Gobi Partners-Core Capital JV invests in Filipino startups MariaHealth, Edukasyon
Gobi Core Philippines Fund, a joint venture between Gobi Partners and Philippines-based VC firm Core Capital, has announced seed investments in two home-grown companies — MariaHealth and Edukasyon.ph.
These are the first investments by Gobi in the Philippine market.
Launched in 2016 by Vincent Lau and Anna Yu, MariaHealth is an online platform where people can compare the offerings of various top healthcare brands and provides accessible healthcare in the Philippines.
Statistics show that eight of 10 Filipinos being reported as never having any medical check-ups in their lifetime due to the high price of insurance.
MariaHealth plans to use the funding expand its platform.
Founded in 2013 by Henry Muñoz, Edukasyon.ph aims to empower 10 million annual student visitors to its platform to make better informed choices for their education, career, and life. Edukasyon.ph seeks to bridge the gaps between education and employment among the next generation through their online platform.
The Gobi Core Philippines officially launched in October 2018. It offers Philippine startups region wide expertise and network to support expansion to other Asian markets.
“We’re looking to invest not only in founders who we believe in, but also in companies that are doing something relevant to address the biggest needs of our fellow Filipinos,” said Ken Ngo, Managing Partner of Core Capital.
Thomas G. Tsao, Founding Partner of Gobi Partners, shared that he believed the Philippines has been overlooked by venture capitalists.
“With a population of 120 million, the Philippines is the second largest country in ASEAN. We’re excited that we can get in on the ground floor of the digital transformation that is sweeping across the Philippines,” said Tsao.
Gobi and Core Capital believe investments in MariaHealth and Edukasyon.ph will bring outside interest to the Philippine startup ecosystem, which is also in line with their mission.