MARIKINA CITY, Philippines – December 19, 2025 – Makesense Asia, a leading regional Ecosystem Support Organization (ESO) and incubator focused on just and regenerative solutions, is set to host its highly anticipated Makesense Academy 8 Demo Day on January 22, 2026 at the Philippine Innovation Hub. The event will culminate eight years of expertise by showcasing a hand-picked cohort of growth-ready early-stage social enterprises driving systemic change across the Philippines.
Makesense Academy 8 Demo Day serves as an exclusive platform for the investment community, impact accelerators, corporate leaders, and policymakers to secure direct access to ventures that have successfully completed the rigorous Makesense Academy program. This intensive incubation is designed to de-risk early-stage startups and prepare them for significant investment and large-scale impact.
This year’s cohort features inspiring impact entrepreneurs tackling some of the nation’s most pressing social and environmental challenges in critical sectors, including circular economy, edtech, and sustainable agriculture. These entrepreneurs offer field-tested, scalable solutions that align with and contribute to national development goals and global sustainability mandates.
“This cohort of entrepreneurs has completed a rigorous incubation program focusing specifically on solidifying their internal processes, operations, and strengthening market-critical partnerships,” Ally Malvar, Makesense Asia Incubation Lead, said.
“What is undeniable is their proven capacity to create viable, collaborative, and impactful business models that are addressing everything from upcycling glass waste to sustainable agriculture. This Demo Day is your chance to witness the solutions that allow us to tangibly imagine alternative, regenerative futures. It proves that innovation, circularity, and sustainability are not just about advocacy; they are the most promising avenues for economic growth and national progress. We invite all strategic partners—investors, industry leaders, policymakers and more—to add the essential fuel of investment and support to these impact-driven solutions,” she added.
The Makesense Academy team also curated a selection of top performing social startups and Academy alumni who will also be featured at the January 22 Demo Day, to connect investors with more investment opportunities.
Demo Day is the culminating activity of every batch of Makesense Academy. In recent years, alumni who pitched at Academy Demo Days include Rezbin, one of the recipients of the 2025 Filipinnovation Award, CP Health Innovations, a recipient of the 2024 Benita and Catalino Yap Foundation (BCYF) Innovation Award, and Capilli Trading, a recognized circular economy innovator turning hair waste into high‑impact products. Alumni of the Makesense Academy have collectively impacted at least 135k+ lives across the Philippines in 3 years.
We invite investors, policy-makers, professionals, and impact advocates to witness these field-tested solutions firsthand. Secure your reserved slot for the Makesense Academy 8 Demo Day by registering at https://luma.com/wdft48tf by January 12, 2025. Be part of this movement that is scaling Filipino innovation for a more regenerative future!
About Makesense Asia
Makesense Asia’s game is systems change. Makesense Asia imagines a just, inclusive, and sustainable world, and enables stakeholders to create new norms toward this vision. Its flagship work is in capacity development and social innovation. Its portfolio includes the award-winning youth employability program RISE For Youth; its social enterprise incubator Makesense Academy, running for 8 years and counting; the just transition campaign The Good Chat, which has reached 20 million people across Southeast Asia; and its green jobs platform Jobsthat_Makesense Asia, connecting 10,000+ impact professionals to employment opportunities every month. Aside from working with enterprises and civil society, Makesense Asia also engages policymakers and duty-bearers to improve public services. Operating around Southeast Asia, Makesense Asia works with partners like UNICEF, UNFPA, UNDP, EY, SAP, Tara Climate Foundation, and public agencies, to build a regenerative economy.
This Press Release has also been published by VRITIMES