Get investment-ready.

Pass our review to earn Verified status and a place on our path to a private

investor network. We're building it with our Founding Cohort.

WATCH TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR MISSION, HOW WE TRANSFORM LIVES

Apply free. If approved, take a live business simulation, get a scored gaps

report, and learn exactly what to fix next.

Founding Cohort · Thu Nov 19 · 6:00 PM · Online · 20 seats

Free to apply. Applications are reviewed, and not everyone is approved.

Applications close Thu Nov 12.

If approved, the simulation fee is ₱7,500, invoiced only after approval.

No investment is guaranteed.

Verified is earned by review.

Simulations used by Ivy League schools and top global companies · FWDP has run events connecting tech startups with the Stellar fund and CELO

What you get,

and what you don't

If you're approved, your simulation seat includes:

The Live Simulation

A live, facilitated virtual business simulation led by ML (Mary Lou Cunanan), run over all three levels in about 4 hours. It may run longer depending on pace.

The Scored Results

Your results from the simulation.

a gaps report

A Matchie gaps report built from your results, your essay, and your documents, showing your strengths and what to fix next.

A Clear Path Forward with Mentors.

more learning and mentoring, or a Verified review.

It does not include funding, investor access, a guaranteed match, or Verified status. Those are never for sale.

From application to Verified

Apply free. Tell us about your startup and send your key documents. It takes about 10 minutes.
We review. We read your essay and documents and email you within 2 business days, and faster in the final week before applications close on Thu Nov 12.
Take the simulation. If you're approved, pay ₱7,500 by Fri Nov 13 to hold your seat. Seats are capped at 20 so every founder gets real attention.
Get your gaps report. We send it with your recommended path.
Build or get verified. Founders with gaps join CHIEncubation. Vetted founders go to the Verified review.

Is this for you?

It's for you if:

You're building a tech or e-commerce startup, or have a serious idea.
You can explain your business clearly and in plain words.
You have real documents to show, such as a business plan or deck, and a registration if you have one.
You'll act on honest feedback.

Who Should Not Join

You're looking for a shortcut to funding.
You want someone else to do the work.

Verified is earned, not bought

Verified is a status Matchie awards after a human review. We look at your simulation results, your essay, your business registration, your IP or trademark filing, and your business plan and deck. Verified founders get a profile and pitch video on the investor dashboard we're building with angel investors. Investors choose which founders to meet, and no investment is guaranteed.

What you get now: the live simulation, your scored results, a gaps report, and a clear path forward with mentors.

What comes next: Verified reviews begin from late December, and the investor dashboard opens as the first founders are approved. You pay Matchie and our mentors to prepare, not to be funded.

Two paths

CHIEncubation

for founders with gaps. You get mentors, CHIE Academy training and certification, practice simulations, a founder community, a stage tracker, and discounted build and growth support from FWDP and GeNie Works. We share pricing on your results call.

Verified review

for founders who show no major gaps. If you pass, you can submit

your pitch video and profile for the investor dashboard.

Founders in CHIEncubation are not on the investor dashboard yet.

You can apply for the Verified review when you're ready.

The people behind the Founding Cohort

Chinie Barunday

She is a Filipino entrepreneur, digital marketing strategist, licensed professional teacher, and StellarPH PH100 2025 honoree. As a powerhouse in the digital ecosystem, she serves as Co-Founder and Co-CEO of GeNie Works and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for the Filipino Web Development Peers (FWDP) network, driving brand growth and scaling operations through advanced tech solutions, user experience design, and digital marketing strategies. At MatCHIE, she applies her robust tech and education background to lead the company’s vision, strategy, and business development. Beyond tech leadership, she is a highly accomplished professional fashion model, digital influencer, and national beauty pageant titleholder, with accolades including Miss Glutalight and official candidacies for Mutya ng Dabaw and Binibining Sindangan. Grounded in social impact, she is also the founder of the CHIE Academy and CHIE Foundation, where she champions literacy, community empowerment, and specialized resources for children with special needs.

Co-Founder | CEO

David Genesis Pedeglorio

David Genesis Pedeglorio is a Filipino technologist, startup advisor, and community builder. As Founder of Filipino Web Development Peers (FWDP), a community of 17k+ professionals, and Co-CEO of GeNie Works, he has supported numerous local startups. A Fractional CTO, consultant, and former executive (COO at Tenten's Academy Online Tutorial), he helps founders refine minimum viable products, internal workflows, and tech strategies. He launched FWDP Core Plus for tech startup development, was named in the PH100 2024, and leads strategy at Matchie. A student Jose Rizal Award Award for Excellence and Virtue in Community Service nominee for community service, David frequently collaborates with networks like DEVCON and AWS Cloud Club Philippines to champion local engineering talent while judging major tech events like the National Round of the World Computer Hackers League (WCHL) and the Builder Showcase x WOCEE 2026.

Co-Founder | COO

Nanick Bhawnani

He is a visionary Filipino-Indian entrepreneur, angel investor, and lead business consultant specializing in tech, real estate, and renewable energy across Southeast Asia. Nanick demonstrated his sharp business acumen by co-founding a tech startup and winning the prestigious Startup Weekend 2023 Davao for a groundbreaking health-tech application, Cancer Companion. His ability to synthesize complex market needs into viable digital products quickly established him as a sought-after strategist who brings years of hands-on execution to his ventures. Today, he serves as a lead business consultant for high-impact real estate developments and commercial renewable energy ventures. As an active proponent of solar energy projects, he is deeply committed to scaling sustainable development that powers the future of Mindanao.

Advisor, Mentor - Business Fundamentals and Investment Readiness

Mary Lou Cunanan

Mary Lou Cunanan is an international investment & business consultant with experience in 30+ countries, specializing in large-scale infrastructure, energy, and market entry strategies within ASEAN. An Accredited Faculty member of Harvard Business Impact and 100 Most Influential Filipina in the World in 2016 by the Filipina Women's Network, she integrates advanced business simulations into executive coaching. As the Executive Consultant at MDU Consulting Asia, founder of Suyomano, and AIM Executive MBA alumna, she prepares ventures for global scale. A TEDx speaker, US State Dept. exchange alumna, and writer, her dream is to build a nation of world-class entrepreneurs by equipping founders with the strategic edge needed for serious investment.

Lead Simulation Facilitator

Peter Joshua Brion

Peter Joshua Brion is the CTO of FWDP, Executive VP of CyberPH, and a PH100 2024 honoree with 5 years of software engineering and cybersecurity experience. Holding advanced CHFI and ECIH certifications, he has delivered security and software projects for clients locally and abroad. In CHIEncubation, Peter mentors founders on making sound technology decisions, securing products and customer data, and building baselines that satisfy compliance checklists from investors (e.g., GDPR). By teaching defensive programming to prominent groups like Python Philippines and Google Developer Groups Manila, he helps teams write secure code from scratch, reducing technical debt that devalues a company. As a tech leader, he balances rapid product iteration with security, empowering founders to communicate complex technical roadmaps to non-technical founders and investors.

Mentor - Cybersecurity and Technology

Disclosure

Matchie is affiliated with FWDP (technology and product building) and GeNie Works (growth and business development). After your simulation we may recommend their services if your report shows a need. You are never required to buy them, and your report follows a written rubric, not what we sell.

STILL NOT SURE?

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a funding program?

No. Matchie helps founders get ready. We don't guarantee funding, investment, or introductions.

Will I meet investors?

Founders who earn Verified status are on our path to a private investor network that we're building with angel investors, and they may be shown to investors with their consent. Investors choose who to meet. No investment is guaranteed.

Why pay before I'm Verified?

You pay for the simulation, your gaps report, and the training and mentoring that help you prepare. Payment never buys Verified status or a match.

What is the simulation?

Coffee Shop Inc. is a Business Essentials simulation with three progressive levels: Foundations, Growth, and Global Expansion. Over about 4 hours you build and scale a coffee shop business, making decisions on location, strategy, marketing, HR, operations, branding, and international expansion, and you see how your choices affect profit.

How long is it?

About 4 hours (6:00 PM to about 10:00 PM), and it may run longer depending on how fast the group finishes. Keep the evening free.

What do I need to join?

A laptop, a steady internet connection, and Chrome if possible.

Why only 20 seats?

So every founder gets real attention and useful feedback.

When do applications close?

Thu Nov 12. Approved founders pay by Fri Nov 13.

Do I need a registered company?

Not to apply. You'll need a business registration and an IP or trademark filing before the Verified review, and we can point you to options.

Can my co-founder join?

Yes, up to 2 people per startup. Each applies and pays separately.

Can I get a refund?

All seats are final. If you can't attend, you can move to the next batch, subject to space. If Matchie reschedules the session, you keep your seat for the new date or can move to the next batch. If Matchie cancels and doesn't offer a new date, you get a full refund. We confirm a batch only when at least 5 founders have paid.

Will calls be recorded?

Calls with Matchie may be recorded for review and records. The live simulation session may also be recorded. We tell you beforehand and ask for your consent in the form. If we'd like to use a clip that shows you in our marketing, we ask for your separate permission first, and you can say no without losing your seat.

What happens to my information?

We use it only to run the program and assess your application. We never share it with investors or any third party without your specific consent. See our Privacy Notice.

Only 20 founders. Applications close Thu Nov 12.

We cap the Founding Cohort at 20 so every founder gets real attention. Every application is reviewed, and not everyone is approved. If you want a seat on Thu Nov 19, apply before the deadline.

Don’t wait for the last week. Approved founders must pay by Fri Nov 13 to hold their seat, and once the cohort is full, the next batch is a later date.