LenderLink feted as ‘Startup of the Year’
LenderLink, a fintech startup that gives real-time access to credit data, was named “Startup of the Year” at the 2025 KMC Startup Awards.
Earning praise from judges for addressing critical access gaps in lending and setting new standards in user-first financial services, LenderLink led this year’s roster of gold awardees.
Aside from winning the gold prize for Startup of the Year, it also ruled the Customer Experience Excellence category.
For the third consecutive year, KMC Solutions, the country’s leading provider of flexible office spaces and offshore solutions, recognized the country’s best and brightest startup companies at a gala night held on Nov. 13.
The event forms part of the 2025 Philippine Startup Week, the annual nationwide celebration of Filipino innovation and entrepreneurship.
This year’s competition received 140 entries from different startups nationwide, culminating in 24 finalists bringing home gold, silver and bronze distinctions across eight major categories. Each category celebrated a different aspect of innovation, growth and leadership within the startup ecosystem.
Lithos Manufacturing captured the gold for Culture and Community Excellence, recognized for its strong employee-first workplace practices and commitment to local industry development. The company produces nonmetallic industrial mineral products such as zeolite, bentonite and calcium carbonate.
Serbiz earned “Tech Innovator of the Year” for its solutions that streamline field service operations and empower grassroots workers through technology.
International shipping service provider ZendEase was hailed as this year’s “Growth Champion” for its rapid scale-up locally and globally.
Philippine Coding Camp took home the “Innovation in Marketing” award for its creative education campaigns that drive digital literacy among Filipino youth.
Kredit Hero Inc. rounded out the gold awardees with the “FutureTech Leadership” prize, a testament to its contribution to next-generation financial technologies.
On the other hand, the silver winners are:
- Mylo Speech Buddy (Startup of the Year, Growth Champion, and Innovation in Marketing) – Flying Tigers Express’ CEO Dave Overton (Breakthrough Leader of the Year)
- Rezbin (Culture and Community Excellence)
- Pili AdheSeal Inc. (Tech Innovator of the Year)
- NextPay (Customer Experience Excellence) and
- Serbiz (FutureTech Leadership).
Meanwhile, the bronze winners include:
- Rezbin (Startup of the Year)
- BCremit’s cofounder Jose Angelo Calma (Breakthrough Leader of the Year)
- Bambuhay (Culture and Community Excellence)
- Twala (Tech Innovator of the Year)
- Jia Financing Inc. (Growth Champion)
- Dehusk (Innovation in Marketing and Customer Experience Excellence) and
- Rezbin (FutureTech Leadership).
Co-presented by OneCFO, in collaboration with Ideaspace
QBO, MAIN.PH, Founders Launchpad, Kaya Founders and Uniquecorn Strategies, the event aims to recognize outstanding startups from different sectors, as well as foster relationships in the startup community.
Michael McCullough, cofounder of KMC Solutions, urged new ventures to use the awards as a platform to foster strong connections between Filipino startups.
“At KMC, we remain committed to supporting this community — to building an environment where founders and teams can think boldly, work together, and grow,” McCullough says.
First inaugurated in 2023 by KMC Solutions, a premier business services company that once was a startup itself, the KMC Startup Awards program was born out of a desire to spotlight innovators who are transforming industries.
“What began in 2023 as a way to shine a light on emerging founders has grown into a movement — one that recognizes imagination, resilience, and the determination to turn ideas into reality,” says McCullough.
With this year’s theme, “Innovation Without Limits,” the cofounder further encouraged startups to look for fresh ideas and break boundaries.
“We believe that meaningful solutions can start anywhere, and that progress comes from the courage to create what has not existed before,” he says.
