Ever feel like you need a business degree, a big network, or at least a few more years of “experience” before you can start something real? These Gen Z entrepreneurs didn’t get that memo. Some started in high school. Some dropped out of college. One launched a daily newsletter from her bedroom with ₱3,000 and no journalism background and ended up on Forbes 30 Under 30.
The Philippines is one of the youngest countries in Asia, with a median age of just 26.1 years, and its youngest entrepreneurs are proving that the best time to build is right now, not later. With over 700 active startups and $428 million raised in startup funding in 2024 alone, the ecosystem is more ready than ever for young founders.
Here are the Gen Z entrepreneurs in the Philippines building businesses that actually matter.
Gen Z Entrepreneurs in the Philippines (Quick List)
- Justin Gorriceta-Banusing — Clout Kitchen & AcadArena
- Iyana Argañoza & Aliexandra Heart Po — Serbiz
- Amanda Cua — BackScoop
- Sophia Nicole Sy — SOFI AI
- Gabriel Lopez — MedHyve
- Steph Naval — Empath
- Cleo Loque — Hiraya Pilipina
- Kristoni Go — Studentship Philippines
- Andrea Brillantes — Lucky Beauty
1. Justin Gorriceta-Banusing — Clout Kitchen & AcadArena
Justin Gorriceta-Banusing co-founded AcadArena while he was still in college. What started as a campus gaming network eventually partnered with over 600 schools and reached more than 100,000 students across Southeast Asia and Latin America. He scaled it to a Series A and a successful exit, all before most people his age had written their first college application.
He also co-created CONQuest Festival, the largest creator event in Southeast Asia with over 80,000 attendees.
In 2024, he launched Clout Kitchen, a consumer AI startup building creator-powered interactive gaming and pop culture experiences. Within months, it secured a $4.45 million seed round co-led by a16z SPEEDRUN and Peak XV’s Surge, with backing from Antler, Hustle Fund, and notable founders like Gabby Dizon (YGG) and Kun Gao (Crunchyroll). Justin has since been named to Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2022 for Consumer Technology.
Why he stands out: If you’ve ever told yourself you’ll start after graduation, Justin is the rebuttal. His story is proof that “too young” is not a real constraint, just a story we tell ourselves.
2. Iyana Argañoza & Aliexandra Heart Po — Serbiz
Two DLSU graduates decided to build a solution for something they personally understood: Filipinos who need help getting things done, and Filipinos who want to earn from what they’re already good at.
Iyana Argañoza (22, CEO) and Aliexandra Heart Po (21, COO) co-founded Serbiz in early 2025, an AI-native gig marketplace connecting “Listers” with “Hustlers.” In its first week, the app crashed twice from demand and hit 80,000 registered users, all through TikTok and word of mouth, without hiring a single agency or influencer.
Backed by global venture builder Antler in a pre-seed round, the platform is eyeing broader Southeast Asian expansion by 2026.
Why they stand out: Their marketing playbook was just TikTok and honesty. No paid ads, no PR firm. Just a product that resonated and founders who knew how to talk about it.
3. Amanda Cua — BackScoop
Amanda Cua launched BackScoop at 19 with ₱3,000 and a Substack account. No journalism background, no investors, no network to speak of. What she had was a frustration: startup and tech news about Southeast Asia was either too dry, too scattered, or too focused on Western markets for Filipino and regional readers to actually care about.
So she built the newsletter she wanted to read. She spent her early months personally messaging hundreds of LinkedIn contacts one by one to recruit subscribers. She worked 12-hour days from her bedroom. She skipped college entirely to go full-time on it.
BackScoop has since grown to tens of thousands of subscribers across founders, VCs, and executives throughout the region. Amanda was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2024 in Media, Marketing & Advertising, and to the Tatler Gen T list. She launched the “One More Scoop” podcast and became a LinkedIn Top Voice with over 30,000 followers. She was also the first employee at Y Combinator-backed edtech Avion School before going all-in on BackScoop.
She’s been candid about the moment she decided to stop hiding: “This was the first time I’d publicly share that I — a 19-year-old high school grad — was behind BackScoop, not some veteran tech journalist or tech exec.”
Why she stands out: She built credibility in a field that rewards credentials she didn’t have, and did it by being more consistent and more useful than anyone who did.
4. Sophia Nicole Sy — SOFI AI
Sophia Nicole Sy’s father is Steve Sy, founder of Great Deals E-Commerce Corp. She could have taken the easier path. She didn’t.
Instead of joining the family business, Sophia built her own company from scratch, self-funded entirely from side hustle income, selling textbooks, binding papers, baking cookies. She had been selling things since she was 6 years old, running chocolate and bracelet stalls at bazaars. That instinct to earn and build never left.
What she built is SOFI AI, a platform that creates AI-powered chatbots for Filipino MSMEs. The product’s differentiator isn’t just the technology, it’s the language. SOFI’s chatbots communicate in Taglish, Bisaya, conyo, and gay lingo, adapting to the actual voice of each brand rather than flattening everything into neutral corporate English. The company was accepted into the Google for Startups Cloud Program and serves multiple MSME clients.
Sophia has no computer science degree. She was homeschooled through high school. She’s navigating a male-dominated industry as a young woman founder without the institutional credentials the field tends to reward.
“What sets us apart is that we are able to give chatbots personality, letting them talk in such a way that reflects the unique voice of the brand,” she has said.
Why she stands out: She understood something most AI builders miss — that for Filipino businesses, how you say something is as important as what you say.
5. Gabriel Lopez — MedHyve
Gabriel Lopez left a prestigious computer science program to co-found MedHyve with Nigel Lirio, a digital platform helping healthcare institutions procure medical supplies more efficiently. Recognized as the youngest venture-backed founder in the Philippines at the time, Lopez and his team raised $400,000 in pre-seed funding as first-time founders. MedHyve’s growth accelerated during the pandemic when hospitals were scrambling for PPE and couldn’t afford to wait.
Why he stands out: He solved a life-or-death problem without a degree. His story challenges the assumption that credentials are what make a founder credible.
6. Steph Naval — Empath
Steph Naval spent over a decade navigating the Philippine mental healthcare system herself before deciding to change it. In 2020, she founded Empath, a social enterprise providing community-curated mental health services to workplaces, schools, and non-profits.
Empath has grown its team to over 50 individuals, secured a ₱2.1 million grant from DOST, and built over 40 partnerships. Naval was recognized on Tatler’s Gen T Asia list in 2022 and received the UN Women Philippines WEPs Award for Youth Leadership.
This work matters more than it might seem: nearly one in five Filipino youth aged 15 to 24 have considered ending their life. Steph turned her personal experience into something structural and scalable.
Why she stands out: She didn’t wait until she had distance from her struggles before building. She built because of them.
7. Cleo Loque — Hiraya Pilipina
Cleo Loque was 15 and entering Grade 11 when she borrowed ₱20,000 from her parents, bought 151 plain shirts, and designed empowering statements on them using the free Phonto app on her phone. The first batch sat in her family’s living room for almost a year. Then the pandemic happened, and she finally had time to sell them.
From statement tees, Hiraya Pilipina evolved into innerwear such as silicone bras, nipple pasties, boob tape, products that filled a real gap for young Filipinas who wanted practical, body-positive options at accessible prices. That niche became her bestselling category.
Hiraya Pilipina now has 250,000+ followers across social media, with 60% of sales coming from TikTok Shop alone. Cleo hosts live selling sessions that run up to six hours at a stretch. The brand has been featured in Vogue Philippines, MEGA, BusinessWorld, and Candy Magazine, and has grown from a one-woman bedroom operation to a full team with dedicated HR, operations, and marketing leads.
No business training. No formal background. Just a phone, a free design app, and the willingness to keep going even when nothing moved for a year.
“You don’t stop at 100% when you reach it. Go for 500% then 1,000%,” she told MEGA.
Why she stands out: Her story is the most replicable on this list. The barrier to entry was ₱20,000 and a free app which means the real barrier was just deciding to start.
8. Kristoni Go — Studentship Philippines
From Sultan Kudarat in Mindanao, Kristoni Go founded Studentship Philippines, a social enterprise that brings technology-based learning resources to public schools outside Metro Manila. Starting in his own home region, the platform has since reached around 40 schools and secured grants from partners like Miriam College’s TBI and Accenture.
Kristoni’s path wasn’t smooth. He invested in physical learning equipment early on, only to see it become unusable when COVID pushed everything online. He pivoted to digital-first models and kept building.
Why he stands out: Most startup stories come from Manila. Kristoni’s comes from Mindanao, and that’s precisely what makes it worth paying attention to.
9. Andrea Brillantes — Lucky Beauty
At 19, actress Andrea Brillantes launched Lucky Beauty, her own cosmetics brand. What could have been a standard celebrity endorsement deal was something different: Brillantes has been public about her hands-on role in product development, from researching formulations to personally testing everything before it goes to market.
Lucky Beauty’s first collection included six products starting at ₱299, designed to be genuinely accessible to young Filipinas. She has since expanded into perfume (Lucky Potions) and invested in Filipino-owned luxury jewelry brand LVNA.
She’s put it simply: “We have all the time in the world. We have all the time to make mistakes pa. Ito ‘yung best time to learn and explore.”
Why she stands out: Celebrity brands are easy to dismiss. Brillantes earns her place on this list because of how seriously she takes the work behind the brand.
FAQs: Starting a Business as a Gen Z Filipino
Who are the most successful Gen Z entrepreneurs in the Philippines?
Filipino entrepreneurs have made significant impact across different industries. Justin Gorriceta-Banusing (Clout Kitchen, AcadArena) raised a $4.45 million seed round from top-tier VCs including a16z and built a successful exit before most people his age graduated. Amanda Cua (BackScoop) grew a newsletter from ₱3,000 to tens of thousands of readers and landed on Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia. Other standout names include Iyana Argañoza and Aliexandra Heart Po (Serbiz), Steph Naval (Empath), and Cleo Loque (Hiraya Pilipina).
What industries are Gen Z Filipino entrepreneurs dominating?
Gen Z Filipino entrepreneurs are most active in AI and the creator economy, gig economy platforms, media and newsletters, mental health and social enterprise, edtech, consumer beauty and fashion brands, and healthtech. Social commerce through platforms like TikTok Shop has also become a major entry point for younger entrepreneurs building consumer-facing businesses.
What challenges do young entrepreneurs in the Philippines face?
The most common challenges include cultural bias against young founders, limited access to capital (especially outside Metro Manila), unreliable internet infrastructure in provincial areas, and building sustainable businesses beyond viral social media moments. Many Gen Z founders also cite difficulty being taken seriously in fundraising and partnership conversations because of their age.
What government programs support young entrepreneurs in the Philippines?
The Innovative Startup Act (Republic Act 11337) provides grants, tax incentives, and streamlined registration for innovative startups. DOST’s Youth Empowerment through Technopreneurship (YET) program funds youth-led projects up to ₱350,000. DTI’s National Development Company has expanded its Startup Venture Fund to ₱450 million for Seed to Series B companies. Additional support comes from the Small Business Corporation and university-based incubators at institutions like Ateneo, DLSU, and PUP.
How do Gen Z entrepreneurs in the Philippines use social media to grow their businesses?
TikTok has become the most significant platform for Gen Z-led businesses, both as a sales channel and a marketing tool. Serbiz reached 80,000 users primarily through TikTok without spending on paid advertising. TikTok Shop reported a 200%+ increase in sales for local Filipino sellers in 2025, and over 25,000 Filipino entrepreneurs participated in TikTok Shop capacity-building programs through the Unlad Lokal Roadshow Caravan. Many founders use TikTok to build community before building revenue.
Can you start a business in the Philippines as a student?
Yes, and several founders on this list did exactly that. Justin Gorriceta-Banusing co-founded AcadArena during college. Cleo Loque started Hiraya Pilipina at 15 while in Grade 11. Iyana Argañoza and Aliexandra Heart Po launched Serbiz shortly after graduating from DLSU. Government programs like DOST-TAPI and private venture builders like Antler and Founders Launchpad actively invest in early-stage, student-led businesses.
M2.0 Communications is a PR company in the Philippines that has been helping brands tell compelling and meaningful stories. M2.0 provides public relations and digital services, including social media management, influencer relations, and video production. Visit our case studies page to learn more about the brands we’ve worked with.
