The Philippines is being positioned as a gateway for Bruneian startups seeking to expand across Southeast Asia after Singapore-based TechShake and Brunei Innovation Lab signed a partnership agreement to strengthen cross-border collaboration between the two countries' startup ecosystems.

The two organizations signed a memorandum of understanding in Pasig City, establishing what they described as a bilateral innovation corridor linking the Philippines and Brunei.

“The Philippines has always been more than a market — it is a gateway into ASEAN,” said Kotaro Adachi. “By formalizing our partnership with Brunei Innovation Lab, we are giving Bruneian founders structured access to that gateway, and giving Philippine startups a new corridor into Brunei and the BIMP-EAGA region.”

The agreement covers startup promotion, ecosystem exchanges, market-entry initiatives, innovation immersion programs, and the sharing of market and investment insights. It also aims to facilitate business matching and knowledge-sharing among entrepreneurs, investors, and innovation stakeholders in both countries.

As part of the partnership, the organizations will launch two flagship programs this year. The first is a Philippine Innovation Immersion program that will bring Bruneian startups to the Philippines for market briefings, innovation tours, business-matching activities, and demo-day opportunities.

The second is a Brunei-Philippines Market Entry Webinar Series that will provide startups and small and medium enterprises with information on business opportunities and partner networks in both markets.

TechShake described the agreement as its first formal cross-border partnership with Brunei's national innovation platform and said it would help position the Philippines as a launchpad for Bruneian startups entering the wider Southeast Asian market.

The partnership is also expected to create opportunities for Philippine startups looking to expand into Brunei and the broader Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area.

Both organizations said the agreement is intended to support long-term collaboration through future exchanges, immersion programs, and joint innovation initiatives.