917Ventures’ Velocity advances four startups toward commercial deals, targets 10 in 2027

917Ventures, Globe’s corporate venture builder, is expanding its startup collaboration efforts through Velocity, a year-round program designed to connect emerging technology companies with commercial opportunities across Globe and the Ayala Group, as it targets 10 startup deals in 2027, with artificial intelligence (AI) at the center of its strategy.

The program is advancing four startups — Netopia AI, Whale, Hustle Insights and Fuchsia Retail — toward potential commercial partnerships, offering solutions spanning behavioral AI, enterprise technology, market research, and customer experience.

The four companies demonstrate how startups can leverage the resources, customer base and distribution networks of established enterprises to validate their technologies and accelerate their growth.

Netopia AI, through its Predikta platform, uses behavioral AI to simulate consumer responses and help businesses assess marketing campaigns before launch. It became the first startup to secure a commercial agreement through Velocity, signing with Globe’s digital advertising subsidiary AdSpark in August 2026.

Whale, a global enterprise AI company operating across 45 countries and regions, offers an AI Operating System (AIOS) that connects data, AI models and business systems to support business automation. It serves more than 1,600 large enterprises and manages over 600,000 edge AI nodes. In the Philippines, it has completed a pilot workflow and is exploring expansion to additional stores, alongside potential partnerships with other companies in the Ayala ecosystem.

Hustle Insights, a Pasig-based market research platform, helps businesses gather consumer feedback and generate actionable insights. Through its Hustle PH application, the company draws on a network of two million verified Filipino users, with responses validated through AI agents and human reviewers. Its capabilities also include retail audits covering approximately 30,000 sari-sari stores.

Fuchsia Retail, an AI-powered social customer experience platform, helps businesses manage customer interactions across social media and connect customer inquiries with backend operations. Its solutions cover areas such as order management, inventory, and logistics. Its clients across Asia include H&M and Sony Singapore.

While Netopia AI has secured a commercial agreement with AdSpark, the other three startups are exploring potential partnerships and commercial applications within the Globe and Ayala Group ecosystem.

“Velocity turns startup innovations into business opportunities by connecting potential solutions with the market access and expertise of Globe and the Ayala Group. This allows us to expand our venture-building capabilities beyond our own portfolio, while helping them build viable businesses and enabling our corporate partners to explore new technologies and address real market needs,” said Vince Yamat, President and Chief Executive Officer of 917Ventures.

Since its launch, Velocity has received more than 500 startup applications and built a pipeline of companies whose solutions are being assessed against the business requirements of Globe and Ayala companies.

Unlike traditional incubators and accelerators that typically operate through fixed cohorts, application deadlines, and demo days, Velocity operates year-round. This allows startups and corporate partners to explore collaborations based on actual business requirements rather than a predetermined program schedule.

The process begins with assessing a startup’s solution and matching it with potential business applications. Depending on the opportunity, engagements may proceed through use-case development, pilot projects, proof-of-concept initiatives, technology integration, and eventually commercial agreements.

The model is designed to shorten the time it takes for startups to engage with large enterprises, which can often be difficult to access because of their size, established procurement processes, and preference for working with existing partners.

“A startup’s journey to commercial partnerships begins with a clear business problem, a relevant solution, and the ability to execute a pilot in a real-world setting. Through Velocity, we assess each startup’s readiness and potential fit with our corporate partners, building a pipeline of opportunities that can progress into commercial partnerships,” said Natasha Dawn Bautista, Head of Startup Programs & Ecosystem at 917Ventures.

The program also allows startups to tap into the capabilities of the broader corporate ecosystem, including access to customers, distribution channels, networks, and potential technology partners.

For example, Netopia AI’s partnership with AdSpark enabled it to validate its behavioral simulation technology using actual campaign data. Whale, meanwhile, is exploring opportunities to deploy its AI-powered monitoring solutions across physical business locations and other enterprise applications.

Looking ahead, 917Ventures plans to place AI at the center of its venture-building strategy in 2027, with a target of closing 10 startup deals.

The company sees opportunities to work with startups across different areas of AI, including businesses that develop AI solutions, companies that use AI as a core part of their operations, and those with proprietary AI technologies.

Through Globe and Ayala, startups may grow through three commercial pathways: becoming technology providers to the group’s businesses, leveraging the group’s distribution networks to reach more customers, or using its networks and platforms to scale their own solutions.

The strategy builds on 917Ventures’ experience in developing and scaling technology-powered businesses. Since its establishment in 2019, the company has evaluated more than 2,000 ideas, launched 36 ventures, and built a network of 12 companies across various industries.

By extending its venture-building capabilities beyond its own portfolio, 917Ventures aims to help promising startups move from technology development to commercial adoption while enabling its corporate partners to access emerging solutions.

917Ventures said Velocity supports its broader mission of building technology-powered businesses that create lasting commercial and social value while uplifting Filipino lives. — Kaizzer Angela Marie V. Manuba