MANILA, Philippines — Nov. 6, 2025 — Upgrade Innolab has secured a contract from Expertise France under the European Union–Philippines Green Economy Partnership’s “Green Up to Scale Up” facility to launch CIRCULAB, a two-year accelerator aimed at funding and scaling circular economy startups across Mindanao.
Under the award, Upgrade will accelerate 10 early-stage startups and MSMEs over two 24-month cycles, deploying €15,000 in seed funding. The program aims to create 1,000 green jobs through startup hiring, pilot deployments, and ecosystem activities. It will also establish a Circular Innovation Hub in Davao and publish the Mindanao Circular Innovation Playbook to document models that can be replicated across the region.
“Upgrade Innolab was chosen as one of the implementing Entrepreneurs Support Organizations because, despite being a young organization, they have demonstrated the numbers that speak about impact work in Mindanao through their incubation and acceleration programs,” said the Deputy Project Leader and Technical Lead for Innovation of Expertise France’s Green Economy Program Philippines, Mary Antonette Flores.
“CIRCULAB is a bet on Mindanao’s builders. We’re pairing patient seed capital with hands-on venture support so founders can turn waste into value, create dignified green jobs, and prove that circular businesses can scale in the South. Our commitment is simple: rigorous selection, transparent governance, and real results for communities and local industries,” said Richard R. Day, President of Upgrade Innolab.
CIRCULAB will operate in Northern Mindanao (Region 10), Davao Region (Region 11), SOCCSKSARGEN (Region 12), CARAGA (Region 13), and BARMM areas with strong agricultural, aquaculture, and food manufacturing bases and policy momentum for green enterprise. Activities run from 2026 to 2028 and are organized into four tracks: recruitment and diagnostics; capability-building bootcamps and pilot co-design; market and investor access; and exit acceleration via a regional demo day, the playbook, and knowledge sharing. Value-chain mapping and community co-design are integrated throughout.
The accelerator also embeds inclusive recruitment to ensure participation from women-, youth-, and Indigenous Peoples-led enterprises, alongside gender-responsive design, human-rights education, and participatory leadership. Upgrade Innolab, recognized as the Gender Lens Business Incubator Service Provider of the Department of Science and Technology, said program governance will include open calls, transparent selection, and third-party monitoring. Environmental sustainability will serve as both a theme and a qualification criterion, aligning with SDG 13 and the Philippine Climate Change Act.
Upgrade describes CIRCULAB as a platform for regenerative innovation and regional sustainability, positioning climate-smart ventures to lead Mindanao’s shift toward a circular economy while linking startups with cooperatives, local suppliers, LGUs, and enterprise buyers to open market access and build resilient value chains.
Funded by a €60 million grant from the European Union in the Philippines (EU), the EU-PH Green Economy Partnership is a priority programme under the EU’s Global Gateway initiative and is led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). It aims to link European and Filipino partners from the private sector and local governments to accelerate the country’s transition to a greener economy while sustaining economic growth.
This initiative is done under the EU-PH Green Economy Partnership’s Specific Objective 3: Green Business, Infrastructure, and Finance implemented by Expertise France, co-led by the DTI Philippines, and co-implemented with GGGI Philippines and IFC – International Finance Corporation.
