Before she became a trailblazer in digital inclusion, Gina Romero was selling secondhand laptops on eBay. Today, she’s the founder of Connected Women and Mettamatch, platforms that empower Filipina women with access to flexible, meaningful remote work. But her entrepreneurial journey didn’t start with a formal plan—it started with curiosity, hustle, and a deep sense of purpose.
“I actually started working in our family business while I was still in school in Pampanga,” Gina told Financial Adviser PH. “I didn’t get the chance to finish university—I left at 20 and jumped straight into work in the UK.” She later joined an airline, but the turning point came when she and her husband launched a small tech business together.
“We started by selling refurbished laptops on eBay, then moved on to setting up Wi-Fi for small businesses and homes, and eventually offered IT support services,” she shared. Even without a tech background, Gina was immediately drawn to the potential of technology. “I fell in love with how empowering technology could be. It felt like this invisible force that made everything possible.”
Her drive to solve problems creatively fueled her rapid learning. “I learned fast—not because I had to, but because I was genuinely fascinated,” she said. “Technology gave me the tools to do that at scale.”
But it wasn’t until a life-changing move to Singapore in 2010 that Gina’s mission began to take shape. There, she met countless Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs)—many of them domestic workers, just like her mother once was. “That experience was quite shocking,” she recalled. “Decades after my mother left her hometown to work abroad, I was still hearing the same story. Women were being forced to make the same painful choice: leave their families behind or continue to struggle with limited opportunities.”
That realization planted the seed for what would become Connected Women. “I never planned to return to the Philippines,” Gina admitted. “But during my time in Singapore, I couldn’t ignore what I was seeing.” In 2016, she returned to the Philippines with a mission: to bring digital work opportunities home.
“It didn’t start with a business plan,” she explained. “It felt more like a calling.”
Gina began by launching a Facebook group and a simple online survey. The response was overwhelming. “Women weren’t just interested—they were ready,” she said. “The group exploded with conversations, ideas, and a shared hunger for opportunity. Within days, thousands of women had joined.”
That raw and powerful energy became the foundation for a job-matching platform designed to connect women with remote work—on their own terms. “This wasn’t just about creating flexible income—it was about dignity, possibility, and rewriting a narrative,” Gina said.
With no tech platform at first, just data and community energy, the initiative grew through grassroots efforts—meetups, workshops, and pilot programs. The momentum was undeniable.
“The more I listened, the more I saw the problem clearly,” Gina said. “So many women had skills, motivation, and potential—but very little access to meaningful work.” Traditional jobs required relocation or long commutes, which simply weren’t viable for mothers and caregivers.
“Too many capable women were locked out of the future of work simply because the system wasn’t built with them in mind,” she emphasized.
Today, Gina’s work is helping reshape that system—using technology to unlock opportunity for women across the Philippines. From eBay to empowerment, her journey proves that with vision, empathy, and persistence, even the smallest ventures can spark transformative change.
