Advancing Social Innovation and Impact Investment with Rico From xchange

Recently, Chairman of Li Foundation, Mr. Lionel Li, and Managing Director of xchange, Mr. Rico Gonzalez, met over breakfast for a meaningful exchange on their philanthropic philosophies. Their conversation quickly found common ground in the shared belief in promoting social innovation and advancing impact investing as powerful tools for change.

Rico introduced xchange, the philanthropic impact-first incubator he co-founded with his wife in 2011. Based in the Philippines, xchange invests in local early-stage social enterprises while providing tailored mentorship and support to help them scale. Beyond capital, xchange contributes deep expertise in enterprise management and finance, built over decades of firsthand experience. Rico’s vision is to catalyse the Philippines’ social enterprise sector by accelerating the journey of individual ventures toward sustainability and growth.

Lionel, in turn, spoke about Li Foundation’s philosophy of integrating resources, promoting social innovation, and building collaborative systems for lasting impact. He also highlighted the growth of Inspiring Asia, an annual microfilm festival run by Li Foundation, which has expanded in scale to include regional festivals across China, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia, and Singapore. 

Both leaders resonated with each other’s willingness to embrace risk and explore non-traditional approaches to philanthropy, seeing these as essential to driving systemic change. Rico expressed keen support for bringing the regional festival to the Philippines, affirming the potential of “Inspiring Philippines” as a platform to tap into the creativity of youths, showcase local innovation, and strengthen regional collaboration.