Caterine Castillo, Neivor: Streamlining real estate administration in Latin America, Ep 153   In Latin America, a building manager typically has to handle thousands of apartment units and tenants. This means simultaneously dealing with building maintenance, reconciling payments, and meeting tenant and landlord requests. Currently, this is done manually with pen and paper, maybe an Excel spreadsheet or through WhatsApp which leads to inefficiencies and unhappy residents.    Caterine Castillo, Neivor’s co-founder and CEO, is trying to make living in Latin America’s apartment buildings and condos better. Neivor is a vertical SaaS platform that simplifies condo fee collections and streamlines management and communication between residents, property owners, and building managers. Neivor processes tens of millions of payments per month and help manage 3000+ apartment buildings in Mexico, Colombia, and Ecuador.   I sat down with Caterine to talk about the pain points of property management in Latin America and the differences in Neivor’s reception between the Colombian and Mexican markets. We also talk about her experience in finance before becoming a founder and what it was like fundraising for the first time. Growing Neivor’s team   One of the biggest lessons Caterine learned from working at corporations was managing large teams. These skills are extremely critical in Neivor’s roadmap with a team that is currently growing from 18 employees to 75 in under a year. Caterine also explained that hiring won’t solve a company’s problems immediately. It’s important to understand that people are managing a big learning curve when they join a new team.    Listen to this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about Caterine’s main takeaways from her experience working in corporations.  The importance of connections in VC Caterine’s first fundraising experience was with Neivor. She explains that having a great solution and an underserved market with low-hanging fruit sometimes isn’t enough. Having the right connections is key. She had connections in the corporate world, but not in the VC world. Besides funding, Caterine considers that those first warm introductions are game-changers for any entrepreneur that is new to the space.   Learn more about Caterine’s fundraising journey with Neivor and the connections that were key to their growth in this episode of Crossing Borders. Property management: Colombia versus Mexico Expanding to a new market in another country involves a lot of risks. Consulting with others who have done it before can be really helpful. However, there’s so much more insight that can be gained from being on the ground and talking to clients before making a decision to expand. During her time in Mexico, Caterine discovered that their target market was much more receptive to Neivor’s product, requiring a different marketing approach than in Colombia.   Check out this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about the differences between the Colombian and Mexican property management markets.    Caterine Castillo brings her expertise in business development, sales, marketing to propel Neivor’s solution forward in Latin America. Her innate passion for team building and creating solutions that disrupt the market will be key to Neivor’s success.    Outline of this episode: [2:34] - About Neivor [5:20] - Dealing with fraud [6:35] - Where Neivor operates [7:02] - Becoming an entrepreneur [8:20] - From fintech to founder [9:14] - Biggest lessons learned in fintech [10:24] - Growing Neivor’s team  [13:40] - Fundraising process [15:30] - Jumping to Mexico [18:00] - How to sell in Mexico [20:27] - Books, blogs, and podcast recommendations [21:20] - Caterine’s advice to her younger self [22:09] - What’s next for Neivor?    Resources & people mentioned: Caterine Castillo Neivor Books: The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Lean In  

Crossing Borders with Nathan Lustig

Caterine Castillo, Neivor: Streamlining real estate administration in Latin America, Ep 153

Gonzalo Blanco, Quansa: Building the future of financial health in Latin America, Ep 152   For years, Gonzalo Blanco and Mafalda Barros have seen how the misaligned incentives in Latin American financial products push the average person to make bad financial decisions. Due to this lack of guidance, people improvise and spend money without realizing the impact that their decisions have on their financial health.    This frustration with the lack of financial education led them to found Quansa, a corporate benefits platform focused on employee financial wellbeing. We invested in Quansa’s last round and are excited to support them on their mission to promote employee financial health throughout the region.   In this episode, I sat down with Gonzalo to talk about why the incentives in Latin American financial products are broken and how Quansa aims to change that. Gonzalo also shares his lessons learned from working in the corporate world, participating in Pear.vc’s accelerator, and going through the fundraising process in the US and Latin America. Pushing for employee financial health with no hidden agenda Latin Americans historically don’t trust financial institutions. Banks and financial institutions push products on their clients, and many make bad decisions. However, through Quansa’s digital diagnostic and personal financial coach, clients have transparency and can easily understand the impact of their decisions.    Learn more about how employees can incorporate healthy financial habits with Quansa in this episode of Crossing Borders. Transitioning from 10 years in the corporate world   Gonzalo explains that there is no perfect recipe for a person’s decision to transition from the corporate world into entrepreneurship. For him, it was a matter of understanding the opportunities that would be available to him if he decided to continue working for a corporation. It was important for him to learn about company processes from larger organizations that had perfected them over time, but for the next step in his career, he wanted to be able to work with more speed and fewer limitations.    Listen to this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about the lessons Gonzalo learned from working for a corporation. From Stanford’s GSB to the Pear Accelerator 2020 The idea for Quansa originated in Stanford’s Graduate School of Business when Gonzalo was taking a class called Startup Garage, part of his Master’s program. Gonzalo and Mafalda were focusing on solving for financial health in Latin America. At that moment, they met Mar Hershenson from Pear VC who invited them to participate in Pear’s Accelerator. It opened a world of opportunities for them.   Check out this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about how they attracted investors from the US and Latin America.   Gonzalo Blanco is providing a financial solution to the Latin American market that has employees’ best interests in mind with Quansa. With Mafalda, they are striving to change the way Latin Americans spend their money, putting their financial wellbeing first.   Outline of this episode: [1:46] - About Quansa [4:55] - The entrepreneurial ‘itch’ [6:15] - Transition from the corporate world [10:26] - On meeting his co-founder [12:47] - Misaligned incentives in financial solutions [24:30] - Quansa’s fundraising process [28:00] - Advice to Gonzalo’s younger self  [29:49] - Books, blogs, and podcast recommendations [31:20] - What’s next for Quansa? [33:00] - Magma Partners and Quansa   Resources & people mentioned: Gonzalo Blanco Mafalda Barros Quansa Startup Garage Pear Accelerator Farnam Street Naval Startup School Magma Partners Francisco Saenz 

Gonzalo Blanco, Quansa: Building the future of financial health in Latin America, Ep 152

Greatest Hits Episode: Marta Forero, Driving Economic Growth in Latin America via Corporate Education with UBits, Ep 149 ​​For this week’s episode of Crossing Borders, we’re revisiting one of our greatest hits episodes featuring UBits’ Marta Forero.   As the only Latin American woman in her Y Combinator cohort, Marta Forero is helping break the mold for women in the tech industry. From a young age, she knew she wanted to make an impact on the world. After university, she took a high-paying job, which she then left to start a business of her own, combining her passion for education for transformative growth with a love of technology to create an online university.   The result was UBits, a corporate online learning platform headquartered in Bogota, that Marta co-founded with Julián Melo. UBits, which also operates in Mexico and Peru, focuses on training based on bits– small training units created by industry experts…hence The University of Bits or UBits. UBits offers corporate training in Spanish in Business, Finances, Soft Skills, and Software Skills, and is a first-mover in the space.   In this episode, Marta explains what it’s like to be a female entrepreneur in Latin America, provides tips on how to apply for YCombinator and make the most out of the experience, as well as why she and her team chose to bootstrap UBits for four years before raising money. She shares one of the more unique stories of how she met her cofounder: at a bookstore.    Check out the rest of this episode to hear how Marta took UBits from Colombia to YC, and then across Latin America. Wise Words From Dad Most entrepreneurs, especially those from Latin America, get actively discouraged by family members when they decide to leave a stable job to follow their dreams to start a business. However, Marta’s Dad breaks this archetype and actually encouraged her to take the risk and launch her own university. He also has other pieces of useful advice for struggling entrepreneurs, and we should probably have him on the podcast someday!   Listen to my interview with Marta to find out how her dad encouraged her to start her business, and what other entrepreneurs can learn from his advice. A Chance Encounter at a Bookstore   Marta didn’t choose Julian as a cofounder. A book did. They ran into each other during a shared quest for a book in Bogota in 2013 and soon realized their passions for education were well-aligned. In this episode, Marta explains how she and Julian became business partners and eventually decided to work on UBits together, all after meeting in a bookstore.   Check out this episode of Crossing Borders to learn about Marta’s experience choosing a co-founder, and how to find a good match while building a business. Tips on preparing for a YCombinator interview After participating in YCombinator and raising $2M from investors by Demo Day, Marta is a great resource to Latin American entrepreneurs looking to approach YC. She suggests that all Latin American YC candidates learn certain financial and startup terms in English before taking the flight to Silicon Valley.   Listen to the rest of this episode to hear Marta’s advice for learning cultural communication tools to help Latin American entrepreneurs master the Y Combinator interview. Empowering Women in Tech Being a Latin American woman in the tech industry can potentially create barriers when seeking funding from investors. In this episode, Marta discusses the pressure she felt as a female entrepreneur when she applied for YCombinator. With this in mind, she hopes to encourage and inspire younger women to challenge the paradigm and take advantage of the opportunities in tech.   Check out this episode to hear how Marta plans to bring more women into tech and entrepreneurship in LatAm.   Marta Forero and UBits were already unique for being one of very few Latin American companies to reach Y Combinator. As a female founder, she is a part of an even smaller minority of Latin American women to participate in the accelerator program. Her inspiring story of empowering Latin American workers through online education brought her from Colombia to Silicon Valley, then back to Peru and Mexico where UBits continues to expand.    Check out this episode of Crossing Borders to hear Marta tell her story in her own words.   Outline of this episode:   [2:44] – What is UBits? [3:09] – Courses the platform offers [4:00] – How did you decide on UBits? [5:26] – Why Marta decided to build a company [7:18] – The benefits of a supportive dad [9:32] – First steps in founding UBits. [11:32] – How did you meet your co-founder? [13:33] – On getting their first client [15:40] – Decision to focus exclusively on online courses. [16:52] – Toward a scalable business model [18:22] – When did you decide to start raising money for the business? [18:35] – Bootstrapping in Latin America. [19:40] – Applying for Y Combinator [23:20] -Tips for a Y Combinator interview. [25:18] – How did you practice putting everything into 15-second responses? [26:20] – Going to the US with a strategic plan and not feeling shame. [29:24] – How to make the most of YC [31:23] – Raising an investment round after Y Combinator. [33:05] – Advice to other Latin American founders trying to raise in the US. [35:10] – Being a female founder in Latin America. [36:40] – How the ecosystem can improve on being more gender-inclusive. [38:20] – Advice for women looking to raise money in the US and expand their business. [40:46] – Marta’s top resources for entrepreneurs [41:47] – What’s next for you and UBits?   Resources mentioned: Marta Forero Julian Melo UBits Gamestorming by Dave Gray [BOOK] Y Combinator Lynda “Titanes” / “Tools of Titans” by Tim Ferriss

Greatest Hits Episode: Marta Forero, Driving Economic Growth in Latin America via Corporate Education with UBits, Ep 151

Maribel Dominguez, Círculo de Belleza: Building a vertical marketplace to supply the professional beauty industry, Ep 150 After graduating from university in the US in 2009 at the height of the financial crisis, Maribel Dominguez decided to move back to her native Mexico until the economy got better. While she was home, Maribel and her dad came up with a business idea. They identified a problem that affects many industries: excess inventory. Together, they decided to found a company that helped corporations sell company’s surplus stock and landed star clients like L’Oreal and United Colors of Benetton.   That company she founded with her dad in 2009 would set the foundation for the eleven-year journey that would lead to Maribel founding Círculo de Belleza, a specialized B2B marketplace that supplies beauty salons and independent hairstylists.    I sat down with Maribel to talk about why the distribution system in the professional beauty market is broken and the enormous opportunity it presents in an industry that is often overlooked.   An alternative to the traditional supplier Maribel explains that there is a disconnect between big brands and the long tail of hair salons and independent stylists. With Círculo de Belleza, this unattended segment of the market has access to top name brands that they wouldn’t be able to buy elsewhere. In addition to access, these clients can buy products at wholesale pricing and get products delivered anywhere in Mexico.   Learn more about how Círculo de Belleza helps these small businesses overcome the traditional barriers to high-quality products in this episode of Crossing Borders.   A business where everybody wins Throughout her journey as an entrepreneur, Maribel always had a clear vision of the type of business she wanted to be a part of. For one, she seeks businesses that challenge the status quo while making sure that everyone involved is winning.    Find out how Maribel’s values translated to the way she decided on her business model in this episode of Crossing Borders.   On her decision to raise capital During Maribel’s first ten years as an entrepreneur, she was bootstrapping her business– taking the returns and reinvesting them into the company. However, she realized that to transform the family-run business into a scalable solution she needed to think bigger, create something new that was scalable, and potentially raise external investment.    Listen to this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about Maribel’s experience raising money during a pandemic.   Círculo de Belleza is a great opportunity to connect underserved beauty professionals with the beauty products they need to run and grow their business.   Outline of this episode: [1:39] - About Círculo de Belleza [6:45] - Maribel’s path to entrepreneurship [20:00] - Lessons learned from a nonscalable business [23:00] - The fundraising process [27:09] - Books, blogs, and podcast recommendation [30:52] - What’s next for Círculo de Belleza?   Resources & people mentioned: Maribel Dominguez Círculo de Belleza Books: Playing to Win, The Relationship Cure 

Maribel Dominguez, Círculo de Belleza: Building a vertical marketplace to supply the professional beauty industry, Ep 150

Greatest Hits Episode: Matías Rivera, Building Businesses and Replanting Patagonian Trees, Ep 149 ​​For this week’s episode of Crossing Borders, we’re revisiting one of our greatest hits episodes featuring Fanatiz’ Matías Rivera.   What do Start-Up Chile, the Copa Libertadores, and Latin America’s largest crowdfunding campaign have in common? The answer is that Chilean entrepreneur and philanthropist, Matias Rivera, had some hand in their development. Matias loves to solve problems he sees at home or abroad. Once he sees a need, he tries to create a simple and effective solution. With that methodology, Matias has founded five ventures, including his most recent startup, Fanatiz, which received investment from investors including Magma Partners. Now based in Miami, Matias has specialized in creating clever solutions in his native Chile and quickly bringing them to a global audience. I sat down with Matias on this episode of Crossing Borders to talk about his decision to get an MBA at Stanford, his work at Start-Up Chile and in Patagonian conservation, and his advice for startup founders looking for funding from Latin America. We also discuss his views on the Latin American ecosystem, how it’s developed in the past ten years, and how to grow a business from Latin America. Check out the rest of this episode to hear Matias’ story from Chile to Boston, to San Francisco and Miami, and the many startups, NGOs, and initiatives he founded in between. Problem + pain point + desperate users = opportunity All of Matias’ ventures have a common root: a significant problem affecting people’s lives. Whether it was helping build the startup ecosystem in Chile, reforesting Patagonia, or streaming soccer (fútbol) to expat fans, his solutions focus on targeting an urgent pain point within a niche group of people. However, no matter how great the product, Matias has found the saying, “build it and they will come,” doesn’t quite hold true. Check out the rest of the episode to learn about Matias’ clever marketing techniques that have helped him build communities across 60 countries and raise one of Latin America’s most successful crowdfunding campaigns. Angel investment to philanthropy? For a number of reasons, the US far outspends the rest of the world in charity and philanthropic causes. Matias has a few hypotheses; in fact, part of his Latin American philanthropy research is still cited regularly today. Tax incentives have something to do with it, but so does entrepreneurial success, he says. Early investors tend to be ex-entrepreneurs who want to give back. This line of reasoning potentially explains why Latin America has lagged behind the US in both areas. Listen to this episode of Crossing Borders to hear Matias Rivera explain how philanthropy and angel investment are connected in Latin America, and how this connection affects entrepreneurs. If you are interested in this topic, you can also check out my article on startup investing as impact investing in Latin America. Knock on all the doors Raising money in Latin America is tough. While seed stage funds have become relatively abundant, Series A rounds and later coming from the region are still rare. Matias has raised capital for several of his five ventures across Chile and the US, including from Magma Partners. He gives one piece of advice that I strongly agree with, which we often give to entrepreneurs through Magma: don’t stop following up with the investors that say no or don’t respond. While this strategy might sound counter-intuitive, Matias explains how to grow a long-term relationship with a potential investor, even one who has rejected you several times. Most investors will see this connection as a positive if you play it correctly. Listen to Matias describe how to cultivate a strong investor-entrepreneur relationship over time in this episode of Crossing Borders. Matias Rivera has played a multi-faceted role in building the Chilean startup ecosystem – and in conserving the country’s wildlife. A lifelong entrepreneur, Matias offers advice for how Latin American founders can advocate for themselves, reach the US, and build international communities, no matter where they begin. Check out his story spanning Chile, Harvard, Stanford, Miami, and Torres del Paine National Park, and how he has built five enterprises on this episode of Crossing Borders. Outline of this episode: 2:10 – Nathan introduces Matias 3:24 – Why Fanatiz? 4:58 – Did you always know you would be an entrepreneur? 6:45 – Trying to get students into entrepreneurship in 2008 8:35 – Getting involved at Start-Up Chile 11:02 – The early days of SUP Chile 13:12 – For-profit conservation with Patagonia Sur 15:07 – Highlights of projects with Patagonia Sur 20:21 – Philanthropy in Latin America 22:44 – What role do tax incentives play in philanthropy? 25:05 – Angel investment as philanthropy 25:40 – The Stanford MBA 27:13 – Takeaways from time at Stanford 28:22 – How to watch soccer abroad without Fanatiz 30:12 – Matias’ marketing tips for entrepreneurs 34:18 – What’s next for Fanatiz? 35:53 – What’s next for the Latin American ecosystem? 38:14 – Advice for US investors looking at LatAm 39:04 – Advice for LatAm founders looking to raise 42:05 – Matias’ advice to his younger self Resources & people mentioned: Fanatiz Jump Chile Start-Up Chile Patagonia Sur Fundacion Reforestemos Singularity University Russ Roberts’ Econ Talk podcast LatamList  

Greatest Hits Episode: Matías Rivera, Building Businesses and Replanting Patagonian Trees, Ep 149

Maribel Dominguez, Círculo de Belleza: Building a vertical marketplace to supply the professional beauty industry, Ep 149   After graduating from university in the US in 2009 at the height of the financial crisis, Maribel Dominguez decided to move back to her native Mexico until the economy got better. While she was home, Maribel and her dad came up with a business idea. They identified a problem that affects many industries: excess inventory. Together, they decided to found a company that helped corporations sell company’s surplus stock and landed star clients like L’Oreal and United Colors of Benetton.   That company she founded with her dad in 2009 would set the foundation for the eleven-year journey that would lead to Maribel founding Círculo de Belleza, a specialized B2B marketplace that supplies beauty salons and independent hairstylists.    I sat down with Maribel to talk about why the distribution system in the professional beauty market is broken and the enormous opportunity it presents in an industry that is often overlooked.   An alternative to the traditional supplier Maribel explains that there is a disconnect between big brands and the long tail of hair salons and independent stylists. With Círculo de Belleza, this unattended segment of the market has access to top name brands that they wouldn’t be able to buy elsewhere. In addition to access, these clients can buy products at wholesale pricing and get products delivered anywhere in Mexico.   Learn more about how Círculo de Belleza helps these small businesses overcome the traditional barriers to high-quality products in this episode of Crossing Borders.   A business where everybody wins Throughout her journey as an entrepreneur, Maribel always had a clear vision of the type of business she wanted to be a part of. For one, she seeks businesses that challenge the status quo while making sure that everyone involved is winning.    Find out how Maribel’s values translated to the way she decided on her business model in this episode of Crossing Borders.   On her decision to raise capital During Maribel’s first ten years as an entrepreneur, she was bootstrapping her business– taking the returns and reinvesting them into the company. However, she realized that to transform the family-run business into a scalable solution she needed to think bigger, create something new that was scalable, and potentially raise external investment.    Listen to this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about Maribel’s experience raising money during a pandemic.   Círculo de Belleza is a great opportunity to connect underserved beauty professionals with the beauty products they need to run and grow their business.   Outline of this episode: [1:39] - About Círculo de Belleza [6:45] - Maribel’s path to entrepreneurship [20:00] - Lessons learned from a nonscalable business [23:00] - The fundraising process [27:09] - Books, blogs, and podcast recommendation [30:52] - What’s next for Círculo de Belleza?   Resources & people mentioned: Maribel Dominguez Círculo de Belleza Books: Playing to Win, The Relationship Cure 

Maribel Dominguez, Círculo de Belleza: Building a vertical marketplace to supply the professional beauty industry, Ep 149

Benjamin Labra, Houm: Streamlining the Real Estate industry in Latin America, Ep 148   Latin America’s real estate market is opaque, broken and bureaucratic. The home buying process in the region can take up to a year, and even just renting an apartment requires having another property as collateral in some countries. There are many pain points in the industry that are being unaddressed by the market.   That’s why Benjamin Labra is looking to fix the broken real estate industry in Latin America with Houm, an end-to-end solution helping property owners rent, manage and sell their properties through an online marketplace.   I sat down with Benjamin to talk about how he’s tackling some of the industry’s deepest-rooted problems and streamlining the home buying and renting process in the region. We also discuss his experience at Y Combinator and how to build and maintain company culture once you go remote. Real estate runs in the family Real estate runs through Benjamin’s veins. He comes from two generations of Chilean real estate developers and was practically raised on construction sites and he always knew he wanted to do something on his own. For four years he managed his own private equity real estate firm and eventually decided to jump into tech.    Learn more about Benjamin’s journey into tech in this episode of Crossing Borders. Houm: allowing apartment rentals without a cosigner One of the ways in which Houm’s solution is truly revolutionary for the real estate market is that they’ve gotten rid of the cosigner. To mitigate this risk, the proptech guarantees the payment to the landlord even if the tenant doesn’t pay. In doing so, property rentals become much easier and faster to process – and can be done in less than 24 hours, compared to up to 3 weeks without Houm.   Listen to this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about how Houm tackles the pain points of the real estate industry in Latin America. The YC stamp of approval Getting accepted into YCombinator can help many early-stage startups. Even though Benjamin and his team knew they were on the right path, the accelerator’s stamp of approval validated their vision.   Learn more about the ways in which participating in YC transformed Houm as well as the perception of US investors in this episode of Crossing Borders.   Benjamin Labra’s extensive experience in the real estate industry makes him one of the best-equipped people to tackle the challenges that property owners and tenants face in Latin America.   Outline of this episode: [1:10] - About Houm [2:28] - Painpoints of the real estate industry in LatAm [4:00] - A family of real estate developers [5:32] - On Chilean talent [7:33] - Jumping into tech [8:35] - Switching from the investment side to running a startup [10:05] - Basics of renting a property [13:20] - Speeding up the renting process [16:17] - A change in US investors’ perception  [18:52] - Challenges of operating remotely [20:28] - Advice to entrepreneurs in smaller LatAm countries [21:38] - Proptech boom in LatAm [22:30] - Books, blogs, & podcast recommendations [23:00] - Advice to Benjamin’s younger self   Resources & people mentioned: Benjamin Labra Houm Book: The Hard Thing About Hard Things 

Benjamin Labra, Houm: Streamlining the Real Estate industry in Latin America, Ep 148 LatamList title: Benjamin Labra, Houm: Fixing Latin America’s broken real estate industry, Ep 148

​​Nico Barawid, Casai: Providing Consistently High-Quality Hospitality in Mexico, Ep 147   In Mexico, the hospitality industry is the third-highest contributor to GDP. Therefore, when COVID-19 initially shut tourists out of the country and forced many hotels to close down, the Mexican economy was hit relatively hard. By the second half of 2020, travel to Mexico was picking up, and the hospitality industry is ready to make a comeback, with some Mexico destinations on pace for more travel than in 2019!   Casai, a luxury hospitality startup, aims to be the high end Airbnb for digital nomads, high end business travelers and families. In this episode of Crossing Borders I sat down with Casai’s founder and CEO Nico Barawid to learn more about his story.   Starting with his first job at a startup in San Francisco and his background in consulting, Nico explains how these experiences prepared him to run Casai efficiently. We also discuss the difficulties Casai faced during the pandemic and Nico explains the ways in which Casai managed to bounce back and the lessons learned along the way. Learning on someone else’s dime   Nico explains that his most valuable learning experience came from working for a startup in San Francisco before starting Casai. As the third hire, Nico worked closely with the founders from the very beginning, allowing him to get the full founder experience without having to take founder risk.   To learn some more of Nico’s tips and lessons learned, listen to this episode of Crossing Borders.   Taking advantage of homegrown talent As soon as Nico moved to Mexico, he noticed that many of the most intelligent and qualified people often left the country to seek opportunities abroad. That meant having to leave their families and their home behind. By building Casai in Mexico, he hopes to retain some of Mexico’s top talent at home in Mexico. This way, his team can build not only a company but also a country that they are proud of. Hear more about how Nico thinks about building a team  in this episode of Crossing Borders. Bouncing back from COVID-19 The day the WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, Casai had more cancellations than confirmations. As the pandemic advanced, the cancellations kept coming. So, Nico began focusing on the data: who was still coming and why? Taking note of these trends, Casai was able to remain agile and make decisions on a day-to-day basis that ultimately saved the company during the pandemic.   Listen to this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about the trends Nico and his team discovered during the onset of COVID-19.   In this episode, Nico Barawid explains that, as an entrepreneur, the lows are never as low as you think they are, because every past mistake or tough situation will teach you something useful to prepare you for your next attempt. It is with this mindset that Nico has taken Casai to where it is today, transforming the traveling experience for the next generation of digital nomads.   Outline of this episode: [1:42]- Identifying the problem in the hospitality industry [4:43]- Standardizing the variability of accomodations [7:09]- Who is Nico Barawid? [9:23]- What did your consulting and startup background teach you? [11:39]- What is the best advice you have for someone starting a startup? [13:26]- Picking your startup; what should you look for? [15:53]- Why start Casai in Mexico? [18:18]- Hiring local talent [20:10]- Getting Casai off the ground [22:43]- LatAm and US funds; how did you raise capital? [26:30]- Growing from the first fund to pre-COVID-19 [28:40]- Surviving COVID-19 in the hospitality industry [33:30]- What advice would you give your San Francisco self? [38:14]- What is next for Casai?   Resources & people mentioned: Nico Barawid Casai Headspace Book: A Billion Dollar Loser HBS cases 

​​Nico Barawid, Casai: Providing Consistently High-Quality Hospitality in Mexico, Ep 147

Greatest Hits Episode: Daniel Bilbao, Fighting Fraud in Latin America, Ep 146 For this week’s episode of Crossing Borders, we’re revisiting one of our greatest hits episodes featuring Truora’s Daniel Bilbao.   Originally from Cali, Colombia, Daniel studied in the US and started a company in Silicon Valley before realizing he wanted to use his experience to solve a pressing Latin American problem: fraud. Truora, a startup that provides instant background checks, was born to fight that problem. I sat down with Daniel for this episode to talk about why he decided to go after the Latin American market instead of Silicon Valley, how he raised money from Y Combinator, Accel, and Kaszek Ventures, and why he wants to tackle the problem of fraud in Latin America. We also discuss why he based his company in Cali and the lessons he learned building and working for three startups in Latin America and Silicon Valley. Magma has been supporting Truora since before YCombinator, so I’m especially excited to share the story of this ambitious founder from Colombia on the podcast. Why background checks are a big deal in Latin America Background checks are customary practice in the US for reasons of compliance. Background checks are essential in Latin America to avoid fraud and criminal activity. With the rise of the gig economy has come the challenge of hiring and managing massive teams of contract workers; Truora makes it possible to run a background check on new employees in a matter of 30 seconds using a smartphone. Leveraging his team and experience, Daniel pushed Truora to early revenue by doing deals with Rappi, Uber, and Davivienda on a bootstrapped budget. Truora is not stopping at background checks; Daniel wants to solve the problem of fraud from the ground up. Find out how Daniel plans to grow Truora across Latin America while staying lean in this podcast episode. If I ever got a tattoo, it would be of my flag Daniel Bilbao used to swim on the Colombian national team, so it would be hard to find someone more patriotic about his own country. Daniel returned to Colombia to build Truora after realizing that Latin Americans are on the cusp of realizing the enormous opportunity that they have to build global companies that compete with the US, Europe, and Asia. He even spends part of his Sundays advising founders from the region. Daniel is honest about the problems he sees in Latin America, but he quickly repositions them as opportunities. Check out the rest of the podcast to hear how Daniel plans to build a winning team across Latin America with Truora, starting from Cali, Colombia. We work in the United States of Latin America Latin American markets are more similar than they are different, says Daniel. He contends that they’re closer to Texas and California than people might think. His advice: do multiple geographies, and do it right away. If you feel you are spread too thin, the problem probably lies in the product or the team, rather than the growth plan. In this episode, Daniel explains why he thinks it is better to spend $50K to launch and learn in a new market than to go for huge revenue right away. Although Truora is still in its early stages, Daniel has seen a number of startups grow, and a number of startups go down in flames. Bipi, a car rental startup where he worked, laid off hundreds of people (including him) before it failed. Find out what Daniel learned from previous startups and how he applied his knowledge to Truora in this episode of Crossing Borders. If you have a good team and nothing else, apply. You can always apply again. Daniel has been through YCombinator twice, first with Paladin Cyber, then with Truora. Paladin went on to raise $4.5M after YC and other Silicon Valley Investors and Truora recently raised $3M from Kaszek Ventures and Accel. He knows what accelerators and investors look for and is always willing to share his advice. His tip for Latin American founders: learn to tell your story, but go straight to the point. No BS. If you are a returning listener to this podcast, you may remember that Marta Forero (UBits cofounder) gave similar advice about her own experience in the Y Combinator interview. Daniel is a top resource on how to get into and get the most out of Y Combinator. Listen to the rest of this episode to hear his tips on raising money from top US and Latin American VCs, and how to turn that investment into revenue. Daniel Bilbao has been fortunate to work closely with top startups in the US and Latin America in times of success (his identical twin was an early Rappi team member) and times of hardship. His only regret was that he didn’t start innovating earlier. Check out Daniel’s story to learn how and why he made his way from doing business in Silicon Valley back to his home country to fight one of Latin America’s most entrenched problems. Outline of this episode: [1:30] – Nathan introduces Daniel [2:14] – Why is fraud a big problem to solve in Latin America? [7:08] – The difference between background checks in LatAm and the US [9:42] – Growing up in Cali, Colombia [12:48] – How startup failure led to Paladin Cyber [14:10] – Where did you get the attitude to give back to your home country? [16:14] – Lessons learned in Daniel’s childhood [19:32] – Why Truora likes to hire very junior engineers [20:21] – Lessons learned from Beepy [22:38] – How does experience with Beepy and Rappi influence Truora? [25:37] – Why transparency is important at a startup [26:14] – How to build the Truora team [27:16] – How does the app work? [28:35] – How to raise money for Truora [30:51] – Top tips for companies applying to YC [32:41] – How to get the most out of YC? [33:30] – Advice for founders raising money in LatAm [35:36] – What’s next for Truora? [36:53] – Daniel’s recommended resources [38:12] – Daniel’s advice to his younger self Resources & people mentioned: Truora Y Combinator Accel Kaszek Ventures Magma Partners Paladin Cyber Rappi Influence – Robert Cialidini Grit – Angela Duckworth  

Greatest Hits Episode: Daniel Bilbao, Fighting Fraud in Latin America, Ep 146

Greatest Hits Episode: Federico Vega, Transforming Transport Logistics in Latin America, Ep 145 For this week’s episode of Crossing Borders we’re revisiting one of our greatest hits episodes featuring Cargo X’s Federico Vega.   Anytime you have an item that you need to send from here to there you enter the world of transport logistics. It may seem as simple as calling UPS or FedEx, but there’s a lot more that goes into it for the companies that provide the service, not to mention, freight companies delivering all around the country. In Latin America, things get even more complicated. In Brazil, for example, 40% of the trucks that are on the road delivering packages and freight are not full. That’s a terrible use of the transport logistics resources that are available. When my guest today, Federico Vega, realized that, he saw an incredible opportunity to solve a problem and create a dynamic company. Through patience, perseverance, and iterations, Federico has built CargoX from the ground up – it’s the Uber for trucking in Brazil. When you solve a problem you have the potential for a business. Every entrepreneur has their own journey to discover exactly what kind of company they want to build. But as with every company that lasts, the needs of the consumer come to the forefront. It’s the problems, the needs the customers have, that drive the direction of the business. Federico Vega discovered that any company that regularly ships items across Brazil needs to do so reliably and as inexpensively as possible. His initial belief was that if he makes use of trucks that are already scheduled to embark on deliveries, he’ll be able to provide more income to the driver and deliver a less expensive way for companies that utilize transport logistics to do so. His idea has worked beautifully. In this episode, you’ll hear his story.   From bathroom stall to a “Starbucks office,” to a fully formed company and team. CargoX didn’t start with its business approach and existing structure fully formed. No company does. In fact, Federico Vega started the company part time while he was still working a full-time job. He found himself more and more often visiting the bathroom stall with his iPad to take care of issues with his new company and decided it was time to quit his good paying job and launch the company for real. That’s when he moved to what he calls his “Starbucks office.” He and some hired help did their work from Starbucks every day for a long time as the company changed. At one point they even shut down and reopened with a new model and approach. Through funding rounds and iterations, CargoX has truly become the Uber of the trucking industry in Brazil. Advice for startups: Develop a network within your industry. Don’t waste time on irrelevant events. When I asked Federico what he’d say to others who are starting a company in Latin America he said that they should become laser focused on the niche or industry that they are serving and begin making connections. It’s not worth your time to go to broad conferences and events – including generalized networking events. You need to develop the contacts and connections within your industry that make it easier for you to build your company wisely. Advice for startups: Look for traditional industries that already work and use tech to make them better. Another piece of advice from my guest on this episode of Crossing Borders, Federico Vega, is that rather than trying to create a new market (like Twitter or Uber) you should invest your time and energy in investigating the needs that exist in traditional, established industries. Once you locate the pain points, look at the possible tech solutions and see if there’s a way you can meet the need at a reasonable cost to the end-user and still make a profit. If you can, you’ve likely got a good business idea on your hands. Federico and I had a great time talking about how he’s changing the transport logistics industry in Brazil. My hope is that as his company grows, he’ll become like one of his favorite examples – Alibaba – and find ways to expand his influence worldwide. Enjoy listening. Outline of this episode [1:24] - Federico’s background and current business – CargoX: Uber for trucks [4:03] - How did a guy from a small town in Patagonia build this kind of business? [8:12] - The response of family and friends when Federico decided to leave his cushy job [11:07] - Running his startup from a toilet stall – breaking into his own [14:39] - How Federico shut down his startup, regrouped, and started with a new USP [15:51] - Starting over: raise funds or find clients? [19:55] - The turning point that made the business take off [23:57] - Advice to founders about raising money [28:28] - Why silicon valley investors should consider Latin American companies [30:14] - What would Federico tell himself if he could advise himself from the start [34:58] - The next steps for CargoX Resources & people mentioned Federico Vega CargoX  Valor Capital NXTP Labs Uber Goldman Sachs Alibaba eBay Groupon AirBNB 

Greatest Hits Episode: Federico Vega, Transforming Transport Logistics in Latin America, Ep 145

Pedro Moura, Flourish: Building the tech infrastructure to help people make better financial decisions, Ep 144   Pedro Moura moved from Natal, Brazil to the US at a young age, overcoming many challenges while always trying to build a better future for himself, his family and his region. His perseverance and grit guided him to create a company that he is truly passionate about. In this episode of Crossing Borders, Pedro tells the story of his career path and how taking a risk on what he really believed in led him to found Flourish, a B2B SaaS company that empowers people to establish positive money habits.    In this episode, I sat down with Pedro to discuss how he landed on the idea for Flourish, what companies can do to attract foreign talent, and how to think of a business from a global perspective.  Finding a fit in financial inclusion Pedro’s story is truly inspirational. He moved to Northern California from Brazil when he was young, and his mother worked tirelessly for the family. Pedro attended UC Davis, studying Economics and International Relations, then venturing into Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley. However, he soon realized the position was not the best fit for him. After joining Opportun, a startup dedicated to making financial services more accessible, Pedro realized his passion for financial inclusion and decided to start Flourish.    Listen to this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about Pedro’s career path and what led him to Flourish.  Attracting talent overseas A key part of Pedro’s story was his decision to ‘cross a border’ to build something great. With talent today more mobile than ever before, some countries are still more hesitant than others to recruit from out-of-country. Despite political immigration boundaries, the culture of international collaboration is healthy and thriving.    Find out more about the opportunities that lie in hiring across borders in this episode of Crossing Borders. Chasing your passion While Pedro was still working at the bank, he saw a TV program that inspired him to learn more about companies that were driven by social issues: specifically, the disparity between the Latin American community and the world of financial services spoke to him. This experience sparked Pedro’s curiosity and led him to Opportun and then to founding Flourish.    Learn more about how Pedro discovered his passion in this episode of Crossing Borders.   Pedro Moura’s story is inspiring in more ways than one. Adapting to a new environment at a young age and thriving required perseverance and hard work. By following his passion, he took several career risks to serve the Latin American community. Join us to learn his story and what he is building at Flourish.    Show Notes: [1:90] - About Flourish [3:35] - Pedro’s move to the US [7:00] - Adapting to a new culture at a young age [8:30] - Advice on attracting talent [12:30] - From wealth management to Oportun [16:30] - Why starting a company was the natural next step [18:30] - How geography plays a part in the business [22:10] - What is Flourish’s next step [23:20] - What advice would you offer your younger self? [25:30] - Where do you see Flourish 2 years from now?   Resources & people mentioned: Pedro Moura Flourish Book: The Brain That Changes Itself 

Pedro Moura, Flourish: Building the tech infrastructure to help people make better financial decisions, Ep 144

Alexander Torrenegra, Torre: Reinventing job-matching and recruitment services, Ep 143   Alexander Torrenegra believes that most talent is going to waste because it’s not being exposed to the right opportunities. That’s why he founded Torre, a platform that streamlines the application, recruitment, and selection process for remote work. This new professional network matches the best talent in Latin America with companies around the world.   Before Torre, Alexander co-founded and bootstrapped Voice123 and BunnyStudio, forever transforming the voice acting industry. He’s also been an angel investor with his wife for over two decades, won many entrepreneurship awards, and written several practical guides.    I sat down with Alexander to talk about his entrepreneurial trajectory from getting a loan from a bank at 14 years old with his first business, to moving from his native Colombia to the US and eventually founding Torre. We also discuss Voice 123’s business model and the benefits of bootstrapping a company. Getting a loan as a 14-year-old Alexander explains that becoming an entrepreneur has always been a decision he’s made out of necessity, rather than passion. For him, it’s a means to an end–that at 14 years old, was buying a computer. He’d fallen in love with computers at a very young age, sneaking into classrooms in the after hours at the university where his mom was a secretary. He soon figured out that with a loan from the bank he would be able to buy a computer. However, he hadn’t factored in that his age might be an issue.   Learn more about the incredible story behind Alexander’s first bank loan at 14 years old and how he paid it off in this episode of Crossing Borders. The early days of Voice123 When Alexander met his wife in the US, he was introduced to a whole new world. Through his wife, a voice actress herself, he learned about the inner workings of the voice acting industry and how unmeritocratic it could be. By then, Alexander was working as a webmaster and decided to create a solution to a problem that nobody had tackled until that moment.   Listen to this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about what the voice acting industry looked like before Voice123. The first step for a moonshot According to Alexander, there are two basic components to kicking off a moonshot-based business. One of the biggest factors is a person’s capacity to have financial freedom. These types of businesses are characterized by being extremely ambitious and exploratory, meaning that there may not be any near-term profitability or benefit. Therefore, having something to fall back on or resources to maintain yourself is key.   Check out this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about moonshot-thinking and how Alexander brainstorms new business ideas.   A year after COVID-19, the job market has been completely transformed. The reality is that remote work is here to stay, and solutions like Alexander’s Torre are making it easier for companies to hire and for people to find work in this new normal.   Outline of this episode: [1:30] - About Torre [3:47] - An entrepreneur out of necessity [5:40] - Starting a business at 14 [10:38] - Upgrading the business [13:36] - Building Voice123 [16:44] - Choosing a business model out of ignorance [19:40] - On going viral with Fred Wilson [23:30] - Decision to bootstrap [26:30] - Advice to founders on getting started [29:50] - Is this a LinkedIn killer? [31:40] - Kicking off a moonshot [34:09] - Questions Alexander asks himself when brainstorming [36:25] - Advice to Alexander’s younger self [37:40] - Books, blogs, & podcast recommendations [40:15] - What’s next for Torre?   Resources & people mentioned: Alexander Torrenegra Torre Remoter: the why-and-how guide to building successful remote teams by Alexander Torrenegra Voice123 BunnyStudio Fred Wilson’s blog: AVC Books: Foundation, Platform Revolution, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, Documentary: Cosmos by Carl Sagan 

Alexander Torrenegra, Torre: Reinventing job-matching and recruitment services, Ep 143

Pete Flint, NFX: Tapping into world-class startups in Latin America, Ep 142   During the summer of ‘95, when Netscape went public, Pete Flint decided he wanted to get involved in Internet startups as the next step in his career. He went on to form part of the founding team of lastminute.com in the UK– an online travel site that was later acquired for over $1B.    With his eyes set on Silicon Valley, Pete eventually made his way over to the US and founded Trulia, one of the largest and fastest growing real estate websites in the US that merged with Zillow. Today, Pete is on the other side of the investment table as General Partner at NFX, a Seed and Series A venture firm based in San Francisco.   I sat down with Pete to talk about what it was like founding startups in different Internet eras and why he decided to make the jump into Latin America with NFX. Pete also provides advice to founders for overcoming crises, having experienced himself running a travel company during 9/11 and a real estate company during the 2008 financial crisis. Founding a company in two different geographies and Internet eras When comparing the context in which lastminute.com and Trulia were founded, Pete considers that there were more similarities than differences. However, he recognizes that some marked differences were the market fragmentation as well as the cost to get going in the UK in 1998 compared to the US in 2005.   Find out more about the differences between the two Internet eras in this episode of Crossing Borders. Dealing with a crisis as a founder Pete saw firsthand what it was like to deal with a crisis as a founder– with lastminute.com, it was September 11, and with Trulia, it was the 2008 financial crisis. The repercussions of these events were felt deeply worldwide, but especially in Pete’s industries. He explains that the greatest struggle was more mental rather than business related.   Listen to this episode of Crossing Borders for Pete’s advice on maintaining personal and team morale during a crisis. On identifying market opportunities As a serial entrepreneur, Pete has developed a keen eye for business opportunities over the years. There are three different aspects Pete takes into account when picking an industry to build a company, one of them being cultural adoption. For example, with Trulia, he identified a rise in consumer searches for online real estate services. Whereas today, the most recent cultural phenomenon would be remote work.   Learn more about the other two aspects Pete considers when evaluating an opportunity in this episode of Crossing Borders.   Pete Flint’s impressive track record as an entrepreneur provides him with the insight needed to identify great opportunities and support other founders in their journeys as an investor at NFX.    Outline of this episode: [2:16] - About NFX [3:12] - From London to Silicon valley [6:15] - Founding companies in different internet eras [12:20] - Criteria for picking travel and real estate industries [16:17] - Checking off boxes [18:43] - Dealing with a crisis  [23:22] - Making the jump into Latin America [28:20] - Recruiting in other geographies [30:28] - Excitement for Latin America [33:02] - Understanding what is exceptional [36:30] - Advice to Pete’s younger self [38:56] - Books, blogs, & podcast recommendations   Resources & people mentioned: Pete Flint NFX Trulia La Haus Nuvocargo Blog: Farnam Street Book: Think Again 

Pete Flint, NFX: Tapping into world-class startups in Latin America, Ep 142

Bismarck Lepe, Wizeline: Building world class startups from Mexico and Silicon Valley , Ep 141   Bismarck Lepe was part of the first batch of entrepreneurs to leave Google, ready to take the world by storm. And that he did. His first startup was Ooyala, an online video platform company that he built from zero to a $400M exit.    Today, a seasoned entrepreneur, Bismarck is President and CEO at Wizeline, a global product development company that helps its clients solve their biggest challenges with design and technology.    I sat down with Bismarck to talk about his nomadic childhood between the US and Jalisco in Mexico and how he veered from wanting to study medicine to taking an interest in tech startups and eventually founding his own. We also discuss the harsh truths about what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur and how Guadalajara’s tech ecosystem has evolved over the years.  Stories around entrepreneurship in the media Bismarck explains that being the first is always the hardest. When Bismarck launched Ooyala’s operations in Guadalajara in 2010, attracting talent was a challenge. Most engineers wanted to work at more established companies like IBM, Oracle or HP. He explains that there was a shift in that mentality as more startup stories began to be featured in the media.    Learn more about how these stories shaped the local ecosystem and served as inspiration for the next generation of talent in this episode of Crossing Borders. Being penny-wise and pound-foolish When reflecting on his trajectories with Ooyala and Wizeline, Bismarck comments on the importance of knowing when to hire. He explains that there are certain roles in a company that a founder must fill in the early stages of the business. Delegating these too early can slow down the iterative process that finding product-market fit requires.   Find out why outsourcing too early can be harmful to a company in this episode of Crossing Borders. Turning inefficiencies into opportunities As the son of two immigrants who moved from Mexico to the US, it hadn’t crossed Bismarck’s mind to go back in search of opportunities. However, a recruiting trip with his team to Guadalajara quickly changed that. Since then, Bismarck has played a key role in transforming Jalisco’s capital city into one of Mexico’s largest tech hubs.   Listen to this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about how Guadalajara’s ecosystem has evolved over the years.   Bismarck Lepe is a household name in Guadalajara’s and Silicon Valley’s tech ecosystem due to the various initiatives he has led in the city to foster innovation and tech talent. Through Wizeline, he is transforming the way companies build better products faster.   Outline of this episode: [1:46] - About Wizeline [3:30] - The vision behind the expansion plan [5:10] - Bismarck’s nomadic upbringing [6:38] - On building wealth [8:29] - Entrepreneurship in the media [10:40] - From medicine to startups [13:04] - Leaving Google [14:02] - Lessons learned from starting, building, scaling, and selling a business [16:33] - Advice on dealing with boards [17:54] - The Telstra deal [20:00] - Starting the next company [22:34] - What it takes to be successful [26:25] - Guadalajara’s tech ecosystem  [32:55] - Advice to Bismarck’s younger self [34:25] - Books, blogs, & podcast recommendations [35:20] - What’s next for the companies?   Resources & people mentioned: Bismarck Lepe Wizeline Cerby Ooyala Telstra Ventures Mark Ellis Liftoff Podcasts: Pivot, All-In, Business Wars Books: A Promised Land 

Bismarck Lepe, Wizeline: Building world class startups from Mexico and Silicon Valley , Ep 141

David Poritz, Credijusto: Helping SMEs grow in Latin America, Ep 140 According to David Poritz, over six million SMEs in Mexico have historically lacked access to credit. That’s one of the reasons why in 2015, David decided to build Credijusto, a tech-enabled lender for SMEs in Mexico.   David has always been a strong advocate for human rights, founding his own non profit early in his career. In his quest to build a social enterprise that would promote economic development while supporting a good cause, he discovered the power of fintechs and the potential to stimulate growth in emerging markets.   I sat down with David to talk about how the SME lending space in Mexico has evolved since 2015 and the impact COVID-19 has had at Credijusto. We also talk about David’s lessons learned from the nonprofit sector and why working with impact investors is such an important part of Credijusto’s trajectory.  Going into tech with a social science background Before venturing into tech, David had built an impressive career in the nonprofit sector. He had studied Anthropology and Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Brown, which naturally resulted in most of his work being focused on that region. It was during his Master’s in the UK that he observed the first wave of tech enabled lending startups that he became fascinated with the idea of financial inclusion as a concept and began looking into applying these technologies to emerging economies.    Learn more about David’s transition into fintech from a social sciences background in this episode of Crossing Borders. Building a startup as non-technical founders David and his co-founder, Allan, wore a variety of different hats when they first started Credijusto. David explains that they had to learn on-the-go about credit risk and underwriting, while also building a tech and commercial team. In hindsight, he realizes how much of a game changer bringing on experienced professionals to the team can be to a company’s growth.    Listen to this episode of Crossing Borders to find out more about David’s lessons learned from growing Credijusto’s team. Impact investing with Credijusto David explains that impact investors have been a critical source of capital throughout Credijusto’s trajectory. From early on they wanted to develop a business that had a tangible impact that would improve access to credit and support businesses in their growth. With his background in human rights, David wanted to build a true social enterprise and found that fintechs with a consumer-centric approach checked the boxes.    Learn more about David’s perspective on impact investing and financial inclusion in this episode of Crossing Borders.   David is empowering entrepreneurs by promoting financial inclusion in Mexico’s SME lending space with Credijusto’s customer-centric solution that truly meets the needs of borrowers.   Outline of this episode: [1:56] - About Credijusto [4:48] - Going into tech with a social sciences background [7:12] - A customer-centric approach [9:02] - SME lending in 2015 [11:07] - On getting started [13:09] - Credijusto’s inflection point [15:22] - Growing the team [18:22] - Credijusto and impact investing [21:09] - SME lending space [23:44] - Advice to David’s younger self [25:17] - What’s next for Credijusto?   Resources & people mentioned: David Poritz Allan Apoj Pascal Credijusto John Mack Broadhaven Capital Partners Elevar Equity IGNIA Kaszek Ventures  QED Investors Point 72 Goldman Sachs Credit Suisse  PG Impact Investments Calvert Impact Capital DFC 

David Poritz, Credijusto: Helping SMEs grow in Latin America, Ep 140

Hello and welcome to Crossing Borders with Nathan Lustig, where I interview entrepreneurs doing startups across borders and the investors who support them, with a focus on companies that have some relationship to Latin America.

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Crossing Borders with Nathan Lustig

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