Tech entrepreneurship has the potential to change the growth trajectory of emerging and underserved markets. This podcast is dedicated to telling the stories of operators and investors from São Paulo to Singapore diving into their lessons learned and how
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On this episode Pat sits down with legendary operator and former MELI CFO, and of late CEO of dLocal, Pedro Arnt, to dive into his learnings of 20+ years of company building.We discussWhy he is bullish on emerging market's potentialHis learnings around the early innings of MELI riding the wave of digitisation in commerce in the 2000s and why long term building beats short-term CAGR ambitionsThe parallels he sees across verticals around digitisation in emerging markets from commerce to payments and how slower consumer adoption calls for more discipline and consistency but allows you to grow at +30% CAGR for many yearsHis take on balancing startup agility and processes and org. complexity of a big corporationHis new chapter with dLocal and why going from emerging market to emerging market makes all the sense Want to stay up-to-date on latest episodes?Follow The Enthusiast wherever you are getting your podcasts and make sure to check out our newsletter on LinkedInhere to stay up to date on our latest episodes with founders and investors beyond the Valley.Follow Pat on LinkedIn here.
On this episode Pat sits down with Camila Vieira, Partner and head QED's Brazil operation. We dive into the fund's evolving commitment on the region, how they got it right investing in Nubank in 2015, what their thesis and structure looks like today 10 years later and whether LatAm's next outbreak success will also be Fintech? How do sector specific funds differentiate from generalists in their way how they look at FintechTaking a unit economic and defensible moat lens instead of following a themes based investing approachThe last whitespace in Fintech in Brazil How should founders think about liquidity and how QED is preparing their portfolio You can find Camila on LinkedIn here. Want to stay up-to-date on latest episodes?Follow The Enthusiast wherever you are getting your podcasts and make sure to check out our newsletter on LinkedInhere to stay up to date on our latest episodes with founders and investors beyond the Valley.Follow Pat on LinkedIn here.
On this episode Pat sits down with Michael Lints, Partner at leading South East Asian VC firm Golden Gate to dive into their expansion into MENA, his move to Qatar, why now and how he sees the two regions complementing each other in terms of ecosystem maturity, VC and LP landscape. You will learn about:Doing business in MENACross pollination opportunities between the two regionsLiquidity and exit opportunities and t he importance of Secondaries in SEA You can find Michael on LinkedIn here. Want to stay up-to-date on latest episodes?Follow The Enthusiast wherever you are getting your podcasts and make sure to check out our newsletter on LinkedInhere to stay up to date on our latest episodes with founders and investors beyond the Valley.Follow Pat on LinkedIn here.
On this episode Pat sits down with Mihai Faur, CIO of UiPath to discuss his 10 year journey with the company from a small startup in Romania to the global automations company it is today. We dive into the IPO readiness piece, how as a Chief Accounting Officer he set the company on the path for IPO following Daniel Dines' vision in 2019 to bring the company public in 2 years. You will learn aboutWhat does it take to get a company from startup mode to IPO ready How to get to operational predictability The role AI will play in UiPath's 2nd act merging AI and Automations You can find Mihai on LinkedIn here. Want to stay up-to-date on latest episodes?Follow The Enthusiast wherever you are getting your podcasts and make sure to check out our newsletter on LinkedInhere to stay up to date on our latest episodes with founders and investors beyond the Valley.Follow Pat on LinkedIn here.
On this episode Pat sits down with Managing Partner of Across Capital, Rafael Costa, to dive into his journey building Across investing cross-border in the US & LatAm after a successful career at Summit Partners and Vulcan Capital, how he things around portfolio construction and liquidity for growth stage, getting to conviction when deciding to invest and a lot more.You will learn aboutHow Rafael broke into VentureWhy he decided to position Across as early growth stage cross border fundWhy he is all about high conviction, concentrated betsHis take on driving liquidity and how it influences his decision making around portfolio constructionYou can find Rafael on LinkedIn here
On this episode Pat sits down with Milena Oliveira, Partner of Latin American early-growth fund Volpe Capital to dive into the dynamics of investing post Series-A, portfolio construction and making concentrated bets in a few select opportunities. We dive into why LatAm Tech entrepreneurs and VCs can produce top tier returns, and Volpe has the data to back it up. You learn about- Volpe's investment thesis- How to convince LPs to bet on the asset class and invest in multi-vintages- The maturity of LatAm tech entrepreneurs and how they are thriving not only despite the adversity but because of itYou can find Milena on LinkedIn here. Want to stay up-to-date on latest episodes? Follow The Enthusiast wherever you are getting your podcasts and make sure to check out our newsletter on LinkedIn here to stay up to date on our latest episodes with founders and investors beyond the Valley. Follow Pat on LinkedIn here.
On this episode Pat sits down with Alexis Pantazis, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of European insurtech Hellas Direct to dive into the insurtech playbook, succeeding in smaller yet profitable markets in Southern and Eastern Europe, and how to go about vertical integration as a moat to build maximum value for consumers. To date Hellas has raised more than $85M from the likes of5G Ventures S.A | Phaistos Investment Fund,Portage ,ETF Partners - The Environmental Technologies Fund ,IFC - International Finance Corporation,EBRD,Convex Insurance andEndeavor Catalyst and since its founding has expanded to Romania and further grown their insurance offering through vertical integration.You will learn about- The Insurtech playbook on going direct to the customer but also through brokers- How to go about expansion from smaller markets and under penetrated segments that in aggregate have significant value creation potential - How Greece made their way out of the slump and are now one of the best performing and dynamic economies in EuropeYou can find Alexis on LinkedInhere.Want to stay up-to-date on latest episodes?Follow The Enthusiast wherever you are getting your podcasts and make sure to check out our newsletter on LinkedInhere to stay up to date on our latest episodes with founders and investors beyond the Valley.Follow Pat on LinkedInhere.
On this episode Pat sits down with Jimena Prado, Partner at Latin American VC firm Hi Ventures, which has backed the likes of Cornershop and Fintual. We explore Jimena's journey from one of the first female founders in Mexico to becoming an investor, how she thinks about navigating the current AI craze and where LatAm entrepreneurs can play at and capture value. Hi Ventures is one of the leading early stage funds in LatAm, having backed the likes of Cornershop (exited to Uber at 3Bn), Sequoia backed Fintual and Clau.com. Founded by Federico Antoni, it has raised more than US$170M over 4 vintages. We dive into: - How to filter through the AI noise and where LatAm entrepreneurs play in the space - Transitioning from founder to funder - How Hi Ventures has formulated their investment thesis around AI You can find Jimena on LinkedIn here. Want to stay up-to-date on latest episodes? Follow The Enthusiast wherever you are getting your podcasts and make sure to check out our newsletter on LinkedIn here to stay up to date on our latest episodes with founders and investors beyond the Valley. Follow Pat on LinkedIn here.
On this episode Pat sits down with Izabel Gallera, Partner at Canary, one of the leading early stage VCs in Brazil. We dive into: - The evolution of the Brazilian VC ecosystem and Canary alongside it - How to get to conviction and structure your investment decision process at the seed stage - Professionalizing a VC firm through recycling capital, driving DPI and creating liquidity when possible You can find Bel on LinkedIn here.
On this episode Pat sits down with Christine Kenna, Managing Partner of Ignia, a pan-american VC firm that invests in early and Series-A stage tech businesses. You will learn about: Playing the Venture Game in emerging markets, how to think about liquidity The importance of building track record through multiple vintages Is the American style Venture model even applicable to LatAm? You can find Christine on LinkedIn here.
On this episode Pat sits down with Pavel Fedorov, Co-Founder of Philippines based challenger bank Salmon. We dive into scaling a neo-bank in emerging markets, product mix, customer profiles and how to ensure flawless executionYou will learn about The fintech opportunity in the Philippines How Salmon targets the space and why they start with credit first How they think about go-to-market and their target customer profile You can find Pavel on LinkedIn here.Also check out his Personal Website and Blog here.
On this episode Pat sits down with Esteban Sosnik, Co-Founder and GP of Reach Capital, an edtech specialised VC firm based in Silicon Valley to talk about the evolution of the industry, how AI changes the game and what are the opportunities he sees in emerging marketsYou will learn aboutBuilding a sector-specific fundThe evolution of the edtech space and where we are headingThe right way to upsell into different age groups and how to deal with age related churn of your customersThe inflection point that is AIYou can find Esteban on LinkedIn here. Support the show
On this episode Pat brings back Alex Lazarow, Managing Partner of Fluent Ventures to talk about where Fintech in emerging markets has been going and where we are heading. So much to unpack as they dive intoThe different tech waves in emerging markets and LatAm more specifically Embedded Finance and the potential that still remains to be unleashed Where B2C Fintech delivered on its promise to increase financial inclusion You can find Alex on LinkedIn here. Also make sure to check out his newsletter 99% Tech. Check out his Forbes article on the 3DsSupport the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Coen Jonker, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of TymeBank to discuss their scale-up journey from South Africa into the Philippines building a true multi-country digital bank for emerging markets. You will learn about:Product road map when scaling a digital bank How to approach market expansion and identifying your next target market What financial inclusion truly means for Coen You can find Coen on LinkedIn here. Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Mikhail Lomtadze, CEO of superapp Kaspi. We dive into the origin story of the business, its humble beginnings in Kazakhstan to going public on Nasdaq earlier this year at a whopping $20Bn market cap. You will learn aboutHow to successully execute the superapp strategyHow to go about product priosiation and not losing focusWhy customer centricity is the key to everythingThe importance of culture in scaling your businessYou can find Mikhail on LinkedIn here. Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Erin Renzas, the former CMO of Checkout who today runs her own advisory firm EBB strategic to unpack how to unleash marketing performance at the growth stage, the right way to experiment on marketing spent and how to make sure that you nurture the upper funnelWhat you will learnSales is about generating revenue today vs. Marketing is about generating revenue tomorrow - How to strike that balance? What to watch out for when hiring for a CMOHow to communicate your growth strategy to senior leadership and your boardErin's journey during Square, Checkout.com and Prosus You can find Erin on LinkedIn here.Support the Show.
On this episode Pat sits down with the one and only Ralf Wenzel, Founder & CEO of JOKR. We dive into his entrepreneurial journey from growing up in East Germany to his first entrepreneurial stint with Jamba, conquering Asia with Foodpanda and subsequently embarking onto LatAm with grocery delivery platform Jokr. You will learn aboutWhy Founders and Artists are more alike than you would thinkHow to unlock value in quick commerce and grocery deliveryIt is all about integrating the value chain and ensuring a superior customer experienceHow to conquer a complex market such as BrazilYou can find Ralf on LinkedIn here. Support the Show.
On this episode Pat sits down with Ali Karabey, co-founder of Türkiye's first institutional VC 212 to dive into building the fund, making the first bets, getting conviction and ultimately turning 212 into a platform of funds that invests beyond its country's borders. On this episode you will learn about:Building a fund from scratch Playing the platform game right without losing focus The Türkiye opportunity and its remarkable roster of talentYou can find Ali on LinkedIn here. Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Hamdi Tabbaa, Co-Founder and CEO of leading MENA edtech Abwaab. We dive into his journey moving from expansion at Uber to building a thriving edtech in the region, expansion into other markets and upselling opportunities. You will learn about:The edtech landscape in MENAExpanding into other geos with a highly localised productFundraising in a challenging industry and regional context You can find Hamdi on LinkedIn here. Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Dave Nangle, Managing Partner of VEF, a leading VC firm that invests in emerging markets fintech from Latin America to Asia. Dave is a true emerging markets warrior from day one having spent 10 years in Russia in the early 2000s when Tinkoff was getting off the ground and Dave smelled blood, he didn't let go of looking for the future Tinkoff's all across the globe. Fast forward 10 years later VEF has amassed an amazing portfolio of companies including Konfio, Creditas, TransferGo and Abhi. On this episode you will learn aboutHow to curate a global dealflow relying on local VCs as feeder firms and building crucial relationships on the groundWhat makes a great operatorThe pros and cons of investing through a publicly listed vehicleYou can find Dave on LinkedIn here. Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Ramiro Lauzan, Partner at growth and private equity investing giant L Catterton to dissect their investment thesis, consumer trends and thematic investing and the playing field in Latin America and why he is bullish on the region. You will learn about:How L Catterton makes long term, thematic driven investment decisionsThe role long-term consumer trends play in defining the categoryThe differences in PE investing in LatAm vs. developed markets and its opportunitiesHow corporate governance and board roles changes as a company goes publicYou can find Ramiro on LinkedIn here.Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Carl Fritjofsson, Creandum's partner for the US to dive into what made the VC firm stand out and turn into one of the top European venture firms out there, his take on the future of European tech talent and why he is both optimistic and cautious about 2024. On this episode you will learn about:Carl's journey from former operator to investor Key takeaways for building a lasting VC firm Why he is bullish on the future of European start-ups2024 predictionsYou can follow Carl on LinkedIn here. Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with the one and only Christopher Schroeder, author, investor, operator and advisor of startups in emerging markets. He has worn many heads during his stellar career amongst them CEO and President of Washington Post's online presence , founder of HealthCentral and President of Legi-Slate as well as senior policy positions during Georg Bush's administration.You will learn about: Christopher's journey into the world of startups and why he is bullish on the founder talent in emerging marketsThe Venn diagram between public policy and the private sector to build flourishing ecosystemsHis predictions for 2024What he looks for in founders ...and so much moreYou can find him on LinkedIn here and make sure to check out his newsletter Seeking Awesome here. Support the show
On this episode Mikal Khoso joins Pat to chat with Omair Ansari, Founder and CEO of Pakistan Fintech Abhi about his journey into the world of entrepreneurship, scaling the company, going multi-product early on in the company's lifecycle as well as the expansion into the UAE and neighbouring Bangladesh. You will learn about:The state of the financial services industry in PakistanWhere Abhi fits into the marketScaling in a frontier ecosystem and going against the common wisdom Strategies on expansion across the region. You can find Omair on LinkedIn here and make sure to check out Mikal's newsletter Emergent here. Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Endeavor's Senior Director of Research Leah Barto to discuss research at Endeavor, why studies on emerging ecosystems are important and Endeavor's most recent ground breaking research on founder pathways. You will learn about:The setup of Endeavor Insight, the very own research arm of EndeavorWhere successful unicorn founders come from and what they have in common What makes founders from emerging markets different to founders from the USAny future topics of resarch for EndeavorYou can find Leah on LinkedIn here. Make sure to check out Endeavor's research here. Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Julian Roeoes, Partner and Head of the Americas for global early stage fund Picus Capital. We dive into his journey into venture, Picus's born global investment strategy, how to branch out into investing in emerging markets and get off the ground and the business models he believes will shape the next wave of emerging markets entrepreneurship successYou will learn about:Global investing with an emerging markets angleDifferences between public vs. private market investing Picus Capital's long term investment horizon and its single LP structureYou can find Julian on LinkedIn here. Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Yana and Yash of Alter Global, a leading early stage investment firm that has backed companies in the seed to Series-A stage in LatAm, Africa, South East Asia, Middle East and beyond. We dive intoYana and Yash's role at AlterHow Alter is set up as a decentralised, global early stage VC with a lean team Identifying founder talent on the ground at the early stage You can find Yana on LinkedIn here and Yash here. Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Victor Chua, Managing Partner of Southeast Asian venture firm Vynn Capital to dive into Victor's investor journey, lessons learned along the way, raising as a first time fund manager and the evolution of the venture and startup ecosystem in the region. You will learn about:Victor's journey into ventureHis time at Gobi Partners and how it prepared him for launching his own firmFundraising and building LP relationshipsThe state of venture in region and the role of CVC You can find Victor on LinkedIn here. Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Victor Noguera & Bernardo Cordero, Co-Founders at leading Mexican proptech Flat.mx to discuss their founder journey, the evolution of the proptech space in Latin America, how Flat is adding valuable building blocks to a more inclusive real-estate market in Mexico and their angel investing activity through their vehicle Nascent.vcOn this episode you will learn about: Victor and Berni's journey into founding Flat What to look for in a co-founderHow investing whilst being a founder actually makes you more successful in bothThe evolution of proptech in LatAm and the VC ecosystem in generalYou can find Victor and Berni on Linkedin here and here. Also make sure to check out Mexico TechWeek, co-organised by Flat here. Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Brazilian investment icon Fersen Lambrahno, Chairman of GP Investments.We dive into his long career, the evolution of Brazilian PE and investment space, what makes PE in Brazil to operate fundamentally differently to the US or Europe and much more. You will learn about: Fersen's way into investing and lessons learned looking back to a fulfilling careerThe evolution of the Brazilian economy in the last 40 yearsWhy PE in Brazil is a lot more operational and hands on compared to the US or EuropeThe current investment structure of GPThe role of Green Capitalism to prevent the effects of climate changeYou can find Fersen on LinkedIn here.Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with seasoned entrepreneur and investor Ganesh Rengaswamy, co-founding partner of leading fintech inclusion fund Quona and Kulin Shah, Co-Founder and CEO of Onsurity, a leading Indian insurtech. We dive into the founder-investor relationship, the insuretech space in India and how to manage boards successfully. So much to unpack here with the two of the on the show. You will learn about: Kulin & Ganesh's journey into the world of entrepreneurshipHow to find your match between investor and founder and what to be aware of on both sides of the tableHow to manage boards sucessfullyThe state of insuretech in IndiaYou can find Kulin on LinkedIn here and Ganesh here. Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Tunisian tech entrepreneur Karim Jouini, Co-Founder and CEO of Expensya. We dive into his journey into tech, scaling out of his native Tunisia, drivers for M&A success and much more. You will learn about: Building an international company from day oneHow to reduce value destruction that comes with an M&A dealThe latest trends and developments in the expense management space You can find Karim on LinkedIn here. Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Razaq Ahmed, Co-Founder and CEO of Nigerian Fintech Cowrywise, that is all but revolutionising the retail investment space in the country providing access to investment products to millions of young Nigerians. You will learn about: Razaq's journey into the world of startups and founding Cowrywise after a stint at Investment BankingThe particularities of building a retail investing business in an emerging market such as NigeriaHow to acquire users effectively and at scale leveraging gamification and social mediaHow to play the volume game successful and add complimentary products to the mixYou can find Razaq on LinkedIn here. Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Sandra Nolasco, CEO and Co-founder of Spain based Twinco Capital, a B2B fintech focused on supply chain financing.On the episode you will learn about:The intricacies of supply chain financing and why the status quo is not helping SMEs in emerging marketsTwinco's value proposition The role of supply chain traceability and ESG criteriaHow Twinco can become the standard in global trade financingYou can find Sandra on LinkedIn here.Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with one of LatAm Fintech greats, Pedro Conrade, Co-Founder and CEO of Neon, a leading challenger bank in Brazil that serves more than 23M customers and has raised an impressive $700M. We dive into the making of Neon, how the company has scaled, when is it right time to introduce new product features and how to manage acquisitions successfully.On this episode you will learn: Pedro's way into entrepreneurshipLeadership lessons along the way and why it is all a team effort The financial services landscape in Brazil, what is has been, how it looks today and what the future might bring You can follow Pedro on LinkedIn here. Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Polish IT entrepreneur Wiktor Schmidt, co-founder and executive chairman of Netguru, a IT company that has scaled to 30M in revenues providing its services at a global scale. Aside from his role at Netguru, Wiktor is the founding board chair of Endeavor Poland. We dive into his role in the Polish ecosystem, his experience scaling Netguru and what is next for the country with the arrival of Endeavor. On this episode you will learn about: Wiktor's journey becoming a tech entrepreneurHow to build a competitive advantage in the IT services spaces The future of Polish tech The arrival of Endeavor in Poland You can find Wiktor on LinkedIn here.Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Inanc Balci, Co-Founder and Partner at emerging markets fintech fund Crestone Venture Capital where he invests across South East Asia and Latin America. We dive into his journey as an operator turned VC, scaling in SEA, similarities between LatAm and SEA in terms of fintech models and much moreYou will learn about: How Inanc ended up in SEA as an operator and Co-founder of Lazada Why operators make good investorsWhat input metrics he finds critical in evaluating dealsLessons learned on building a fund Similarities between SEA and LatAm in terms of fintech You can find Inanc on LinkedIn hereSupport the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Lolita Taub, founding partner of Ganas VC, an early stage fund that invests in community-driven business models in the Americas. We dive into Lolita's journey into venture, why immigrant communities, especially Latinx still have an ownership gap to other communities in the US and how that translates into a low representation in start-up founders and VC and how community-driven business models serve as a moat for startups. You will learn about: Why generational wealth is important and how tech entrepreneurship and VC can get you there Community-driven business models, why they are powerful and how they affect company metricsFundraising for an emerging fund in the current environment You can find Lolita on LinkedIn or Twitter and make sure to check out her newsletter. Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Gerry Giacomán, CEO and Co-Founder of leading B2B fintech Clara. We dive into Gerry's journey into the world of startups, his learnings along the way, how he scaled the company in rapid pace and what role culture and team-building played in this. Crucially we explore the intersection between profitability and growth and why it pays to always be changing. On this episode you will learn about: How to be ready for hypergrowth mode for your startupThe value proposition of Clara within the LatAm space and how to differentiate your product through continuous innovationWhy ABC - always be changing is one of the core values for Clara You can find Gerry on LinkedIn here. Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Jonathan Whittle, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of emerging markets fintech inclusion fund Quona Capital. We dive into his journey from operator to VC, lessons learned from the dot-com bust and what it means for today's market correction, the status of Fintech in emerging markets and why it pays to become a bank at the final stage of a B2C fintech's growth journeyOn this episode you will learn about: Jonathan's journey into VC and long time engagement in LatAm Why the waves of fintech adoption is a model that simplifies to great degree the evolution fintech has been going through especially in emerging marketsWhy does it pay to become a bank at the final stage Quona's new 300M fund of fresh capital You can find Jonathan on LinkedIn here. Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Sergiu Negut, Co-Founder of leading low-code platform FintechOS to dive into the scale-up journey for the company, how they attracted an impressive roster of banks and insurance companies to use their platform to develop digital products, why the digital transformation of incumbents is relevant and how to build a global company from day one. You will learn about:Sergiu's journey into techThe banking and insurance landscape and why launching digital products in-house is challengingBuilding a global company from day one out of a 2nd tier marketThe Romanian tech ecosystem and how Sergiu is paying it forward You can find Sergiu on LinkedIn here. Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Ricardo Kanitz, founding partner of Spectra Investments to talk about the founding of the alternatives investment firm, how they gained the trust of their LPs, their strategy on performing due diligence on GPs, diversifying their portafolio, the current state of alternatives in LatAm during a period of high interest rates and much more. On this episode you will learn about: The beginnings of Spectra and the vision behind the firm becoming an investment machine in LatAm How they perform due diligence on GPsThe beauty behind search funds Diversifying your portfolio in a risk-on environment You can find Ricardo Kanitz on LinkedIn here. Make sure to check out Spectra's ground breaking research on alternatives in LatAm here. Support the show
On this episode Pat sits down with Axel Christensen, Chief Investment Strategist and Managing Director for Latin America & Iberia at leading asset manager Blackrock to dive into the current macro environment, how it affects investment decisions and what it means for emerging markets. On this episode you will learn about: The interplay between interest rates and investment decisionsCurrency fluctuations in emerging markets and LatAm specifically What is the new investment paradigm and how to make decisions in a more volatile worldWhich building blocks in financial ecosystems in emerging markets are still missingThe state of crypto and the road ahead towards more regulation*This episode is not investment advice. Axel Christensen is sharing his own opinion and analysis of the current marco environment and how it affects the investment landscape.
On this episode Pat sits down with Arjuna Costa, Managing Partner at leading fintech fund Flourish, which is part of the Omidyar network, we dive into the challenges of achieving true financial inclusion and access to capital for everyone, how the next waves of fintech products will evolve and making the most out of embedded financeOn this episode you will learn about: Arjuna's journey into VC The evolution of financial inclusion in emerging markets and beyondHow embedded finance solutions will change the way we consume, interact and finance products in the economy Is informality a hurdle to achieve financial inclusion in emerging markets? Flourish's initiatives around digitising corner-stores and their early stage programme for the African ecosystem, MadicaYou can find Arjuna on LinkedIn here, check out their recent report on the Digitisation of cornershops here and the techcrcunch article on Madica here
On this episode Pat sits down with Robin Butler, Partner and Head of Impact at frontier investment firm, Sturgeon Capital. Robin eloquently unpacks the $300bn opportunity in frontier markets in Central Asia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Egypt and how you can combine profit and impact making a lasting impact on growth and innovation in these markets. You will learn about: Sturgeon's thesis and why these marketsHow Robin thinks about the challenges in frontier ecosystems in terms of dealflow depth and breadth as well as capital poolsThe impact of the Airlift story going south and what is means for the Pakistani ecosystem going forwardHow to align impact and profit in a venture firm You can follow Robin on LinkedIn here, make sure to check out the piece on Sturgeon Capital in the Generalist and their very own Substack Terra Incognita
On this episode Pat sits down with Wenyi Cai, Co-Founder and CEO of Latin American venture studio Polymath. We dive into Wenyi's journey into LatAm, the region's similarities with Asia, Polymath's approach to venture building and designing business and much more. On this episode you will learn about: The characteristics of the Latin American middle class and why is it difficult to service them Parallels between Asia / China and LatAm in terms of building business for the middle class Polymath's playbook on designing digital businesses Deep dive into social commerce app Elenas and how they scaled beyond Polymath's early stage backing You can find Wenyi on LinkedIn here.
On this episode Pat sits down with Noureddine Tayebi, founder and CEO of leading ride-hailing super app Yassir, the YC-backed company started out in 2017 to provide on-demand services in French-speaking Africa quickly scaling beyond its native Algeria into neighbouring Morocco and Tunisia. Last year the company closed a historic US$30M Series-A backed by the likes of WndrCo, FJ Labs, DN Capital, Kismet and Endeavor Catalyst. Now they just announced a US$ 150M Series-B led by BOND, with participation from DN Capital, Dorsal Capital, Quiet Capital, Stanford Alumni Ventures (aka Spike Ventures) and Y Combinator, among other strategic investors.On this episode you will learn about: The state of the startup ecosystem in Magreb and the opportunityHow to overcome hurdles in tech adoption in B2C by creating trustYassir's scale-up journey and lessons learnedThe importance of paying-it-forward and inspiring future generations of entrepreneursYou can find Noureddine on LinkedIn here.
On this episode Pat sits down with Jacobo Singer, President of leading payment processor dLocal. During the conversation, they dive into the company's expansion journey from tiny Uruguay onto conquering huge markets such as Brazil and India, the company methodology on identifying and promoting talent from within and how they are trailblazing their way onto the African continent. Jacobo is currently based out of South Africa to lead the company's expansion across the continent. On this episode you will learn about: Jacobo's rise inside the company from software engineer to CTO to COO and PresidentdLocal's unique no-frills, down to earth culture and their persistent customer focusTheir expansion playbook and how they are changing the payments infrastructure in emerging markets You can find Jacobo on LinkedIn here.
On this episode Pat sits down with one of the veterans of the tech investment space, Francisco Alvarez-Demalde, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Riverwood Capital. Alongside the 15 years of the firm, Francisco has seen it all and provides valuable insights into how to build a generational firm, how to extract the most value from boards and his key investment criteria. On this episode you will learn about: The origin story of Riverwood Capital Francisco's take on identifying and harnessing talentAdding value on boards How to ensure a clear investment focus and doubling down on what you are good at.You can find Francisco on LinkedIn here.
On this episode Pat sits down with Clara Gold, former Director of Growth and Product of Latin American superapp Rappi. We dive into her journey, how Rappi has evolved along those years and how she personally grew within the company as it went through hyper growth. The narrative ties the Rappi expansion years to the growth of the LatAm ecosystem, putting into context how fundamental those years where. You will learn about:How to grow with the companyWhy a culture of hustling and relentless execution matters Picking a person to work for rather than a specific role The Softbank moment and how it has changed Rappi, if at all...You can find Clara on LinkedIn and Twitter. For more content on emerging markets investing and company building follow me on twitter @pat_travels or LinkedIn.
On this episode Pat sits down with Matt Cole, CEO of Suma SaaS to talk about his approach to leadership, how leadership styles have to evolve in VUCA environments and what makes a successful leader. We also dive into his journey into startups in LatAm and the future plans for Suma. On this episode you will learn about: What makes a successful leaderWhat is paradoxical leadership and how to implement it Why coaching is critical to evolve and grow your leadership skillsYou can find Matt on LinkedIn here.
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