Ecosystem Builder · AI Strategist · Social Entrepreneur · TEDx Speaker · Author

Hi, I'm Jay Jaboneta — building bridges across Southeast Asia.

I build “bridges.” As CEO of Sannex Ventures, between Singapore investors and Davao City's emerging economy. Through Kenzo AI, between Philippine schools and real AI fluency. And as co-founder of the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, between island communities and the chance to learn — a movement now serving 200+ communities since a single Facebook post in 2010.

2ASEAN markets served through Sannex Ventures

10+Schools onboarded in Kenzo AI Certification

5,000+Yellow boats delivered to children across 200 communities in the Philippines

50+Keynotes, workshops and talks delivered per year

2Books published in 2026

Jay Jaboneta — AI Strategist and social entrepreneur from the Philippines

Sannex Ventures

Where two markets
meet.

Singapore is Asia's business capital — home to 37,000+ multinationals and a gateway to 700 million ASEAN consumers. Davao City is Mindanao's fastest-growing economy — ₱574 billion GDP, ₱263 billion in 2024 investments, the country's safest major city.

Between them sits a 2,700-kilometre corridor that has been structurally underleveraged. Singapore capital seeking growth markets. Davao seeking trusted bridges to receive it. What's been missing is a credible, integrated team operating on both sides.

"Sannex" — Singapore Annex. Davao as Singapore's trusted extension. Singapore as Davao's gateway to the world.

As CEO and Director, I lead Sannex Ventures — a hand-picked consortium of five specialists across construction, law, finance, trade, and government. We're not a generalist advisory firm. We move opportunities from feasibility to delivery.

Explore Sannex Ventures →

The Consortium

Five specialists. One integrated bridge across the Singapore–Davao corridor.

Construction & Engineering

Infrastructure delivery across Mindanao and Manila — flagship projects in Davao City and the capital.

Legal & Regulatory

Corporate, property, and compliance work with active relationships at LGU, national agency, and legislative levels.

Finance & Wealth

Singapore-based institutional finance, investment structuring, and risk advisory.

Trade & Logistics

MAS-licensed remittance, freight forwarding, and cargo chartering across Southeast Asian trade corridors.

Strategy & Government

Cross-border BD, ecosystem building, and emerging tech integration including AI and Web3.

See sannex.ventures →

Kenzo AI

Named after the one
who inspired it all.

My son Kenzo is the reason this company exists. Watching him grow — curious, relentless, wired differently from the world around him — I saw firsthand how the education system struggles to meet children where they actually are.

That gap became the mission: help educators and entrepreneurs build real AI fluency, so the next generation inherits tools that adapt to them — not the other way around.

Kenzo — "strong and healthy" in Japanese. The name became the brand.

Kenzo AI now delivers structured AI training programs for K-12 schools and SMEs across the Philippines and Singapore — turning awareness into competence, one cohort at a time.

Explore Kenzo AI →

AI Certification Ladder

A structured pathway from first contact with AI to institutional leadership — for educators and entrepreneurs.

AI Foundations

Core AI literacy — understanding what AI is, what it isn't, and how to use it responsibly in your daily work.

Coming Soon

AI Practitioner

Hands-on application — building prompts, workflows, and integrations that solve real problems in your classroom or business.

Coming Soon

AI Specialist

Domain-specific mastery — designing AI-powered curriculum, automating operations, or building internal AI tools.

Coming Soon

AI Leader

Institutional strategy — leading AI adoption across your school or organization and training others to follow.

Coming Soon

Learn more at kenzo-ai.com →

The Yellow Boat Story

One post.
Thousands of boats.

In 2010, I learned that nearly 200 children in the mangrove village of Layag-Layag, Zamboanga City, had to swim half a mile across open water just to get to school. I shared their story on Facebook. That single post changed everything.

Strangers became donors. One boat became thousands. What started as the Zamboanga Fund for Little Kids is now the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation — providing school boats, classrooms, bridges, dormitories, and livelihood programs to island communities where talent is universal but opportunity is not.

We often hear of kids that skip school to go swimming — but here we've got kids swimming so that they can go to school.

— CNN interview

The foundation's mission is unfinished by design: it exists until no child is left behind.

Watch the Yellow Boat of Hope story →

Featured In

CNNYellow boats bring hope and education in the Philippines HuffPostFeatured contributor and profiled social innovator Al JazeeraFoundation covered for its national impact on education access TEDxTEDxMontpellier 2012 — only Asian speaker invited

How I Can Help

Building things that matter.

I work with founders, schools, nonprofits, and organizations at the intersection of technology, innovation, and storytelling.

Ecosystem Building & Innovation Labs

Designing and launching innovation labs or hubs, incubation programs, and founder communities that nurture ideas from concept to lasting impact.

20 years of ecosystem building →

Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Technologies

Helping schools and businesses adopt AI tools and emerging technologies for education, administration, and operations through structured workshops and consulting programs.

What is an AI Strategist? →

Storytelling & Digital Presence

Turning complex ideas into clear, compelling narratives across digital channels — built on years of new media experience from the ground up.

Story, stage, and digital portfolio →

Education & Leadership

Delivering talks, workshops, and programs on social entrepreneurship, youth leadership, and innovation for schools, companies, and organizations.

The HOPE Framework & 16 years in education →

Career

The path so far.

2025 – Present

CEO & Director

Sannex Ventures — Singapore & Davao City

Bilateral business development firm bridging Singapore investors with Davao City's emerging economy. Lead a five-partner consortium across construction, law, finance, trade, and government for cross-border deal flow.

2024 – Present

Founder & CEO

Kenzo AI — Philippines & Southeast Asia

Helping schools and SMEs adopt AI tools for lesson planning, administration, and business operations through structured workshop programs.

2024 – 2026

Web3 Developer Advocate

AngelHack

Supporting developers entering the Web3 ecosystem through hackathons, mentorship, and community building across Southeast Asia.

2010 – Present

Co-Founder (Fire Starter & Chief Storyteller)

Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation

Scaled a national nonprofit from a Facebook post to a foundation serving 200+ communities with school boats, classrooms, bridges, and livelihood programs.

2015 – 2022

Consultant on Social Innovation

De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde / De La Salle Lipa

Supported HIFI (Hub of Innovation For Inclusion) and managed NEXUS Innovation Labs — building social innovation ecosystems inside Philippine universities.

2010 – 2011

First Director for New Media

Office of the President of the Philippines

Built and managed President Aquino III's official digital presence. Pioneered the Philippine government's social media and online communications strategy at PCOO.

2005 – 2010

Sales, Business Development, Portfolio Management

Procter & Gamble · ANZ Banking Group · Metrobank Card Corp.

Built a foundation in corporate sales, business development, and banking operations before pivoting to public service and social entrepreneurship.

Recognition

Awards & Honours

7 Modern Day Pinoy Heroes

Yahoo! Southeast Asia

Power30Under30 Honoree

Apex Society, New York

Bayaning Pilipino Regional Awardee

Gawad Geny Lopez Jr.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Damers & Clarions of Cotabato

Pillar of Hope Award

Eton International School

TEDx Speaker — TEDxMontpellier 2012

Only Asian speaker invited

TEDx Speaker — TEDxKinnairdCollege 2013

Only Filipino invited in Pakistan

TEDx Speaker — TEDxBritishSchoolManila 2016

Bringing our story to an international school

TEDx Speaker — TEDxYouth@MGCNLCA 2018

The most powerful ideas travel to the youngest rooms

Apple Leadership Academy Ambassador 2026

Exclusive group in the Philippines

Books

Written works.

Available Now on Amazon

Start with HOPE

Entrepreneurship Guide

A Social Entrepreneur's Guide to Building What Matters — the HOPE framework born out of lessons from Jay's projects, for anyone ready to turn compassion into action.

startwithhopebook.com →

Available Now on Amazon

Philosophy in a Dream

A Philosophical Parable

A seven-day dream journey through the Garden of Sophia — where ancient questions meet a wanderer searching for meaning.

philosophyinadream.com →

The Substrate

Coming Soon

The Substrate

A Science Fiction Novel

A gripping story that weaves science, mystery, and the human condition into a narrative that will keep you turning pages.

HOPE: A Map for Humanity

Coming Soon

HOPE: A Map for Humanity

A Non-Fiction Book (Social Theory)

A new exploration of how hope, systems thinking, and small acts can reshape the human story.

Speaking ↗

Talks that move people.

I deliver 50+ keynotes annually to audiences spanning multinational corporations, government agencies, universities, and nonprofits. My talks weave personal narrative with practical frameworks — including the HOPE methodology (Harness potential, Open your wallet, Perspire through action, Empower others) — to inspire action, not just applause.

Social Entrepreneurship AI for Education and Business Cross-Border Investment & Bilateral Trade Web3 & Blockchain Youth Leadership Innovation Social Media for Social Change Digital Communications Nation Building Advocacy Marketing

Past Clients Include

Philippine Airlines · Facebook · De La Salle Lipa · De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde · Ateneo de Davao University · and dozens of educational institutions and nonprofits

Education

Academic background.

Ateneo de Davao University

BS Commerce — Management Accounting, minor in Philosophy (2005)

Notre Dame of Cotabato

High School Valedictorian (1998)

Let's build something together.

Whether it's a speaking engagement, a consulting project, or a conversation about building something meaningful.

Email Me LinkedIn Facebook

Hi, I'm Jay Jaboneta — building bridges across Southeast Asia.

Where two marketsmeet.

Named after the onewho inspired it all.

One post.Thousands of boats.

Building things that matter.

Ecosystem Building & Innovation Labs

Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Technologies

Storytelling & Digital Presence

Education & Leadership

The path so far.

Awards & Honours

Written works.

Talks that move people.

Academic background.

Let's build something together.

Where two markets
meet.

Named after the one
who inspired it all.

One post.
Thousands of boats.