Over the past 20 years, Endeavor has become a shared vision, cultivated and expanded across the world by a network of passionate and committed entrepreneurs, board members, partners and staff. This Global Entrepreneurship Week, we’re pleased to present a selection of Endeavor’s #FacesOfImpact, highlighting the story of a different Endeavor Entrepreneur each day this week.
Kenneth Cobonpue’s path to furniture design began at a young age. “I was born in the world of furniture,” he recounts. At his interior designer mother’s furniture factory, Kenneth grew up with the local craftsmen and artisans who made her designs, and who eventually taught him to make his own pieces. There, he found a passion for design, which he pursued in his studies in New York, then working in Italy and Germany.
He would later return to Cebu to run his mother’s factory, implementing his own aesthetic designing modern, handmade and natural pieces, and launching his own brand, which Endeavor supports today.
“Endeavor helped me realize there’s always more to be done, and that the bigger picture needs more attention. I’ve been pushed to ask questions I would never have asked before,” says Kenneth. “I intend to use everything I learn at Endeavor to look beyond the horizon and expand my company in as far as touching lives and making a difference.”
“The people behind our company have always been the soul of our vision.”
And his designs have done just that, captivating the likes of Queen Rania of Jordan and Angelina Jolie. They have featured in Hollywood productions such as Ocean’s Thirteen, as well as fine-dining establishments and hotels across the world.
But when Kenneth considers the impact he’s made as an entrepreneur, that’s only part of the equation. In his own words, impact means doing what you love and achieving something bigger than yourself.
“The people behind our company have always been the soul of our vision,” he says of his 300 employees. “Seeing my designs come to life is truly satisfying, and knowing that they are handmade by extraordinary men and women from my hometown who practice exquisite craftsmanship makes it even more meaningful.”
“I’m proudest of having created a homegrown brand by utilizing the abundance of natural materials and skilled craftsmen in my country,” says Kenneth. “Asia is known as the factory of the world, not as a source for originality and creativity. I wanted to change that, so I decided it was time for the world to recognize great modern Filipino design. I hope to leave this legacy for many other talented and creative Filipinos to be able to look back to their heritage and give back to our country.”
Has Endeavor impacted you? Share your story with us to be included on the Endeavor Faces of Impact website, launching soon!
