Team Villgro

We are a diverse and dynamic mix of mighty ants who work tirelessly to make the impossible, possible

Our Team Players

Just like every superhero needs a group of dedicated team members who believe in them and work in tandem to make the world a better place, Team Villgro is always at your side whenever you decide to scale the impossible mountain or take a leap of faith. To mentor, to advise, to counsel, and to pave the way, Team Villgro is here to help you grow and flourish every step of the way.

Priya Thachadi

Co-Founder & CEO

Prabh Singh

Investment & Growth Advisor

Katherine Khoo

Venture Advisor

AC Alyzsa Dy

Senior Program Associate – Incubation

Alyanna Supetran

Program Associate – Gender & Inclusion

Amina Azad

Comms Manager

Denise Dalusong

Program Manager – Gender & Inclusion

Korina Chavez

Program Manager – ISIP

Luan Arbilo

Head of Finance and Operations

Maroushka Lu

Senior Program Associate – Incubation

Nicole Mendoza

Venture Associate – Impact Investment

Nicole Paterno

Program Manager – Impact Pioneers Network

Priya Thachadi

Co-founder and CEO

Education and Experience

Priya has spent the last 15 years in international development, working in Journalism, Human Rights and Public Policy, before moving to the impact investment and entrepreneurship sector. She served as the Head of Incubatee Support and Human Capital at Villgro India, one of the oldest and largest impact incubators in the world, where she led post-investment support for early-stage ventures and pioneered Villgro’s mentoring and technical assistance initiatives. In 2017, she also co-founded Unlock Impact, a social impact consulting firm that partners with people and organisations to scale inclusive solutions that tackle poverty across Asia.

She is the Co-Chair of the ANDE East and South East Asia Steering Committee.

Priya holds a bachelor’s degree in Business and Advanced Financial Accounting and a master’s degree in Journalism and a post-graduate diploma in Human Rights Law from India, a Master’s degree in International Relations and Development from the University of Warwick in the UK.

What she does at Villgro

Priya came to Manila in 2017 to set up Villgro Philippines and has since powered on building the incubator from the ground up. Her role as CEO at Villgro PH keeps her engaged in formulating the organization’s strategy and long – term direction. This entails mentoring and inspiring her team, building partnerships, designing incubation programs and ultimately carving out Villgro’s path in helping create successful Impact Enterprises in the Philippines.

What makes her good at what her work

A strong-willed collaborator, Priya believes in the power of simple ideas that can solve big challenges. She made Villgro her life’s mission and hopes one day to be an investor for impact-driven startups all over Asia. Priya’s ability to spot talent, focus to build coalitions, her penchant to stay positive even in the worst times, and passion to improve people’s lives, make her good at what she does at Villgro Philippines.

When she’s not at work

A voracious reader and avid traveller with a passion for learning, Priya is an energetic, people’s person who is either exploring the pristine beaches of Philippines or having deep political discussions with friends and new acquaintances alike.

Prabh Singh

Investment & Growth Advisor

Education and Experience

Prabh has a decade of business development, commercial negotiation and strategic investment experience in the financial services, energy (LNG) and infrastructure industries. He has successfully built lasting partnerships with global investors and customers across Europe and Asia and raised significant new capital.

Prabh has a degree in Economics & Mathematics from Colby College and an MBA with Distinction from INSEAD, France. He is an alumnus of the United World Colleges movement committed to uniting people for peace and a sustainable future.

What he does at Villgro

Prabh’s role is to challenge entrepreneurs to think through their business model and develop focused strategies for growth. This includes working with them on tactical customer acquisition, creating detailed and robust financial models and implementing scalable operational processes to support growth.

What makes him good at what he does

Prabh is inspired by the energy and resilience of impact entrepreneurs. He is passionate about helping businesses articulate and execute their growth strategy. Be it in the early stages of achieving product-market fit or in a turnaround where rapid, decisive action with limited information is called for. Prabh has led diverse teams in multiple locations and is a firm believer in leveraging technology solutions to support rapid organizational growth.

When he’s not at work

Exploring new places and learning about the culture and history of his destinations is what keeps Prabh dreaming of time off work. He is also a Technologist (early-adopter) and spends time scouring for the next big thing. Prabh brings to the table clarity of thought and precise direction, especially to strategy games.

Katherine Khoo

Venture Advisor

Education and Experience

Kath has helped build and run social impact acceleration programs across Southeast Asia for the last 3 years. She was previously with PhilDev Foundation, part of the entrepreneurship team working on the Innovation for Social Impact Partnership’s (ISIP) Social Impact Accelerator. Prior to PhilDev, Kath was an impact fellow with Scope Group, where she led communications and partnerships for ASEAN Impact Challenge. Kath has a degree in Communications Technology Management from Ateneo de Manila University, and was an active leader of the Gawad Kalinga Student Volunteers and Ateneo Resident Students Association in her time at the university. She is an active community builder in the Philippine startup and innovation ecosystem and a frequent facilitator of Startup Weekend events across the country.

What she does at Villgro

Kath currently dons an advisory role with Villgro Philippines. She is deeply committed to growing and nurturing the Impact ecosystem in the Philippines and continues to Mentor and Support ventures to grow their business and scale their impact.

What makes her good at what she does

Kath’s strength lies in her ability to build lasting relationships with individuals and partners. She is passionate about innovation and its power to transform communities and impact the base of the pyramid. Kath’s can-do attitude and knack for connecting people is what makes her great at supporting impact entrepreneurs to deliver more value to their customers and amplify their impact.

When she’s not at work

If she’s not reading on her Kindle or watching a new indie film, Kath is probably whipping up delicious things in the kitchen. Kath loves learning about what makes people tick and is usually out chatting up friends, old and new alike, over a good cup of coffee and thinking of new ways to create change in whatever way she can.

AC Alyzsa Dy

Senior Program Associate – Incubation

Education and Experience

AC Graduated from DLSU-M in Applied Corporate Management, cum laude. Her many internships include Pilipinas Shell Corporation as a sales associate, Nestle Philippines as an operational excellence intern, Kimberly Clark Philippines as a marketing intern, L’Oreal Philippines as a brand marketing intern, and has worked at BeautyMnl as a Business Development Associate for makeup where she launched events and exclusive first-to-launch deals. AC has volunteered at several NGOs such as the Philippine Animal Welfare Society, Seashine Siargao, and the SEA Movement.

What she does at Villgro

AC is the brains and the brawn behind our climate action initiatives at Villgro Philippines. She manages end-to-end incubation and acceleration programs for SUP Challenge (Plastic-Free Philippines) and Ways4Waste (in partnership with The Incubation Network). AC also serves as a portfolio manager and supports the climate space and the cohorts in the programs through linkages, mentorship, and tailored assistance.

What makes her good at what he does

AC is the young blood that fires up her programs with passion and dedication. She brings a rare maturity to her duties and aspires to be on the frontier of making an impact in addressing climate change and gender inequality. She strongly believes that she has what it takes to make a change, one small ripple at a time.

When she’s not at work

AC is an animal person. Her love for animals has led her to keep and adopt several birds, dogs, cats, rabbits, hedgehogs, geckos, and even ants! When she’s not at work, you can find her amongst her furry and not-so-furry friends. She claims to hate dolls and finds them creepy but…has a collection of around 50 Precious Moments figurines, go figure!

Alyanna Supetran

Program Associate – Gender & Inclusion

Education and Experience

Alyanna has a degree in Development Studies and two minor degrees in Education & Health and Development. During her time in university, she was an executive leader for Ateneo ENTABLADO and served as a delegate under the Ateneo Student Leaders Assembly. Before working as a Gender and Inclusion Associate for Villgro Philippines, she was part of the company’s Impact Fellowship Program as an Impact Investing Fellow.

What she does at Villgro

Alyanna assists in end-to-end management and delivery of all gender smart programs, incubators, and events. She works with social entrepreneurs, mostly women, to provide them access to tailored mentorship and coaching for investment readiness and a community to thrive in, she skilfully manages multiple communities such as Villgro Philippines’ WE Rise Community and Unlock Impact’s Nushu Network. Alyanna also coordinates with gender lens investors, entrepreneur support organizations, and other key players in the ecosystem to help build a level playing field for women entrepreneurs and to bridge the gender financing gap.

What makes her good at what he does

Alyanna is an educator at heart, and a fierce advocate for gender justice and people-centered healthcare. Her work at Villgro Philippines resonates with her advocacies and she executes each task with enthusiasm fuelled by purpose and responsibility. Alyanna’s drive to help create a more equitable society stems from her ambition to join women and the youth in attaining what ‘freedom’ means for them.

When she’s not at work

A bibliophile, like so many of us, Alyaan loves to read both fiction and non-fiction and her current reading list centers on interiority and identity, womanhood, and LGBTQIA+. She pursues her education advocacy by teaching in her free time. Alyanna is a STEAM educator for children! To destress she spends time watching anime and fangirling over KPOP girl groups. Fun fact: All her dogs are named after the food that she and her family love: bacon, mochi, nori, nacho, and the newest one, tofu!

Amina Mahfooz Azad

Comms Manager

Education and Experience

A Communicative English graduate from the prestigious Mount Carmel College, Bangalore, Amina has been in the media and hospitality industry for a good 20 years now. Her last assignment was in Goa where she was the Content Head at Planet Goa magazine for more than 9 years.

What she does at Villgro

Amina is the Comms Manager at Villgro PH and basically the eyes, ears and mouthpiece of the organisation. With a penchant for crafting communications strategies, social media content creation, and a flair for words, Amina is our storyteller who pushes the boundaries of communications for Villgro Philippines. From spamming your inboxes with mailers and newsletters, to flooding timelines with stories and posts, if we have an opinion, an event, or a program, Amina makes sure everyone knows about it and is engaged with it.

What makes her good at what she does

A curious extrovert, Amina is an adventurer at heart who likes to explore and learn something new each time she takes up an assignment. A proud non-conformist, feminist, and humanist, she feels deeply about issues such as gender disparity and poverty. Words are her weapons of choice and stories are her forte. She loves a good edit challenge and hones her skills following and studying the latest trends on social media.

When she’s not at work

A professional binge-watcher of any new series on Netflix, Amina loves to meet people and go out with friends. If she’s not furiously typing out status updates and posting stories, then she is most likely catching up on world affairs on Twitter or exploring quaint bars and hole-in-the-wall eateries around the world.

Denise Dalusong

Program Manager – Gender & Inclusion

Education and Experience

Denise holds a Master’s degree in Global Politics and an AB in Political Science, from the renowned Ateneo de Manila University. She has over 7 years in diverse work ranging from strategy and research to traditional marketing and eCommerce, experienced across multiple industries – including health tech, retail, and nonprofit work

What she does at Villgro

Denise is responsible for the end-to-end program management and delivery of Villgro’s gender programs such as the WE Rise Accelerator. She handles community management of women entrepreneurs, gender lens investing-focused investors and funders, technical and sector experts in the network. Denise also manages Villgro’s relationships with grantors, funders, and program partners.

What makes her good at what he does

With her penchant to learn and being open to new experiences, Denise enjoys tackling work in different industries. Her advocacies include gender equality, good governance, and community health and she volunteers for NGOs Make-A-Wish Philippines and Ladies Wine & Design Manila. A budding entrepreneur herself, she launched two small fashion businesses during the pandemic.

When she’s not at work

Carbs are Denise’s best friend! She claims that she ‘eats (not bakes) bread’. Also, she is a budding mixologist who tries (and often fails at, but refuses to stop) making cocktails. Denise enjoys reading about fashion history and is a big advocate of secondhand, vintage clothing.

Korina Chavez

Program Manager – ISIP

Education and Experience

Korina is a BS Human Ecology major in Social technology from the University of the Philippines Los Banos. She is a Training and Development Specialist responsible for organizing and creating training focused on financial literacy, organizational development, and entrepreneurship. She has extensive experience in end-to-end program management implementation of community-based enterprise projects (Samar, Palawan, Mindanao, Ifugao, Tarlac, and CALABARZON).

What she does at Villgro

Korina is the go-to person handling the End-to-end program management for the Innovation for Social Entrepreneurship’s Social Impact Accelerator program that is being co-led by Villgro Philippines and ACTED. Her insights into the regional dynamics provide an invaluable perspective to the design and delivery of the program that is aimed at women-led, and underserved impact entrepreneur communities of Mindanao, and the BARMM.

What makes her good at what he does

Korina has always been active in community activities initiated by the UPLB alumni association for enterprise development and networking. She is passionate about financial literacy, and as Financial Consultant, she dabbles in insurance and investments.

When she’s not at work

Korina believes in traveling to be immersed in the diverse cultures of different communities and has traveled to 38 out of 81 provinces in the Philippines. Like most of us at Villgro Philippines Korina also enjoys taking care of her fur babies, good food, and great company.

Luan Arbilo

Head of Finance and Operations

Education and Experience

Luan is a graduate of the prestigious University of the Philippines Diliman and a finance professional with almost a decade of experience in both the corporate and startup world. Her interest in entrepreneurship led her to transition to the startup scene, where she had the pleasure of working with various startups across different industries. Her leadership skills and business acumen have earned her a place in the management team of some of the startups she has worked with. In addition to her professional experience, Luan has also volunteered her time and expertise as a startup mentor, helping aspiring entrepreneurs to achieve their goals. 

What she does at Villgro

Luan is responsible for the end-to-end daily finance operations, people operations, legal support, and office management and administration at Villgro Philippines. She runs this joint!

What makes her good at what she does

A finance professional all her life, Luan has a penchant for keeping things in order. Some call it OCD, we call it lifesaving talent. A stickler for detail and a thorough person, Luan is the one who makes sure our accounts, operations, and general admin is smooth sailing.

When she’s not at work

Luan is a curious and adventurous lifelong learner who loves to explore new ideas and experiences. She is always seeking to challenge herself, whether it’s through studying languages, taking up random courses, or immersing herself in a good book. During her brain breaks, she is either gaming or spending quality time with her dog.

Maroushka Lu

Senior Program Associate – Incubation

Education and Experience

A graduate of DLSU-Manila from Applied Corporate Management, Maroushka was a Talent Acquisition and Employer Branding Intern for Del Monte Philippines, assisting in onboarding top talent for the company and streamlining their training and hiring process. She has worked for L’Oreal Philippines as a Brand Marketing Intern under their Luxe Division for Kiehl’s, creating marketing packages, managing events, and coordinating with retail partners for the brand. Maroushka interned at 3M Philippines under their Construction and Home Improvements Department as a Trade Marketing Intern, where she handled visual merchandising, retail training, and sales excellence for their portfolio. She is also a member of the Museum Volunteers of the Philippines, a non-profit organization that aims to study the Philippines in its historical context, and does volunteer work in local museums and communities and a certified transformational coach from Innov8.org and currently does pro-bono coaching with high school students.

What she does at Villgro

Maroushka assists in end-to-end management and leading virtual events under several innovation acceleration programs. She is the force behind the incubation support to teams from the ReachHealth Innovation Accelerator. She also supports climate projects such as the Ways4Waste Post-Program Support and the SUP Challenge in partnership with The Incubation Network. Maroushka also leads our Fellows Program where she manages young guns and trains them to take on the challenges of working with an ever-evolving, dynamic organization such as Villgro Philippines.

What makes her good at what he does

Her diligence is legendary and so is her commitment to diving into the deep end of the ocean. In short, Maroushka enjoys a good challenge thrown at her and her easy breezy style of making things happen is an inspiration to us all. She is deeply passionate about her advocacies – Climate action, Education, and Healthcare and aspires to be a teacher and become a beacon of viral impact in more ways than one. She hopes to one day create a learning hub to share her passions and learn from a community of like-minded individuals.

When she’s not at work

She plays 8 instruments! But her favorites are the piano, violin, and most especially her bass guitar. Maroushka is a self-taught artist that dabbles in traditional and digital mediums but uses acrylic on canvas or occasional murals. She believes that ‘Learning is a gift and curiosity fuels the soul’ – so she is always up to learn about and from anything she encounters, be it from a book, a movie, random genres of music, or having the most amazing conversations with people.

Nicole Mendoza

Venture Associate – Impact Investment

Education and Experience

Nicole holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management, Specialization in Financial Management (Cum Laude) from Ateneo de Manila University. She was an Impact Investment Fellow at Villgro Philippines and a Business Consultant in the Ateneo Blue Consulting Group. Nicole also has experience in Marketing and Advertising from her stints as a Marketing Research Intern in FrieslandCampina and she is a Board of Associates member for the Advertising and Communications department of Ateneo Management Association.

What she does at Villgro

Nicole assists the Head of Impact Investments in outreach and recruitment of all ventures in pipeline building efforts for the organization’s programs and work proactively on scouting and selection of ventures: search, review of applications, interviews, due diligence, etc. She also manages and maintains back-end systems that track program outcomes and relationships, including the Artha Platform for the Impact Pioneers Network.

What makes her good at what he does

Nicole is passionate about supporting MSMEs in the Philippines. Her natural curiosity and open-mindedness add a fresh perspective to her endeavors. She thrives in new and difficult situations and her determination to succeed has earned her the title of a go-getter.

When she’s not at work

Nicole enjoys cooking and baking, and eating! Fit as a fiddle, Nicole is seen at random fitness classes, strength training at the gym, or walking her dog – Olaf. She’s also a serial binge-watcher, so sprawling on the couch and endless scrolling through Tik Tok is another one of her many talents.

Nicole Paterno

Program Manager – Impact Pioneers Network

Education and Experience

Nicole holds a Bachelor’s Degree in European Studies – International Relations Track, with a minor in German Studies from Ateneo de Manila University, and was a Candidate for a Master’s Degree in Public Management from Ateneo School of Government. Her foray (and eventually love affair) into technology and innovation began with Narra VC and Brain Gain Network, followed by PhilDev, SkyEye (a drone startup), 1000 Angels (Manila), and Hustle Ground Ventures solidifying her grounds in strategy and business development. She is one of the founding members of the regional ASEAN Angel Alliance, a sought-after mentor/ advisor by startups, a judge for pitching competitions, and a panelist to evaluate research proposals submitted to DOST-PCIEERD. Nicole is also a trustee in FTW (For The Women) Foundation, which provides data science scholarships to women who pursue careers in that field.

What she does at Villgro

Nicole leads the Impact Investment work for Villgro that involves deal sourcing, curating, and due diligence, and works with the Steering Committee to ensure the investment readiness of ventures. This is alongside networking, educating, and expanding the pool of angel investors for the Impact Pioneers Network.

What makes her good at what he does

Nicole believes she embodies the term jill-of-all-trades. Being a mother packs an extra punch into her professional skill sets and she embraces a growth mindset like a pro. She is a big fan of education and loves to teach and learn. Disruptive in nature, Nicole finds herself in breaking-the-glass-ceiling situations pretty often.

When she’s not at work

Nicole is a mama with many talents. Whether it be accompanying Mio to his activities or teaching coding to kids or even doing tutorials in Math, Science, English, and Filipino for The Coding School, she does it all. She loves to explore places, taste and cook different food, immerse herself in different cultures, and strike up random conversations with people. Always on the move literally and figuratively. For Nicole dancing is in her blood.

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.

Hellen Keller

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