The Amplifier is enabling this shift. Jointly developed by the Philanthropy Asia Alliance (PAA) and the Centre for Impact Investing and Practices (CIIP), the global mentorship programme backs high-potential, impact-driven businesses working on solutions aligned with Asia’s sustainable development priorities. Supported by more than 70 partners across the region, the Amplifier combines mentorship, market access, and catalytic capital to help innovations move from concept to implementation.
The 2025 edition features three thematic tracks: Innovation and Circularity in the Textile Value Chain, Sustainability Transformation for SME Suppliers in Tourism, and Unlocking Opportunities and Breaking Down Barriers to Employment. Each aims to address systemic challenges through collaboration, innovation, and capital mobilisation.
L-R: Subhashini Chandran, Senior Vice President, Social Impact, APEMEA, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth; Sean Lew, Head of Growth, N&E Innovations; Shaun Seow, CEO, Philanthropy Asia Alliance; Shamina Singh, Founder and President, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth; Karen Cheah, Founder and CEO, Alterpacks; Max Mandias, Co-Founder and COO, Green Rebel.
The Tourism track, supported by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth as Impact Innovation Partner, reflects the Amplifier’s vision of strengthening sustainability across Asia’s tourism supply chains – particularly among SME suppliers that play a critical role in the sector. The three mentees were announced at the inaugural Mastercard ASEAN Inclusive Growth Summit, hosted in Kuala Lumpur last October.
Turning waste into value: Alterpacks
Steven Tan, Chief Operating Officer, and Karen Cheah, Founder and CEO; Alterpacks’ eco-packaging.
For Karen Cheah, Founder and CEO of Alterpacks, the inspiration for her solution came from an unlikely place: garbage. Through her travels, she observed communities in both developed and developing countries overwhelmed by waste, much of it made up of plastics and discarded food materials.
Alterpacks is pioneering circular economy innovation across Asia by transforming agricultural waste into high-performance, compostable alternatives. The Singapore-based startup upcycles agricultural waste into a 100% plant-fibre material with advanced temperature-resistant properties, turning materials that would otherwise have been burned or sent to landfills into viable alternatives to conventional packaging.
“What we’re doing turns everything you thought you knew about eco-materials on its head,” Karen explained. “Instead of extracting new resources, we take something that would have been waste and bring it back into the ecosystem as something valuable.”
Through the Amplifier programme, Alterpacks is applying its solution in real-world hospitality and tourism settings, testing how circular materials could deliver value across the supply chain – from farmers to end users.
Healthier people, healthier planet: Green Rebel
Helga Tjahjadi, Co-Founder and CEO, and Max Mandias, Co-Founder and COO; Green Rebel’s Indonesian Rendang Curry, Chilli Garlic Stir-Fry Strips, and Thai Green Curry.
Helga Tjahjadi, Co-Founder and CEO of Green Rebel, set out to tackle two interconnected challenges: rising health concerns and the environmental impact of meat consumption.
Together with Co-Founder and COO Max Mandias, she started Green Rebel – a Southeast Asian food tech startup on a mission to democratise sustainable protein. Based in Indonesia, the company produces accessible alternatives such as plant-based proteins and dairy-free cheese, made from natural ingredients including mushrooms and non-GMO soy.
Helga observed that people across Southeast Asia were developing conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease at increasingly younger ages. At the same time, meat production remains highly resource-intensive and carbon-intensive, placing a growing strain on both human health and the environment.
“I wanted more people to experience good health and to take part in making this planet a greener place by eating more sustainable protein,” she shared.
Through the Amplifier, Green Rebel is seeking access to markets and partnerships with hotels, restaurants, and food service providers. By integrating healthier and more sustainable menu options into hospitality settings, the company aims to support both guest well-being and lower-carbon food systems.
Closing the loop on food waste: N&E Innovations
Sean Lew, Head of Growth, and Darioush Kottke, Head of Europe (Business Development); N&E’s anti-bacterial food-grade cling wrap.
Globally, an estimated 2.5 billion metric tonnes of food waste is produced each year, much of which ends up incinerated or in landfills. Didi Gan, Founder of N&E Innovations, saw this challenge as an opportunity for circular innovation.
Headquartered in Singapore, N&E Innovations is a biotechnology company transforming food waste into sustainable solutions, including anti-bacterial food packaging and post-harvest coating applications for agriculture.
The company upcycles agricultural food waste – such as cashew shells, banana peels, and durian husks – through a patented process to create ViKANG, an anti-bacterial agent. N&E Innovations uses this material to produce plastic-free, compostable cling films that help kill bacteria, extend shelf life, and reduce food loss.
By participating in the Amplifier, N&E Innovations is looking to expand beyond Singapore into ASEAN markets, working with hospitality and corporate partners seeking solutions that reduce both food waste and carbon footprints.
From innovation to implementation
The Amplifier offers each Tourism track mentee S$100,000 in catalytic capital, alongside year-long, tailored support through cross-sector mentorship, workshops, and market insights designed to strengthen commercial readiness and long-term industry impact.
Together, the Tourism cohort demonstrates how practical innovation and industry collaboration can drive meaningful change. Their work shows that sustainable tourism goes beyond reducing harm – requiring a rethinking of core systems to deliver healthier and more resilient outcomes for people, businesses, and the planet.
Stay tuned for more stories from the Amplifier 2025.
🔗 Learn more about the Amplifier programme.
💡 Follow PAA and CIIP on LinkedIn for more updates and opportunities to collaborate.
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