Jay Jaboneta · Founder & AI Strategist, Kenzo AI

I'm building Kenzo AI to make AI fluency practical for everyone.

Most of my work now runs through Kenzo AI — we help educators, schools, NGOs, and SMEs across the Philippines and Singapore turn AI from buzzword into practical capability through clear frameworks, hands-on workshops, and systems people can actually use.

The same bridge-building instinct runs through everything else I do: connecting Singapore and Davao through Sannex Ventures, expanding opportunity through the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, and sharing ideas through books, keynotes, and leadership programs.

Explore Kenzo AI → Book Jay to Speak

AI fluency · education · organizational adoption · responsible AI · Southeast Asia

10+Schools onboarded into Kenzo AI programs

50+Keynotes, workshops and talks delivered per year

200+Communities reached through Yellow Boat of Hope

2ASEAN markets connected through Sannex Ventures

2Books published in 2026

Jay Jaboneta — Founder and AI Strategist of Kenzo AI

My Primary Work · Kenzo AI

AI fluency
for everyone.

Kenzo AI is the company I'm building for this moment. It exists for people and organizations that know AI matters, but need a practical starting point — not more hype.

We work with educators, schools, NGOs, and SMEs to turn AI into working capability: better teaching, clearer communication, faster operations, stronger decision-making, and responsible organization-wide adoption.

Practical enough to use tomorrow. Structured enough to scale across a team.

Our approach combines hands-on workshops, AI fluency frameworks, policy and governance support, and role-specific workflows built for the realities of the Philippines and Southeast Asia — with a certification ladder that turns individual capability into institutional capability.

The name is personal. Kenzo AI is named after my son — a reminder that technology matters most when it expands what people can learn, create, and become.

See what we're building at Kenzo AI →

The Kenzo AI Certification Ladder

A verifiable credential path that starts with one person and ends with a whole institution. Tiers 01–03 certify individuals. Tiers 04–05 certify the organisation — and unlock only once enough of its people are certified.

01FoundationIndividual

02PractitionerIndividual

03ChampionLeader

04Certified SchoolInstitution

05AI Distinguished SchoolHighest tier

See the full certification ladder →

Sannex Ventures

Where two markets
meet.

Singapore is Asia's business capital — home to 37,000+ multinationals and a gateway to 700 million ASEAN consumers. Davao City is Mindanao's fastest-growing economy — ₱574 billion GDP, ₱263 billion in 2024 investments, the country's safest major city.

Between them sits a 2,700-kilometre corridor that has been structurally underleveraged. Singapore capital seeking growth markets. Davao seeking trusted bridges to receive it. What's been missing is a credible, integrated team operating on both sides.

"Sannex" — Singapore Annex. Davao as Singapore's trusted extension. Singapore as Davao's gateway to the world.

As CEO and Director, I lead Sannex Ventures — a hand-picked consortium of five specialists across construction, law, finance, trade, and government. We're not a generalist advisory firm. We move opportunities from feasibility to delivery.

Explore Sannex Ventures →

The Consortium

Five specialists. One integrated bridge across the Singapore–Davao corridor.

Construction & Engineering

Infrastructure delivery across Mindanao and Manila — flagship projects in Davao City and the capital.

Legal & Regulatory

Corporate, property, and compliance work with active relationships at LGU, national agency, and legislative levels.

Finance & Wealth

Singapore-based institutional finance, investment structuring, and risk advisory.

Trade & Logistics

MAS-licensed remittance, freight forwarding, and cargo chartering across Southeast Asian trade corridors.

Strategy & Government

Cross-border BD, ecosystem building, and emerging tech integration including AI and Web3.

See sannex.ventures →

The Yellow Boat Story

One post.
Thousands of boats.

In 2010, I learned that nearly 200 children in the mangrove village of Layag-Layag, Zamboanga City, had to swim half a mile across open water just to get to school. I shared their story on Facebook. That single post changed everything.

Strangers became donors. One boat became thousands. What started as the Zamboanga Fund for Little Kids is now the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation — providing school boats, classrooms, bridges, dormitories, and livelihood programs to island communities where talent is universal but opportunity is not.

We often hear of kids that skip school to go swimming — but here we've got kids swimming so that they can go to school.

— CNN interview

The foundation's mission is unfinished by design: it exists until no child is left behind.

Watch the Yellow Boat of Hope story →

Featured In

CNNYellow boats bring hope and education in the Philippines HuffPostFeatured contributor and profiled social innovator Al JazeeraFoundation covered for its national impact on education access WikipediaProfiled — including TEDxMontpellier 2012, the only Asian speaker invited

How I Can Help

Building things that matter.

I work with leaders, schools, nonprofits, companies, and communities at the intersection of AI, innovation, ecosystem building, and storytelling.

AI Fluency & Organizational Adoption

Through Kenzo AI, I help educators, schools, NGOs, and SMEs move from AI awareness to practical, responsible use through workshops, workflows, policy support, and adoption programs.

What is an AI Strategist? →

Ecosystem Building & Innovation Labs

Designing and launching innovation labs or hubs, incubation programs, and founder communities that nurture ideas from concept to lasting impact.

20 years of ecosystem building →

Storytelling & Digital Presence

Turning complex ideas into clear, compelling narratives across digital channels — built on years of new media experience from the ground up.

Story, stage, and digital portfolio →

Education & Leadership

Delivering talks, workshops, and programs on social entrepreneurship, youth leadership, and innovation for schools, companies, and organizations.

The HOPE Framework & 16 years in education →

Career

The path so far.

2024 – Present

Founder & AI Strategist

Kenzo AI — Philippines & Southeast Asia

Helping schools and SMEs adopt AI tools for lesson planning, administration, and business operations through structured workshop programs.

2025 – Present

CEO & Director

Sannex Ventures — Singapore & Davao City

Bilateral business development firm bridging Singapore investors with Davao City's emerging economy. Lead a five-partner consortium across construction, law, finance, trade, and government for cross-border deal flow.

2024 – 2026

Web3 Developer Advocate

AngelHack

Supporting developers entering the Web3 ecosystem through hackathons, mentorship, and community building across Southeast Asia.

2010 – Present

Co-Founder (Fire Starter & Chief Storyteller)

Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation

Scaled a national nonprofit from a Facebook post to a foundation serving 200+ communities with school boats, classrooms, bridges, and livelihood programs.

2015 – 2022

Consultant on Social Innovation

De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde / De La Salle Lipa

Supported HIFI (Hub of Innovation For Inclusion) and managed NEXUS Innovation Labs — building social innovation ecosystems inside Philippine universities.

2010 – 2011

First Director for New Media

Office of the President of the Philippines

Built and managed President Aquino III's official digital presence. Pioneered the Philippine government's social media and online communications strategy at PCOO.

2005 – 2010

Sales, Business Development, Portfolio Management

Procter & Gamble · ANZ Banking Group · Metrobank Card Corp.

Built a foundation in corporate sales, business development, and banking operations before pivoting to public service and social entrepreneurship.

Recognition

Awards & Honours

7 Modern Day Pinoy Heroes

Yahoo! Southeast Asia

Power30Under30 Honoree

Apex Society, New York

Bayaning Pilipino Regional Awardee

Gawad Geny Lopez Jr.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Damers & Clarions of Cotabato

Pillar of Hope Award

Eton International School

TEDx Speaker — TEDxMontpellier 2012

Only Asian speaker invited

TEDx Speaker — TEDxKinnairdCollege 2013

Only Filipino invited in Pakistan

TEDx Speaker — TEDxBritishSchoolManila 2016

Bringing our story to an international school

TEDx Speaker — TEDxYouth@MGCNLCA 2018

The most powerful ideas travel to the youngest rooms

Apple Leadership Academy Ambassador 2026

Exclusive group in the Philippines

Books

Written works.

Forthcoming 2026

AI Fluent

What Every Filipino Educator and Business Owner Needs to Know Before It's Too Late

The book behind the practice — a plain-language guide to becoming genuinely fluent with AI, written for Filipino classrooms and Filipino businesses rather than Silicon Valley ones.

Available Now — PH & Worldwide

Start with HOPE

Entrepreneurship Guide

A Social Entrepreneur's Guide to Building What Matters — the HOPE framework born out of lessons from Jay's projects, for anyone ready to turn compassion into action.

startwithhopebook.com →

Available Now on Amazon

Philosophy in a Dream

A Philosophical Parable

A seven-day dream journey through the Garden of Sophia — where ancient questions meet a wanderer searching for meaning.

philosophyinadream.com →

Coming Soon

The Substrate

A Science Fiction Novel

A gripping story that weaves science, mystery, and the human condition into a narrative that will keep you turning pages.

HOPE for Humanity Cover forthcoming

In Development

HOPE for Humanity

Non-Fiction · Social Theory

A forthcoming exploration of hope, systems, and the human story. Cover and publication details to follow.

Speaking ↗

Talks that move people.

I deliver 50+ keynotes annually to audiences spanning multinational corporations, government agencies, universities, and nonprofits. My talks weave personal narrative with practical frameworks — including the HOPE methodology (Harness potential, Open your wallet, Perspire through action, Empower others) — to inspire action, not just applause.

AI for Education and Business Social Entrepreneurship Cross-Border Investment & Bilateral Trade Web3 & Blockchain Youth Leadership Innovation Social Media for Social Change Digital Communications Nation Building Advocacy Marketing

Past Clients Include

Philippine Airlines · Facebook · De La Salle Lipa · De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde · Ateneo de Davao University · and dozens of educational institutions and nonprofits

Education

Academic background.

Ateneo de Davao University

BS Commerce — Management Accounting, minor in Philosophy (2005)

Notre Dame of Cotabato

High School Valedictorian (1998)

Let's build something together.

Whether it's a speaking engagement, a consulting project, or a conversation about building something meaningful.

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