Strategic and Collaborative Alliance for Leveraging Ecosystems of Startups – National Capital Region (SCALE NCR)

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A Philippine government-funded consortium of university-based technology business incubators in Metro Manila that co-ordinates startup support, maps the regional ecosystem, and connects founders with investors and mentors.
What are the main aims and objectives?

The Strategic and Collaborative Alliance for Leveraging Ecosystems of Startups – National Capital Region (SCALE NCR) aims to accelerate the growth of technology-based startups and enterprises across Metro Manila's 17 cities by building a connected, well-resourced, and inclusive startup support infrastructure. It was established in direct response to a documented weakness in the Philippine startup ecosystem: despite Manila being the country's primary economic hub, it ranked only 81st–90th in the Emerging Startup Ecosystem category of the Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2024 — reflecting fragmented support structures, a weak early-stage investor culture, and uneven distribution of entrepreneurship resources across the region's cities. SCALE NCR operates as the National Capital Region's designated consortium under the Department of Science and Technology's (DOST) Regional Startup Enabler for Ecosystem Development (ReSEED) Programme, which created equivalent consortia in all regions of the Philippines. Its stated vision is to become "the leader in startup initiatives and entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country by 2028". It pursues this through four interconnected objectives: systematically mapping the NCR startup landscape across all 17 local government units; training and equipping member technology business incubators (TBIs) to better support startups; building a structured investor network to connect early-stage companies with capital; and extending TBI infrastructure into educational institutions not yet covered by the existing network.

How does the program work?

SCALE NCR operates as a consortium model, bringing together eight government-funded Technology Business Incubators (TBIs) under a single coordinating structure, with Miriam College (through its Henry Sy, Sr. Innovation Center) acting as the lead institution.

Member institutions include De La Salle University (DLSU) Animo Labs Foundation Inc., the University of Santo Tomas (UST) TOMASInno Center, Mapua Think and Tinker Laboratory, Adamson University NEST Incubation Center, UP Diliman UPSCALE Innovation Hub, the Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP) NITRO, and QBO Innovation Hub.​

The consortium delivers its work through four primary mechanisms:

NCR LGU Ecosystem Mapping Initiative. Led by DLSU Animo Labs, this initiative systematically maps the startup landscape across all 17 cities of Metro Manila, collecting data on the number of active startups, the presence of incubators and accelerators, local government unit-supported programmes, academic entrepreneurship initiatives, and investor activity. The mapping is designed to produce a diagnostic baseline that informs the five-year Startup Development Roadmap for the region.

Startup Institute. A training platform designed to build the capabilities of TBIs and entrepreneur support organisations within the NCR. The Startup Institute helps coaches, mentors, and incubator managers accelerate the development of startup and research and development project teams. A pilot edition was held in September 2024 (Manila Bulletin, August 2024).

NCR Investors Network. A platform connecting startups and projects seeking funding with investors who can provide both capital and mentorship. The network is supplemented by investor education workshops and seminars designed to grow the pool of active early-stage investors in the region — addressing a structural gap that has historically limited startup growth.

iHub Network and TBI Expansion. SCALE NCR establishes collaborative coworking and incubation spaces (iHubs) within local government units and educational institutions. One such space was created in partnership with Parañaque City (DOST-NCR, 2024), and a new TBI was established at Colegio de Muntinlupa in October 2024 to extend academe-based entrepreneurship into previously uncovered institutions (DOST-NCR, October 2024).

SCALE NCR also works with DOST-NCR to support returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in building technology-based businesses through the iFWD PH programme.

What is the overall cost?

SCALE NCR is funded through the DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) ReSEED Programme, for which DOST-PCIEERD committed a total of ₱120 million (approximately $2.1 million USD) to establish and operationalise startup ecosystem consortia across all regions of the Philippines (DOST-PCIEERD, 2023).

How was it implemented?

SCALE NCR was created as the National Capital Region component of the ReSEED Programme, a national initiative by DOST-PCIEERD to build structured startup ecosystem consortia in every region of the Philippines.​

The operational founding of SCALE NCR predates its formal government registration. In July 2023, the eight member TBIs signed a consortium-level Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), formally agreeing to collaborate under the SCALE NCR banner (Business World, November 2023). This inter-institutional agreement established the governance structure and defined the roles of each member organisation within the consortium.​

The programme was formally anchored within the national ReSEED framework on 21 November 2023, when DOST-PCIEERD signed MOUs with all regional consortium representatives during the 2023 Philippine Startup Week in Iloilo City, with Miriam College signing on behalf of SCALE NCR. This event marked the official government endorsement of the consortium model across the country.

DOST-NCR — the regional arm of the Department of Science and Technology responsible for the National Capital Region — formalised its own operational partnership with SCALE NCR through a separate MOU signed on 28 February 2024 at Miriam College's Innovatrium. This bilateral agreement extended the consortium's reach into DOST-NCR's existing network of technology programmes and services.​

The programme's current manager is Cristina Ibañez of Miriam College.​

Key milestones:

  • July 2023: Eight member TBIs sign consortium MOU, formally establishing SCALE NCR​
  • November 2023: DOST-PCIEERD signs national ReSEED MOUs during Philippine Startup Week; SCALE NCR formally anchored in national programme​
  • February 2024: DOST-NCR signs bilateral MOU with SCALE NCR​
  • August 2024: Five-year NCR Startup Development Roadmap and Startup Institute launched
  • September 2024: First Startup Boostcamp co-hosted with DOST-NCR​
  • October 2024: New TBI established at Colegio de Muntinlupa
What impact has been measured?

SCALE NCR was formally established in late 2023 and most of its operational platforms launched in 2024. Published impact data is therefore limited to activity-level outputs.

Participation and Activity

  • Achieved Growth Track status — one of only 9 out of 16 regional ReSEED consortia nationwide to do so — indicating DOST-PCIEERD's recognition of the consortium's operational maturity (DOST-PCIEERD, 2023)​
  • Completed systematic ecosystem mapping across all 17 NCR cities, producing the first comprehensive diagnostic baseline of Metro Manila's startup landscape at local government unit level (Miriam College, January 2026)​
  • Launched the Startup Institute pilot in September 2024 (Manila Bulletin, August 2024)​
  • Delivered the first NCR Startup Boostcamp with DOST-NCR in 2024 (DOST-NCR)​
  • Established iHub coworking spaces in Parañaque City in partnership with the local government (DOST-NCR, 2024)​
  • Set up a new TBI at Colegio de Muntinlupa in October 2024, extending academe-based entrepreneurship to a previously uncovered institution (DOST-NCR, October 2024)
What lessons can be learned?
  • The vision outpaces the resources. SCALE NCR's stated goal is for Manila to become a leading global startup hub by 2028. The entire ReSEED programme budget across all 16 national consortia is ₱120 million (approximately $2.1 million USD). The gap between this ambition and the disclosed funding is significant and has not been publicly addressed by DOST-PCIEERD.
  • Coordinating eight institutions with competing priorities is a structural challenge. Each member TBI operates within its own university, with its own academic calendar, governance structure, and institutional incentives. No publicly available documentation explains how SCALE NCR resolves disagreements between member institutions, allocates work, or enforces accountability within the consortium.​
  • The programme has no published performance framework. There is no publicly available set of key performance indicators, targets, or independent monitoring mechanism for SCALE NCR. Without this, it is impossible for external observers — including policymakers in other countries — to assess whether the consortium is on track to achieve its stated goals.
  • Outcome data is absent despite two years of operation. The consortium has been active since mid-2023, yet no published data exists on the number of startups supported, investments facilitated, or businesses launched as a result of its programmes. Activity reporting (events held, MOUs signed) dominates public communications in place of outcome reporting.
  • The investor network addresses the right problem but has no published results. The shortage of early-stage patient capital is one of the most consistently documented weaknesses of the Philippine startup ecosystem, identified by the ADB and others (ADB, 2022). SCALE NCR's NCR Investors Network directly targets this gap — but no data on the number of investors engaged, deals facilitated, or capital connected has been published.
  • Sustainability is structurally untested. The programme is entirely dependent on annual DOST-PCIEERD budget cycles, with no disclosed mechanism for generating independent revenue. If government priorities shift or budget allocations are reduced, there is no documented contingency plan for maintaining consortium operations.
  • The programme operates within systemic gaps it cannot resolve alone. The ADB's 2022 review of the Philippine startup ecosystem identified fragmented coordination between DOST, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as a structural barrier to startup growth. SCALE NCR is a consortium of incubators — it cannot resolve inter-agency coordination failures, weak competition policy, or the limited R&D commercialisation pathways that constrain Philippine startups more broadly.

CURATED BY

Tom Hancock

Research Associate
Global Entrepreneurship Network
United Kingdom