The Philippines is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries. The people most exposed to that reality—displaced families, women in far-flung areas, communities living near plastic-choked rivers, farmers without climate-resilient crops—are rarely the ones with access to the capital needed to build solutions.
The Nexus for Equity Accelerator was designed around that contradiction.
On February 12, 2026, Villgro Philippines held the program’s Impact Showcase. 15 start-up enterprises working across clean energy, circular economy, and sustainable food and packaging took the stage to pitch what a year of intensive support had helped them build. The event brought together investors, ecosystem partners, and fellow founders. It was a full day of live pitches, structured networking, and keynote speeches.
The enterprises included Altilium Green Energy, Cavitoil Basura Power, Magnus Renewable Tech Corp., Nascent Batteries, and SanFran Renewable Energy Corp. in clean energy; Everything Green, Kreations Upcycle Furniture Manufacturing, Isla-Tek, LimaDOL, and SanaOil in circular economy; and Dream Wide Awake Company, Ikram Mushroom Farm, Naturloop, Oikos Sustainable Solutions, and Plant-Based & More Food Products in sustainable food and packaging. Together, the cohort addressed 14 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. They also reduced over 3,000 tons of CO2 emissions, diverted more than 300 tons of waste from landfills, and created over 2,000 jobs for Filipinos, according to Denise Dalusong, Head of Gender and Inclusion at Villgro Philippines.
The program ran 35 enterprises through Phase 1, narrowing down to 15 for Phase 2. On this stage, each entity received one-on-one mentorship, technical assistance, and investment readiness support. Of those 15, 62% were based outside Metro Manila. “We really wanted to spotlight the innovations that were existing outside of our city centers,” said Dalusong said.
Local, biodegradable, and with purpose
The day also marked the announcement of the Accelerator’s top awardees. These were selected ahead of the showcase across three criteria: growth potential, progress throughout the program, and peer voting.
First place went to Oikos Sustainable Solutions, which manufactures biodegradable bags from cassava and corn as alternatives to single-use plastics. “We’re proving that sustainability can scale, it creates jobs, and it makes business sense,” said Co-founder Faith Nacarato.
Second place went to Dream Wide Awake Company. It was founded by Angela Duldulao-Regis, a cafe and creatives food service business which produces premium beverages using local ingredients. Their flagship products include cacao, coffee, cashew milk, and native food pairings.
Third place went to Ikram Mushroom Farm, a community-based social enterprise formed by internally displaced persons following the 2017 Marawi Siege. Ikram (an Arabic word meaning “generosity”) found its raw material in the sawdust left behind by local lumber mills. Its purpose lies in the communities that had nothing else to return to. Founded by Sittie Aireen Lumangcaolob, the cooperative focuses on cultivating, harvesting, packing, and selling mushrooms to provide a livelihood for families still rebuilding nearly a decade after the conflict. “At the end of the day, it’s not just about mushrooms,” Lomangcolob said. “It’s about bringing happiness to every home while keeping [the community’s] good health.”
The People’s Choice Award went to Everything Green, which produces biodegradable hotel slippers from coconut agricultural waste. Founded by Camille Albarracin, this is their response to the 9 billion coconut husks discarded in the Philippines every year.
(Editor’s Note: Sustina was engaged as a technical assistance provider for Everything Green—for impact measurement and storytelling—through the Nexus Accelerator Program.)
In goes understanding, out comes solutions
Villgro Philippines co-founder Priya Thachadi closed the event by speaking plainly about what it takes to build a social enterprise. “Some of you have gone through so much this past year,” she said. “The odds are stacked against us. It’s not only the regulatory environment. It’s the lack of money, it’s finding talent. So many different challenges for any business, but [these are] definitely amplified when you’re also trying to solve the world’s hardest problems.”
Clearly, none of those were enough to deter the founders from putting in the work. That, perhaps, is what the Nexus for Equity Accelerator understands most clearly: that the solutions most likely to hold in this country are the ones being built by the people who already understand its terrain.
“Small incremental actions of all of us collectively coming together and solving problems is what will take us far,” Thachadi said. “And I think that collectivism is really what I’m seeing.”
