HR tech leader Sprout Solutions and Kaya Founders announced the winners of their recent Impact 23 Accelerator Program winners in this prestigious event.

With remote work and work-from-home setups taking center stage in an ever-changing work landscape, technology has become essential—not just to communicate, but also to do work, send files, and more. This is why software as a service (SaaS), which “allows users to connect to and use cloud-based apps over the Internet” has grown in popularity.

“The software as a service (SaaS) market has reached unprecedented new heights,” says Sprout Solutions. “From an estimated $146 billion [around PHP 8.17 trillion] in 2021, SaaS is expected to record $195 billion [around PHP 10.91 trillion] in overall revenue this 2023. It may also keep growing in the Philippines, with an estimated total revenue of $237.4 million [around PHP 13.29 billion] in 2023.”

Examples of SaaS include email, scheduling apps, video conferences, and even office tools like Google Workspace apps and Microsoft 365. In fact, streaming platforms like Netflix count, too!

That being said, many up-and-coming companies have contributed to the diverse offerings of SaaS. Thus, Sprout Solutions—the leading homegrown B2B SaaS company and HR tech leader in the Philippines—and early-stage investment firm Kaya Founders, have come together to organize the country’s first-ever SaaS conference: SaaScon PH 2023.

A Coming-together of Startup Founders, Investors, and Leaders

SaaScon PH is a one-day conference where over 700 startup founders, enterprise leaders, and investors come together to share insights on the growing B2B SaaS landscape. Highlights in this prestigious event include talking points on the evolution of SaaS in the PH and startup founder’s journey, as well as game-changing solutions for business transformation.

Set at the Mariott Grand Ballroom, this year’s SaaScon PH 2023 took place last March 28, 2023. There, Sprout Solutions and Kaya Founders debuted their chosen startup pitches from their recent Impact 23’ Accelerator Program.

“We want to congratulate all the participants and of course, our winners for the Impact 23 Accelerator Program who were able to share their vision and plans to grow their business with their innovative ideas and tactics,” shares Sprout Solutions CEO and Co-founder Patrick Gentry.

“We are proud of the finalists that we have for the challenge as they amplified the gaps in the market and valued the timing while more Filipinos embrace digitalization. We are optimistic about how they can eventually drive the next wave of digital transformation in the country,” he added. 

The Three Winning B2B Startups

Out of the many business-to-business (B2B) startups in the 8-week accelerator program, the winners were chosen through a series of performance evaluations from business, tech, and startup leaders from various industries. Moreover, their ability to “fit into being the driver for the next wave of digital transformation in the country” was considered—based on the company’s vision.

The three winning startup companies include:

• Winner: Olivia Technology Group Inc., a tech company focusing on automating the accounts payables process.
• First Runner-up: Smile API, a digital platform that provides instant access to the most recent, comprehensive, verified data about your users’ identity, employment, and income in the industry.
• Second Runner-up: Umwelt Peopletech Solutions Private Limited, a One-In-All Employee Experience, and People Analytics Assistant.

SaaScon PH: Bridging Key Businesses and Leaders in SaaS

Going back to the very ethos of powering the country’s digital devolution with B2B SaaS, the one-day conference welcomed top business leaders, investors, and tech founders to share their own insights and outlook on the growing B2B SaaS landscape in the Philippines through different panel discussions throughout the event. 

In fact, key highlights in SaaScon PH 2023 include the discussion of various topics like the global state of SaaS and AI in 2023, digital innovation and transformation, and how Philippine businesses have been adapting to these technological changes.

What’s more, speakers were invited to share what they’ve learned from growing their respective SaaS startups in the Philippines, as well as how people can support industry-shaping digital startups. 

After the panel discussion, guests from various startups, tech, and local companies were then able to meet and network with other business leaders and companies. Booths from the top 10 finalists of the Impact 23 Challenge were also present during the event. 

“We are thrilled to welcome various companies and industries to the SaaScon PH as we open opportunities for a variety of collaborations and ideas that will evolve from this event,” shares Gentry. “We believe that gatherings such as the 2023 SaaScon PH will allow us to empower not only startups in developing their businesses but also potential investors who could benefit from these groundbreaking digital platforms.”

The SaaScon PH is presented by Sprout Solution and Kaya Founders, sponsored by AWS, Brankas, Beeline, and KMC. The event is also in partnership with Asia CEO Events, Wavemaker partners, Maya Business, PLDT, Rise, Konsulta MD, The Business Manual, and Rappler. Supported by Bloomberg. 

To know more about Sprout and its upcoming events and programs, visit sprout.ph.