Long before the term “startup” became a buzzword, Jay Fajardo had already launched one—while still in high school.
“Technically, my first job was a summer job at A. Soriano Corporation, where I did some Cobol programming on a classic IBM 370 mainframe,” Jay shares. “Truth is though, I had already started a startup software gig in high school, where I sold my first program to a software distributor specializing on the Sinclair ZX-81.”
That first sale was more than just a teenage hustle—it was a defining moment. “This was the moment when I had confirmed that my path would be in technology, and in building ventures of my own,” he tells Financial Adviser PH. While others were preparing for traditional careers, Jay had already glimpsed a future where he could turn his passion into a business.
Jay’s journey from teen programmer to startup ecosystem builder reflects a lifelong commitment to innovation. Today, he’s the CEO of Proudcloud and Co-founder of Launchgarage, two pillars in the Philippine tech scene. Through Launchgarage, he helps mentor and invest in early-stage tech startups, creating a ripple effect that continues to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs.
“I was always going to be a serial startup founder,” Jay says with clarity. “I had realized that very early on when I decided to build my own products and ventures instead of working for someone else.” Even as a student, he would sketch logos of imagined companies in his notebook. “I remember doodling on my notebook different versions of logos I did for imagined companies I would be building.”
But that doesn’t mean he never tried the corporate path. Jay worked briefly in the traditional business world—and the experience left an impact. “It helped me gain experience and expose myself to the social dynamics within a traditional office environment,” he explains. Yet his entrepreneurial spirit remained too strong to ignore. “My decision to become a forever founder though led me to play a major role in developing our local startup ecosystem, and eventually being an investor myself.”
Jay’s early start gave him an edge not just in tech but in understanding what it takes to scale ideas into reality. It’s a perspective he brings to the founders he now mentors. He emphasizes that resilience and clarity of purpose are just as important as having technical skills or capital.
So what if he hadn’t entered the startup space? “I might have ended up working as an engineer for some technology company,” he muses. But clearly, that alternate path wouldn’t have satisfied the drive that pushed him to build and lead.
Today, Jay is more than a founder—he’s a catalyst. By investing in others, he’s helping shape an ecosystem where innovation can flourish from the ground up. And it all started with a teenage coder, a Sinclair ZX-81, and the belief that a career could be built by creating, not conforming.
