SAN FRANCISCO – Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer met with the executives of Pomelo, a leading fintech startup, at the Philippine Center in San Francisco last August 15.
Director of Marketing Ladd Martin, Partnerships and Business Development Lead Sofie Jimenez, and Carissa Villacorta presented their remittance product, which would innovate the way Filipinos in the United States send money home through the “send now, pay later” model.
According to Pomelo’s officers, the platform empowers users to send money to the Philippines while simultaneously building credit in the US By partnering with Mastercard, Pomelo offers faster, fee-free transactions compared to traditional remittance methods. Recipients enjoy instant fund availability and enjoy no transfer fees at the moment.
Pomelo has expanded its services to include GCash, a popular Philippine e-wallet, as a payment option. The company also offers both unsecured and secured credit lines, providing flexibility for users.
Consul Vanessa Bago-Llona, Director Soleil Tropicales of the Department of Tourism Office in San Francisco, Economic Assistant Jennifer Sto. Domingo, and Trade Specialist Rosalie Say of the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Silicon Valley were also present in the meeting.
Pomelo’s official San Francisco launch took place on the same day, drawing attendance by Filipino American community leaders–including Maria Banatao of PhilDev, Sonia Delen of Filipino Food Movement, of Charity Nicolas Tech in Color and FASTER, Genevieve Jopanda of FYLPRO, and John Morada of startup Home Key.
The Fil-Am leaders shared their personal anecdotes about their experiences with remittances and financial management, highlighting the crucial role these funds play in supporting their respective advocacies in the Philippines.
