Husband-and-wife co-founders Patrick and Alexandria Gentry had built Sprout Solutions to be one of the biggest Software-as-a-Service human resources management platforms in the Philippines, guided by the mission to "impact the life of every Filipino by improving business in the Philippines." In 2019, they closed a $6 million Series A round of funding; in 2022, they were projecting what a Series B funding round might look like. Crucially, they were pondering two different growth trajectories: to stay in their home market of the Philippines and move towards creating an entire HR ecosystem including fintech offerings; or branch out into neighboring markets, a path which may attract more global investors.