Today marked an exciting beginning for the SCALE 360 Philippines cohort, as we officially kicked off the program with 17 participants representing 11 organizations from across the country. The group is a diverse mix of private accelerators and incubators alongside university-led programs, particularly technology business incubators (TBIs)—a combination that promises rich exchange and collaboration.

The opening session was designed to bring everyone together for the first time, break the ice, and create a safe space where participants can openly share and learn from one another. This reflects one of the core findings of the SCALE framework—trust building. While the framework was originally developed with entrepreneur cohorts in mind, we see the same principle as highly relevant here. By applying it to a cohort of BDS providers, we aim to ensure that they too can benefit from a trust-based environment where peer-to-peer learning and problem-solving flourish. With peer-to-peer learning front and center in the SCALE 360 program design, today’s session laid the foundation for the rich exchange that will unfold over the next two months.

Building Connections Through Shared Experiences
We kicked off with “Pitch Me If You Can”, a playful way for participants to introduce themselves and the BDS programs they run in the Philippines. This was followed by “Fail Fair,” an activity that encouraged participants to share past failures and what they learned from them. Many “stepped into the circle,” showing just how many had faced similar challenges before. The exercise reminded everyone that failure is not only common but also an important part of growth—and that none of us are alone in the experience.

To keep the energy high, we wrapped up with a SCALE refresher trivia game, setting the stage for the deeper learning modules to come.

Setting the North Star
Joy presented an overview of the SCALE 360 program, highlighting what participants can expect—and what is expected of them—to get the most out of the journey. We also revisited the benchmarking results from the diagnostic tool completed earlier. These results provided insights into where the cohort is collectively strong and where there is room for improvement.Each organization then reviewed its individual results and identified three realistic goals to pursue during and beyond the program. These goals will serve as their north star, guiding progress and ensuring that learning translates into tangible impact.

Looking Ahead
With trust already beginning to take root, we are excited for the next two months of shared learning, coaching, and collaboration. SCALE 360 is not just about new knowledge—it’s about transformation. We can’t wait to see how this journey helps each organization take their program to the next level.

A big thank you to Villgro Philippines for co-hosting this session with us—we are grateful for your partnership in making the kickoff a success.

The SCALE 360 Philippines cohort recently explored best practices for selecting enterprises, guided by three seasoned coaches: Deepak Menon (Village Capital), Ralph Mpofu (Impact Hub Kuala Lumpur), and Priya Thachadi (Villgro Philippines).

Deepak Menon shared Village Capital’s structured selection approach, highlighting the importance of aligning with an entrepreneur’s goals, current stage, and investment readiness. He introduced the Viral Pathway benchmarking tool and the follow-up Briefing Book, which evaluates entrepreneurs across eight categories—such as team, problem and vision, product, market, and business model. These tools help tailor support, set milestones, and drive a peer-to-peer due diligence process during programs.

Ralph Mpofu presented Impact Hub Kuala Lumpur’s multi-stage selection process, starting with the Venture Diagnostics toolkit. This assessment examines the impact model, business model, digitalization, and team before moving into interviews and iterative feedback loops. Ralph underscored their principle of prioritizing quality over quantity: engaging deeply with five entrepreneurs yields far greater impact than working superficially with a hundred. Their model emphasizes customized learning journeys aligned with entrepreneurs’ unique needs.

Priya Thachadi closed the session by sharing Villgro Philippines’ approach, which emphasizes rigorous due diligence calls and decision-making by a diverse, independent selection panel. She highlighted the importance of strategic partnerships to extend reach, the development of tools to assess entrepreneurs’ coachability, and the ongoing need for continuous pipeline building. Importantly, Priya stressed that deliberation and dialogue often outweigh score sheets when making final selection decisions.

Following the presentations, participants broke into small groups to reflect on their own enterprise selection practices. They exchanged good practices—such as leveraging referrals, roadshows, competitions, cohort segmentation, and structured due diligence—and discussed ongoing challenges, including balancing partner expectations with program capacity and the difficulty of gauging coachability. AI’s role in streamlining workflows also surfaced as a promising area of experimentation.

The cohort will now carry today’s insights into their module assignment, using them to reflect on key learnings and identify areas in their own programs or organizations they’d like to strengthen or adapt.

The SCALE 360 Philippines cohort dug into one of the trickiest but most critical topics for Business Development Services (BDS) providers: charging models and how they can improve performance. Three seasoned coaches Cecile Ney (Bpeace), Jonathan Davy (Ecoxyztem Venture Builder), and Alwyn Rosel (QBO Innovation) shared practical lessons from their own journeys.

From Free to Fee: Bpeace’s Experience

Cecile Ney reflected on Bpeace’s shift in Central America from a free, 18-month program to shorter, fee-based offerings. The results were striking: a revenue-based tier doubled job creation outcomes and delivered a tenfold higher return on investment. While applications declined in number, the quality of applicants rose significantly. Participants also began to see themselves as clients rather than beneficiaries, often stating that the value they received far exceeded the cost. Cecile emphasized that credibility and a proven track record of enterprise growth were critical in successfully introducing fees.

Ecoxyztem’s Three-Tier Model

Jonathan Davy shared how Ecoxyztem structures its accelerator in Indonesia’s climate tech ecosystem. Their model includes a sponsorship tier, where grant funding covers a no-cost accelerator; a venture building tier, where they take “sweat equity” in promising startups; and a success-based tier, where customized services such as investment matching come with a fee.

Jonathan emphasized that charging is not only a revenue mechanism but also an alignment tool to achieve intended outcomes. It provides skin in the game, ensuring founders remain committed to the program. It also acts as a quality filter, attracting serious, execution-focused entrepreneurs, while serving as a form of value recognition that establishes mutual respect and partnership dynamics between program providers and startups.

He underscored that the effectiveness of any charging model depends on tailoring strategies to context, maintaining high-quality founder selection, diversifying revenue streams, and building a strong track record to ensure sustainability.

QBO’s “Carrot” Approach

Alwyn Rosel introduced a very different model. Instead of upfront fees, QBO offers startups the possibility of investment at the end of their flagship accelerator—a method Alwyn calls “charging with a carrot.” This incentive motivates startups to fully engage in the program, knowing their commitment could lead to direct investment. Alwyn highlighted three essentials: transparency, strong partnerships, and a rigorous selection process that ensures only high-potential startups enter the program.

The breakout discussions that followed revealed a shared understanding that charging is not simply about revenue generation but about strengthening entrepreneur commitment. Participants reflected on how context shapes the choice of charging model, emphasizing that what works in one ecosystem may not translate directly to another. They noted that charging can serve as a behavioral tool, helping counter the low engagement often seen in free programs, while also pointing out the role of non-financial incentives such as opportunities to connect with investors and partners, and visibility at pitch events. Overall, the conversation reinforced the idea that well-designed charging models can enhance commitment, deepen impact, and improve program sustainability.