How his vision is supporting entrepreneurs and enabling the Philippine digital economy
Here in GK Innovations Labs, we’re all about supporting the Philippine startup ecosystem, and we’re especially proud of the tech startup founders – or techpreneurs – who are working to make them bigger.
Don Pansacola is one of those entrepreneurs. He’s the founder of NextPay, a digital platform that enables small businesses to centralize their financial operations–issuing digital invoices, payroll, and all–through a pay-per-use business model.
Read more about how we helped NextPay achieve 300+% transaction growth with a solid customer acquisition strategy.
In a brief Q&A with us, we asked him questions that will hopefully inspire the next generation of tech startup founders. Don shared some great insights into his company’s mission and how he got started. Read on to find out his answers below.
The Beginning
Darwin Smith, the former CEO of Kimberly-Clark, shared that the secret to being the best is to “never stop trying to become qualified for my job.” What do you think of this?”
I firmly believe that the pursuit of knowledge and learning should never end. In today's digital age, some individuals may be hesitant to try new things or step out of their comfort zones. But I think it’s crucial to take advantage of available resources and continuously learn in order to stay ahead and not be outcompeted.
It is important to continuously strive to improve and learn new things in order to stay ahead of the curve. This mindset and attitude towards learning and self-improvement is essential for achieving excellence.
The Spark:
In three sentences or less, please tell us your inspiration for your startup. What motivated you to start it?
Financial health is our purpose, whether through your business or your people. NextPay’s goal is to provide our MSMEs with a spectrum of banking services that were previously unavailable to them because of the steep requirements and high fees that are typically aimed at larger, more developed companies that can afford them.
The Supporters:
Who supported you and what do you think they saw?
I have been lucky to have the guidance and support from other founders and mentors with whom I have had different conversations with, over time. With their support, NextPay’s services filled a gap among growing businesses looking to go digital with convenient financial tools. They trust our key role in supporting our entrepreneurs and enabling the Philippines digital economy.
If you’re like Don, a techpreneur, or a tech startup founder who needs advice in your product’s digital roadmap, we’re glad to guide you in your growth journey.
You can read about the startups we’ve helped over the years here.