Our Team

Winston Damarillo is the Managing Partner of Talino Venture Studios, a global venture studio dedicated to sustainable innovation. Winston is a Silicon Valley veteran with two decades of startup and venture capital experience. He successfully exited three startups and served as a venture capital executive for Intel Corporation. Winston was also a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum and is frequently recognized as a thought leader in digital transformation and disruptive technologies.

Rhiza Mae Talavera is a technology leader with over a decade of experience in fintech and digital transformation. She has led engineering teams in scaling platforms, building mission-critical APIs, and modernizing legacy systems for major financial institutions in the Philippines. Before joining Higala, she was Head of Software Engineering at PayMongo, where she helped design and launch complex payment solutions, and she continues to champion engineering excellence, mentorship, and inclusive tech leadership.

Dexter Genterone is a software architect with 18 years of experience crafting solutions across different industries. He taught himself programming at the age of 10 and has since dedicated his career to building software that simplifies people's lives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dexter demonstrated his commitment to public service by volunteering his skills as the backend developer for Relief Agad, a platform supporting the government's social amelioration program, and as the solutions architect for RapidPass, a contactless checkpoint system. He currently serves as the Chief Architect at Talino Venture Studios.

Before joining Higala, Francis Plaza founded PayMongo, one of the country's leading online payment processing platforms. Under his leadership, PayMongo successfully raised $31M in funding from prominent investors such as Stripe and Y Combinator. A graduate of MIT with degrees in Computer Science and Economics, he was admitted to the prestigious institution at the remarkable age of 16. Driven by a vision for a digitally connected financial ecosystem, Francis brings extensive expertise in technology and entrepreneurship to Higala.

Macel brings almost two decades of experience in strategy, business development, and go-to-market growth. Her extensive career has spanned various markets and geographies, including the UK, South America, US, and APAC, where she has been instrumental in selling and scaling software solutions. Her expertise lies in launching new markets, negotiating strategic partnership agreements, and contributing to product strategy that create lasting value for customers. As VP for Business Development, Macel is committed to empowering financial institutions of all sizes and their communities to thrive in an increasingly digital world.

Jamey Butcher serves as President and CEO of Chemonics International, where he leads the firm's growth strategy by forging strategic partnerships and expanding into new markets across over 100 countries. Jamey's leadership has driven initiatives that leverage data and analytics to gain deeper insights, identify scaling opportunities across the organization's innovative portfolio, and foster a culture of access, belonging, and connection.