Bjorn Pardo, an innovator in logistics and eCommerce, co-founds independent venture studio AHG Lab and leads the company into PropTech+, a space that serves the Philippine property technology market and its adjacent industries such as hospitality, education, procurement, logistics, and more.
Because the Philippines' property technology industry is still in its early stages, various companies are focusing on the needs of real estate buyers and professionals while keeping a close eye on various stages of the purchasing process.
In his new role, Pardo will lead AHG Lab in developing companies that provide innovative tech-powered applications and solutions, drawing on his prior experience founding startups independently and his more recent experience in corporate venture building. He leads the venture builder's synergistic team of seasoned entrepreneurs, creatives, and investors, who collectively power over ten tech-enabled startups, with more in the works. He is collaborating with AHG's original investors, who have established their own portfolios in both traditional real estate and cutting-edge property technology.
As an innovator, Pardo wishes to push the envelope beyond the boundaries of PropTech solutions. This is why he is leading AHG Lab's move toward PropTech+ — extending the use of property technology to address the needs of not only real estate stakeholders, but also surrounding communities.
“The original thought was strictly PropTech, focusing primarily on property owners and tenants. But as we dived deeper into the solutions, it became clear that there’s so much need to address the communities around it. We saw opportunities to serve adjacent markets like professionals in co-working spaces, students in co-living arrangements, tourists, and so on. That’s when we added ‘plus’ in ‘PropTech+’,” said Pardo. “Going into PropTech+ is really looking at who we can serve from a different perspective, from property owners, tenants, and beyond. It’s thinking about what solutions we can offer within that community which opens doors to infinite possibilities of ventures that we can build.”
Pardo previously co-founded the first eCommerce venture studio in the Philippines, QuadX, in 2013. He also joined Unionbank’s venture builder UBX in 2018, where he ideated, built, and launched two ventures, and grew them to serve over 100,000 businesses as Managing Director.
Pardo’s expertise in building and scaling startups was solidified earlier on in 2004 when he founded Xend, the express shipping and courier service that revolutionized eCommerce logistics in Southeast Asia.
“I’ve been building ventures my entire professional life, and it’s always fulfilling to learn new things with every new industry I go into. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to make an impact and do what I know best, here at AHG Lab,” said Pardo of his experience in a variety of industries including Logistics, eCommerce, Health, FinTech, and now PropTech+.