Turning Waste into Worth: Building Purpose-Driven Startups with Juvien Galano and Pamela Mejia
Juvien Galano of Dewaste Solutions and Pamela Mejia of PAMMÉ join the show for a heartfelt, funny, and no-holds-barred conversation on building businesses with real purpose. From growing up beside rivers filled with garbage and surviving private school on a tight budget, to turning plastic waste into fashion pieces that sell in Rockwell and building waste systems from the ground up—they share how their personal stories shaped their paths. With support from Villgro Philippines, they talk about winning grants, bouncing back from big setbacks, and why relationships matter. It’s a story of grit, growth, and going back to your roots to create real change.
Episode Timeline:
00:03:16 - Pam’s and Juvien’s Hustles: What they do and Who they serve
00:05:19 - Juvien’s Childhood in Malabon and Early Hustles
00:06:54 - Growing Up Around Waste, and Wanting to Solve It
00:11:30 - Juvien’s Corporate Life: From MTV to MMK
00:14:15 - Pam’s Early Hustles and Surviving Financial Crisis
00:16:58 - Following Her Passion: From Pre-Med to Fashion
00:21:20 - Friends, Social Life, and Support Systems
00:26:59 - Pam’s London Education and Pivot to Plastic
00:32:32 - Sourcing Clean Plastic for Fashion
00:37:53 - Juvien’s Journey to Estonia and Starting Dewaste
00:46:19 - Getting Grants and Turning a Thesis into a Business
00:51:02 - Scaling Dewaste: Testing and Building the System
00:58:01 - How PAMMÉ Started Working with QC Jail
00:59:59 - Winning a Global Competition and Selling at Rockwell
01:05:11 - Being Cockroach vs Camel: What Startups Should Really Be
01:10:40 - Borrowing the Hustleshare Timemachine: Advice for their younger selves
QUOTES FROM JUVIEN & PAMELA:
"But I think there’s a lot of opportunity here in the Philippines of creating impact, creating change more than those countries out there. Here in the Philippines, if you leave it like this, and no intervention at all—or yung sinasabi mong brain drain—pakonti nang pakonti ang mga taong taking risk for the Philippines, for their country, it’s going to be hard to change the society." – Juvien Galano
“Startup life is so competitive and what I also noticed as, you know, I was climbing the ladder, people will not be happy for you. And that’s what I love about Villgro. It’s such a safe space for you to thrive and make mistakes.” – Pamela Mejia
Resources:
LinkedIn (Juvien Galano): https://www.linkedin.com/in/juvien
Website (Dewaste Solutions): https://www.dewaste.solutions
LinkedIn (Pamela Mejia): https://www.linkedin.com/in/thepamelamejia
Website (PAMMÉ): https://thepamme.com
This episode is brought to you by Villgro Philippines: , Paymongo, GoTyme Bank & SeekCap
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