After years of jumping between roles in technology, media and operations, Sherwin Dela Cruz decided to set up AXON Group. The idea took shape gradually, shaped by repeated exposure to how businesses scale in practice—and how slowly office development tends to respond.
A graduate of Ateneo de Manila University, Dela Cruz began his career at IBM Philippines before moving into entrepreneurial roles. He later co-founded video-on-demand platform iflix and served as its Philippine country manager during its expansion years, before leading the Philippine market entry of streaming platform iQIYI.
Those roles demanded speed. Teams had to be built quickly, partnerships secured on tight timelines, and operations adjusted in real time – conditions that rarely align with traditional office development, which often treats growth as a fixed, long-term event. That contrast informed how Dela Cruz began to think about workspaces.
“For many companies, flexi-spaces are a starting point – a temporary solution while teams are forming, testing, or scaling. That’s fine,” he said. “But most of those companies don’t stay there forever. When they grow and need a dedicated office, the usual experience is that they have to start over with a completely new vendor.”
The gap between how companies grow and how offices are delivered became even clearer when he began managing office builds and properties himself, an experience that was further tested during the pandemic. Projects stalled, coordination grew more difficult, and accountability thinned across long chains of vendors.
Rebuilding process
AXON was created to address that gap. Launched this month at Quad in Bonifacio Global City, the company operates as a workspace delivery platform that combines design, engineering, construction, financing and operations under one system.
Rather than coordinating multiple independent firms, AXON assumes responsibility across the entire process. The structure is intended to reduce handoffs, shorten timelines, and make it easier to adjust when requirements change.
“We own the entire process end-to-end—design, construction, sourcing, technology, and even financing—but it doesn’t stop there. We stay with our clients as they grow. Quad might be where a company begins, but when they’re ready to move into their own office, AXON is still there to find the space, design it, build it, and deliver that next stage.” Dela Cruz said.
By standardizing certain engineering decisions and managing execution internally, AXON says it can deliver offices in as little as 75 to 90 days – without restarting the process every time plans evolve.
Lowering the barrier
A core part of AXON’s offering is AXON Keys, a managed workspace model that allows companies to move into fully built, technology-ready offices without carrying the burden of upfront capital expenditure.
According to its founder, the model is designed for startups, small and medium enterprises, and virtual or hybrid companies that need physical space without taking on the burden of construction, permits, and contractor coordination.
AXON addresses that gap by owning the process end-to-end – from helping clients secure the right space to designing, building, and delivering it, and then continuing to support them as their business evolves, rather than treating each office as a one-off transaction.
Each space is built around how the company operates, rather than following a fixed template. AXON stays involved beyond delivery, managing the workspace as it is used and adjusted over time.
Live test case
AXON’s first site, Quad, spans 2,400 square meters in BGC and operates as a fully functioning workspace for teams and professionals. It hosts meetings, training sessions, and daily operations, and is designed to shift layouts quickly without requiring new vendor coordination.
Quad is nearing full utilization and also serves as swing space within AXON’s growing portfolio, allowing capacity to reset as client needs change.
“We wanted the first site to be real, not a showroom. If the model can’t hold up once people move in, start using the space, and start changing their minds, then it doesn’t really work,” said the company CEO.
Behind the scenes, AXON relies on repeatable engineering decisions and prefabricated components to reduce variability, an approach that lowers defect risk and speeds up approvals.
Building for how companies actually grow
AXON is already developing additional sites, with plans to expand beyond its initial footprint. The longer-term goal is to build a repeatable system that makes office expansion more predictable for businesses operating in uncertain conditions.
Dela Cruz sees his move from streaming platforms to workspace delivery as less of a pivot than it appears.
“From a footprint perspective, we’re looking at opportunities nationwide, particularly in high-quality business districts and growth corridors where our model makes sense. That includes exploring how spaces like Quad could evolve over time. That said, we’re very deliberate – we won’t announce anything unless we’re confident a site meets our delivery, operational, and experience standards. It’s going to be a very big year for us – and we’ve only just scratched the surface,” he said.
