year: 2015
- Location: Jakarta (Indonesia)
- Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Series D
- Total Funding till date: $554M
- Employee Count: 621 as on Jul 31, 2026
- Investors: Toba Capital, LionRock Capital and 28 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series D, Sep 07, 2022, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
2. Coins.ph
Coins.ph is a digital wallet for Bitcoin assets. Allows users to transfer cash, bill payments, and phone recharge. It enables merchants to accept payments for multiple goods and services. It also facilitates buying and selling of Bitcoins.
Key facts about Coins.ph
- Founded Year: 2014
- Location: Pasig (Philippines)
- Stage: Acquired
- Total Funding till date: $40M
- Employee Count: 408 as on Jul 31, 2026
- Investors: Ribbit Capital, Innovation Endeavors and 16 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, May 19, 2022, $*****
- Highlight: Acquired
3. Dialpad
Provider of AI-powered contact center and unified communications platform solutions. The platform offers customer service, outbound sales, and all-in-one communication tools. It provides features such as AI agents, integrations with various applications, and analytics. The platform aims to streamline business communications and improve customer experience.
Key facts about Dialpad
- Founded Year: 2011
- Location: San Ramon (United States)
- Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Series F
- Total Funding till date: $476M
- Employee Count: 1,499 as on Jul 31, 2026
- Investors: Section Partners, Sapphire Ventures and 43 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series F, Dec 22, 2022, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
4. Wattpad
Platform for users to read, write, and share original stories. It provides a space where creators can connect with readers. The platform offers various genres, from romance to science fiction. It allows writers to develop their skills and gain exposure.
Key facts about Wattpad
- Founded Year: 2006
- Location: Toronto (Canada)
- Stage: Acquired
- Total Funding till date: $118M
- Employee Count: 4,894 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: August Capital, AME Cloud Ventures and 23 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series D, Mar 13, 2019, $*****
- Highlight: Acquired
5. Havenly
Online interior design platform and home decorating services. It connects users with pre-vetted personal interior designers to personalize their designs and visualize the room in a 3D layout. The customers also have the option to purchase a curated list of products, which is sourced from partner sellers.
Key facts about Havenly
- Founded Year: 2013
- Location: Denver (United States)
- Stage: Series C
- Total Funding till date: $57.8M
- Employee Count: 10 - 49 as on Mar 01, 2026
- Investors: Industry Ventures, Flucas Ventures and 27 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Dec 22, 2021, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
Kickstart Ventures' Year-on-Year Investment Trends
Kickstart Ventures has invested in 67 companies over the last 14 years, with an average of 3 new investments annually in the last 10 years. In 2025, it made 5 investments, while as of May 2026, it has made 3 investments in this year. Its most recent first time investment was in Sprouts and most recent follow-on round was in Featherless.Year | No. of Investments | ||
|---|---|---|---|
1st Round | Follow-on | Total | |
2026 (YTD) | 2 | 1 | 3 |
2025 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
2024 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
2023 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
2022 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
2021 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
2020 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
2019 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
2018 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
2017 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
Kickstart Ventures' Investments by Stage
Kickstart Ventures has made 25 investments in Seed stage with an average round size of $2.57M, 15 investments in Series A stage with an average round size of $12M, 3 investments in Series B stage with an average round size of $15M, 1 investment in Series C stage with an average round size of $32M and 1 investment in Series D stage with an average round size of $51M.Stage of entry | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Seed | 25 |
Series A | 15 |
Series B | 3 |
Series C | 1 |
Series D | 1 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Kickstart Ventures' Investments by Sector
Kickstart Ventures has a diverse portfolio, with companies operating in the Enterprise Applications, Consumer, FinTech, Retail and Vertical SaaS. Notably, it has invested in 63 Tech companies, 44 Enterprise (B2B) companies, 37 Software companies and at least 28 companies focusing on Consumer (B2C).Sector | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Enterprise Applications | 20 |
Consumer | 14 |
FinTech | 9 |
Retail | 8 |
Vertical SaaS | 6 |
Others | 48 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Kickstart Ventures' Investments by Geography
Kickstart Ventures has made most investments in Philippines (27), followed by United States where it has made 7 investments.Country | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Philippines | 27 |
United States | 7 |
Singapore | 4 |
Canada | 2 |
Indonesia | 2 |
Others | 3 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Kickstart Ventures' recent investments
Kickstart Ventures has made 3 investments in 2026 so far. Sprouts and Featherless are the latest among them.Here are the most recent investments by Kickstart Ventures:
Filter this listDate | Company | Location | Round Details | Round Amount | Co-Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 15, 2026 | United States | Seed | 7043 | [+1] | |
Apr 30, 2026 | United States | Series A | 3747 | [+4] | |
Feb 24, 2026 | Singapore | Series A | 4251 | ||
Dec 03, 2025 | United States | Seed | 8441 | ||
Dec 03, 2025 | United States | Series A | 4733 |
Unicorns in Kickstart Ventures' Portfolio
Kickstart Ventures has 2 unicorns in its portfolio - Xendit and Dialpad. The most recent unicorn in their portfolio is Xendit. It became a unicorn in 2021, 4 years before Kickstart Ventures first invested in it.Here is a list of unicorns in Kickstart Ventures' portfolio:
Tracxn Score | Company | Short Description | Founded year | Sector | Location | Company Stage | First Investment/ Acquisition Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
83 | Online payment and money transfer platform for businesses | 2015 | Jakarta | Series D | vpyp{o{ | ||
79 | Provider of AI-powered contact center and unified communications platform solutions | 2011 | San Ramon | Series F | mrtrnrv |
Acquired companies in Kickstart Ventures' Portfolio
6 companies from Kickstart Ventures' portfolio have been acquired. The most recent acquisition was SlashNext in Sep 2025 by Varonis for $*****.Here are Kickstart Ventures' portfolio companies that got acquired most recently:
Company | Acquisition Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sep 02, 2025 | - | - | 2594 | |
Apr 25, 2023 | Sep 22, 2021 | Series A | 3719 | |
Sep 25, 2022 | - | - | 3580 | |
Apr 04, 2022 | Oct 23, 2016 | Series A | 6836 | |
Sep 30, 2021 | Oct 2012 | Seed | 7733 |
Team profile of Kickstart Ventures
Kickstart Ventures has a team of 11 members including 3 Partners and 2 Principals located in Philippines. Kickstart Ventures' team does not sit on the board of any company as of now.Here is a list of top team members in Kickstart Ventures:
Name | Designation | Location | Board Memberships | Contact Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Partner | Metro Manila | - | ||
Partner | Metro Manila | - | ||
Partner | - | - | ||
Principal | Metro Manila | - | ||
Principal | Metro Manila | - |
Co-investors of Kickstart Ventures
Over the past 14 years, 269 investors have co-invested in Kickstart Ventures's portfolio companies. This includes funds and angels.
- Invested before Kickstart Ventures: Wavemaker Partners, 500 Global and 112 others have invested in rounds before Kickstart Ventures. There are 4 companies where Wavemaker Partners has invested before Kickstart Ventures and 3 companies where 500 Global has invested before Kickstart Ventures.
- Top Co-investors of Kickstart Ventures: 99 investors entered a company along with Kickstart Ventures. These include investors like Gentree (4 companies).
- Invested after Kickstart Ventures: A total of 56 investors have invested in Kickstart Ventures's portfolio after their investments. Top Investors include Wavemaker Partners (2 companies), Endeavor (2 companies) and Future Now Ventures (2 companies).
Recent News related to Kickstart Ventures
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SG procurement firm Eezee raises $5m pre-series BTech in Asia•Feb 24, 2026•Korea Investment Holdings, eezee, Kickstart Ventures, Wavemaker Partners and 1 other
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Quickture Raises $1.9M in Pre-Seed FundingFinSMEs•Dec 03, 2025•Forward Venture Capital, Kickstart Ventures, Arts Alliance, Quickture
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Featherless.ai Raises $5M in Seed FundingFinSMEs•Mar 18, 2025•Featherless, Airbus Ventures, Kickstart Ventures, 500 Global and 6 others
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edamama Raises $35M in FundingFinSMEs•Nov 20, 2023•Ed-a-Mamma, GS Group, Innoven Capital, Gentree and 4 others
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Laser Communication Startup Transcelestial Raises $10 Mn in Funding Led by Airbus VenturesIndianWeb2•Feb 19, 2023•Transcelestial, Airbus Ventures, Kickstart Ventures, Genesis Ventures and 3 others
