Podcast about Latin America tech ecosystem builders
Welcome to Season 4 of The J Curve with me, Olga Maslikhova.This week, I sit down with Caetano Lacerda and Raphael Dyxklay, co-founders of Brazilian fintech Barte, which is transforming the payments and working capital landscape for mid-to-large companies.Barte's journey is a masterclass in efficient growth: from zero to $10M ARR in less than two years on just $1.5M of burn—and then growing sustainably to $20M ARR. Along the way, they've pioneered a build-in-public strategy that attracts customers, builds trust, and fosters engagement. They've also developed sharp insights into segmenting by use case rather than industry, prioritizing speed and first-principles thinking, and leveraging customer feedback to scale efficiently—insights that have become part of their DNA and that they generously share in this conversation.Here's what we cover:What founders need to know about horizontal vs. vertical strategies in B2BWhy building in public is more than a marketing tactic—it's a B2B growth engineHow to find product-market fit in fragmented, high-friction industriesWhat Brazilian complexity taught Barte about opportunity and executionLessons in prioritizing product bets when everything feels urgentThis episode is the second in a special three-part series brought to you by AWS.AWS has become a key growth partner for Latin America's startup ecosystem—helping founders scale from idea to IPO with world-class cloud infrastructure, local expertise, and a global support network. We're incredibly happy to partner with them.For founders and investors who see Latin America's friction as an opportunity—and fintech as the future—this conversation is a must-listen.More from us: Subscribe to our weekly newsletter The J Curve Insider, where we go beyond the podcast to break down the most exciting investment & tech trends in LATAM. Sharp. Concise. Real business strategies and market insights you won't find anywhere else. Delivered straight to your inbox.Follow us on LinkedIn or Instagram
Welcome to Season 4 of The J Curve with me, Olga Maslikhova.This week, I sit down with João Del Valle, co-founder and CEO of EBANX—one of Latin America's most iconic fintech stories and a company that built one of the most expansive cross-border payment platforms in the world.Founded in Curitiba—well outside Brazil's traditional tech hub of São Paulo—EBANX was built for scale from day one. Its global-by-design approach quickly became a powerful competitive moat, allowing the company to expand into 29 countries, process billions in cross-border payments, and power transactions for global giants like Spotify and AliExpress.In this episode, we talk about what it really takes to scale global infrastructure from Latin America, why complexity is a competitive advantage, and how João evolved from founder and CTO to CEO of a company backed by Advent International in one of their largest-ever tech deals.Here's what we cover:• How embracing regulatory and payment complexity became core to EBANX's GTM playbook• What 2022–2023 taught João about discipline, cold-blooded decision-making, and founder-mode leadership• How João leads distributed teams across the U.S., China, and Latin America• What it means to scale sustainably without blitzscaling—and still attract a firm like Advent International• How João thinks about long-term planning, investor alignment, and the path to liquidity• Tactical insight on navigating cross-border regulation, local payment rails, and real-time systems like Pix and UPIFor global operators, fintech builders, and investors looking for real lessons in execution—this episode is packed with insight.More from us: Subscribe to our weekly newsletter The J Curve Insider, where we go beyond the podcast to break down the most exciting investment & tech trends in LATAM. Sharp. Concise. Real business strategies and market insights you won't find anywhere else. Delivered straight to your inbox.Follow us on LinkedIn or Instagram
Welcome to Season 4 of The J Curve with me, Olga Maslikhova.Last week I got to spend a few days in cidade maravilhosa—Rio de Janeiro—for Web Summit, which this year attracted over 37,000 people. The event was action-packed—both inside the venue and across the city, with an incredible lineup of side events.It was a milestone week for The J Curve. We recorded our very first live episode on stage—a conversation I've been wanting to have for a long time, and the one we're releasing today: a live interview with Mike Packer, partner at QED Investors.QED is the legendary firm founded by Frank Rotman and Nigel Morris—the creators of Capital One and pioneers of data-driven credit long before it became mainstream. They've been betting on Latin America for over a decade. Their first investment in the region was Nubank, now the most valuable digital bank in the world.Here's what we cover:— Why growth capital is the new frontier in LatAm— What makes a founder truly fundable in 2025+— AI's real impact across QED's portfolio— What it really takes to IPO from LatAm— The vertical SaaS trap—and the case for vertical AIMore from us: Subscribe to our weekly newsletter The J Curve Insider, where we go beyond the podcast to break down the most exciting investment & tech trends in LATAM. Sharp. Concise. Real business strategies and market insights you won't find anywhere else. Delivered straight to your inbox.Follow us on LinkedIn or Instagram
Welcome to Season 4 of The J Curve
Welcome to this special solo episode of Season 4 of The J Curve with me, Olga Maslikhova.Every few months, I take a step back from the interviews to zoom out, connect the dots, and reflect on the themes that emerged from our conversations with Latin America's most driven founders and sharpest investors.This quarter, the learnings hit hard.From Paulo Passoni's breakdown of growth-stage capital and the M&A trap, to Roberto Oliveira's slow-and-steady playbook at Blip, to Guilherme Horn's vision for conversational commerce and fintech infrastructure on WhatsApp, to André Penha's disciplined expansion strategy at QuintoAndar—one truth kept resurfacing:In Latin America, the founders who win don't just ride momentum. They build leverage.Here's what I cover:• Why M&A caps in LatAm create a hidden trap for venture-backed startups• The SoftBank boom, and what it got right—and wrong—about the region• How control, not capital, gave Blip the upper hand in choosing investors• Why the next wave of winners will scale productivity—not headcount• The difference between surviving a downturn and compounding through it• How conversational commerce + AI is reshaping the frontend and backend of business• What Andre Penha's expansion philosophy can teach us about product sequencing• Why the real fintech opportunity isn't credit—it's infrastructure and insight• And why sometimes the boldest thing a founder can do… is walk away and start againThis is your quarterly operator's memo—full of tactical insight, strategic frameworks, and hard-won lessons from the frontlines of building in Latin America.If you enjoy today's episode, please rate us on Spotify, subscribe to our newsletter at blog.thejcurve.com, and follow us on YouTube (@thejcurvepodcast) and Instagram (@olgamaslikhova).Let's get into it.
Welcome to Season 4 of The J Curve
Welcome to Season 4 of The J Curve
Welcome to Season 4 of The J Curve
This week, I sit down with Andre Penha, co-founder of QuintoAndar and CEO of IBBX, for a brutally honest, founder-first conversation on building and scaling in Latin America.Andre built QuintoAndar into a $5B+ real estate giant, raised $750M from top investors, and is now betting on wireless electricity, aiming to make chargers, cables, and batteries obsolete with IBBX.Here's what we cover:♢ Why product—not storytelling—wins in fundraising and how investors went from doubting QuintoAndar to fighting to get in.♢ How QuintoAndar cracked real estate's biggest inefficiencies – and why transparency, speed, and reliability were non-negotiable for scale.♢ Scaling culture the hard way – Why Andre enforced a “No Assholes Allowed” rule and fired high performers who didn't align.♢ How to make high-stakes decisions – The Option A vs. Option B framework Andre used to allocate resources and bet on the right things.♢ Board governance done right – How to turn your board into a growth accelerator, not a time drain.♢ Why wireless power is the next trillion-dollar industry – And how IBBX is betting on the future of energy.If you're a founder, investor, or just obsessed with how to build game-changing companies, this episode is packed with unfiltered insights you won't hear anywhere else. Let's get into it.
Welcome to Season 4 of The J Curve
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. Today we sit down with Allen Taylor, Managing Partner at Endeavor Catalyst, to explore his 18-year journey with Endeavor and the rise of emerging markets as thriving hubs for entrepreneurship. We discuss Allen's personal path from California to becoming a global advocate for high-impact entrepreneurs, the creation of Endeavor Catalyst, and how the model fosters economic development through the multiplier effect. Notably, Allen shares how Endeavor Catalyst's first $6 million pool achieved an impressive 8x cash-on-cash return, investing in companies like Globant and Yemeksepeti. This conversation dives deep into crafting sustainable investment models, the untapped opportunities in Latam in sectors like agribusiness and enterprise SaaS, and the importance of long-term thinking for emerging market growth. Whether you're a founder aiming to scale globally or an investor seeking to unlock new markets, this episode is filled with powerful lessons and practical takeaways. We discuss
On this special episode of The J Curve, I swap roles with the incredible Veronica Serra—founding partner at Innova Capital and Endeavor Global board member. With dirty martinis in hand, I shared my entrepreneurial journey, life lessons, and love for Latin America's startup ecosystem. A rare and unforgettable moment
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. Today we sit down with Marcelo Lombardo, the founder of Omie, to explore the journey from a seven-person startup to a 1,600-strong team transforming Brazil's SMB ERP market. We discuss his unconventional path to entrepreneurship, pivotal business decisions like the shift to accountant partnerships, and how Omie became a key player in an incredibly complex and fragmented market. The list of Omie's venture capital investors includes the likes of Riverwood Capital, Softbank and Astella. Marcelo shares insights on building resilient companies, navigating challenging fundraising landscapes, and leveraging M&A to fill strategic gaps. This conversation dives deep into crafting scalable sales processes, balancing growth with cash flow sustainability, and the lessons learned from his fascinating transition from tech to sales leadership. Whether you're an entrepreneur scaling your venture or an investor seeking the next disruptive play, this episode is packed with actionable takeaways.We discuss
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America with me, Olga Maslikhova. My guest today is Adhemar Milani Neto, founder and CEO of Kovi, an ‘all-inclusive' car subscription platform for gig workers. Kovi has raised $145M from top investors like Valor Capital, Prosus Ventures, Quona, Monashees, Norte, Maya Capital, Globo Ventures, and Peter Thiel's family office. In this episode, we talk about Brazil's unique mobility landscape, the lessons from transforming Kovi from a pure tech company to an operational technology business, and how Adhemar is building a holistic company culture—plus so much more.In today's episode we discuss: Driving innovation: how Brazil's mobility challenges are reshaping the market with subscriptions and connected technology Connect the dots: how transparency and proactive communication build stronger founder/VC partnerships? Complexity doesn't scale: how to build scalable operations with purpose and precision? Break down silos: how to create synergy between tech-driven culture and operations in a startup Clean win: how Brazil's renewable edge and gig economy fuel EV growth?If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass).
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Sergio Furio, chairman of the board of Endeavor Brazil and founder and CEO of Creditas, Brazil's leading fintech lender that is transforming Brazil's lending landscape by offering secured loans at significantly lower interest rates, bringing essential financial access to millions across the country. Creditas has raised $879m dollars across six funding rounds. It's most recent valuation is $4.8B and the list of backers includes the likes of Fidelity, Advent International, Lightrock, QED, VEF, Softbank and Kaszek. In this episode, we dive into the value of choosing the right market, distinct challenges and opportunities of Brazil's financial services ecosystem, Creditas' pivot from a marketplace to direct lending, and how Sergio's fresh perspective as an expat gave him the courage to challenge the status quo. 1. The Market Matters: How targeting the right market can make or break your startup? 2. Profitability Roadmap: Why profitability depends on margins and smart resource management over drastic cost-cutting? 3. Smart Capital, Stronger Foundations: The long-term benefits of choosing investors who share your mission and bring strategic value, not just funds 4. From 6 to 2000: The Creditas team-building playbook—forget résumés, hire for grit and vision 5. Breaking the Mold: Why outsiders see opportunities that insiders miss? If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass).
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Marcelo Abritta, founder and CEO of Buser, a Brazilian bus transportation platform that connects passengers with underutilized charter buses, offering affordable travel while disrupting the traditional $10 billion intercity bus industry. Most recently, Buser raised $138m Series C from the likes of Lightrock, Softbank, monashees, Valor Capital, Globo Ventures and Canary. Marcelo shares his inspiring entrepreneurial journey, from selling emoji pillows to building a tech-driven company that directly challenges Brazil's entrenched bus monopolies. We explore how Buser's innovative platform is providing affordable, on-demand transportation for millions of Brazilians, while tackling complex legal challenges and scaling in one of the most fragmented transportation markets in the world. In today's episode we discuss: 1. Before you build, validate: why early demand validation is the key to smarter, leaner startup launches Learn how building a waitlist and testing demand upfront can help you scale smarter without burning through your cash. 2. Make headlines work for you: how to leverage media to boost your startup's growth and user adoption Discover how strategic media coverage from pivotal moments can rapidly boost your user base and brand awareness. 3. Play by the rules (or break them!): How to innovate in heavily regulated industries Learn how startups can navigate tricky regulations and carve out opportunities for disruption in established markets. 4. Right place, right time: how spotting lucky moments can be your startup's secret growth hack Timing is everything—explore how to recognize and ride lucky breaks that could make your startup a success. 5. Turning red to black: a practical guide for startups to survive (and thrive) through financial crises Learn actionable steps to cut costs, achieve cash flow neutrality, and ensure your startup thrives, even during economic downturns. If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass).
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Igor Marinelli, founder and CEO of Tractian, a leader in industrial IoT and enterprise asset management software. Just over a year ago, Tractian secured a $45M Series B funding round, led by General Catalyst and joined by Next47 . Igor takes us on his incredible journey from building inventory systems as a teenager to founding one of the most innovative companies in the industrial tech space. His story highlights how a deep understanding of customer pain points fueled the creation of innovative solutions for real-world manufacturing challenges. Entrepreneurs will find inspiration in Igor's relentless pursuit of product excellence and customer loyalty, while investors will appreciate his long-term strategic vision and disciplined approach to market expansion. Packed with actionable insights, this conversation is a must-listen for anyone aiming to build a sustainable, customer-first business. In today's episode we discuss: 1. B2B vs. B2C Building Strategies: why building a B2B company requires a different set of fundamentals and how these differ from consumer-facing startups 2. Hire like you're building: why great managers are hands-on operators, not just career ladder climbers? 3. Engineer-led growth: why founders should be hands-on with product and customer feedback before scaling? 4. Sell value, not features: how focusing on the impact of your solution leads to faster conversions? 5. Partnerships > Valuations: why a fair partnership with strategic support is better than an inflated valuation with little alignment? If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass).
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guests today are Marcelo Maziero and Fernando Fontes, founders at Brazil's leading financial market infrastructure provider Cerc, that has raised up to $100m in a round led by Abu Dhabi's sovereign investor Mubadala Capital with a follow on from Valor Capital. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in fintech innovation across Latin America and other emerging economies. We explore the complexities of scaling in highly regulated market, the importance of building a strong partnership, and the critical role that understanding local market dynamics played in their success. In today's episode we discuss: 1. CERC's $5 trillion bet: how reinventing receivables is transforming Brazil's financial infrastructure? 2. Regulation as strategy: how CERC turned compliance into a competitive advantage in Brazil's fintech landscape? 3. Brazil-specific strategy: how deep understanding of industry pain points can fuel innovation? 4. Co-founder chemistry: how the right partnership drives startup success? 5. Long-horizon funding: how CERC secured $100M by aligning with investors who understand infrastructure and share a long-term vision? If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass).
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Andre Maciel, founder of the Brazilian venture capital firm Volpe Capital, whose current and former portfolio includes the likes of Vtex, CRM&Bonus, Connectly, and Atlas Governance. Before starting Volpe, André was the founding managing investment partner at SoftBank Latin America, and prior to that, he spent nearly 17 years in investment banking and private equity at JP Morgan. This is a special conversation where we dive into the evolution of startup investing in Brazil and Latin America, unpack various exit strategies, and set realistic return expectations for portfolio managers. We also explore AI's transformative role in boosting productivity, particularly in sectors like tax prep and automation. Finally, we discuss why LATAM is such a hotbed for innovation, offering tech giants like Google and Meta an incredible $700 billion market opportunity. In today's episode we discuss: 1. AI's Big Bet: why the application of AI is a critical factor in unlocking productivity in Latin America? 2. The $700B question for Meta, Google and ByteDance: why Brazil is big tech's most wanted market? 3. The 2021 exit gap: how LATAM VCs missed a golden opportunity to deliver LP returns? 4. The path forward: How can Latin America cultivate a robust local LP market? 5. LATAM vs. Silicon Valley: What sets their founders apart? If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass).
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Marcelo França, founder & CEO at Celcoin, a brazilian financial infrastructure company that has recently raised a $125M in a Series C round led by global growth equity investor Summit Partners with the participation from the existing investor Innova Capital and John Coughlin, a former senior executive with Corpay. This financing comes at a time of rapid growth for Celcoin,which recorded US$63 million in annual recurring revenue in the first quarter of 2024 – a 140% increase compared to the same period last year. Celcoin processes over 200 million Pix transactions monthly and has already established itself as the leading provider of Open Banking solutions for licensed institutions in Brazil. Notably, this investment marks Summit Partners' first venture into Brazil and Latin America. We talk about the evolution of the Brazilian financial ecosystem, focusing on pivotal moments like the Central Bank's PIX initiative, which revolutionized digital payments in Brazil. We also touch on the decision to pivot Celcoin from a B2C model to an infrastructure provider and the strategic importance of M&A in their growth. In today's episode we discuss: 1. Banking on change: the defining moments of Brazil's fintech evolution 2. Mastering the pivot: three key decisions that elevated Celcoin to the top of Brazil's BaaS and embedded finance markets 3. Navigating growth capital: key lessons from the frontlines 4. Merging minds and products: how M&A became a catalyst for Celcoin's rapid expansion? 5. Tech that grows: Celcoin's strategy for sustainable scalability If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass).
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Dileep Thazhmon, founder and CEO at Jeeves, a corporate spend and expense management platform for global businesses. Jeeves has raised over $260m from the likes of GIC, Tencent, a16z, CRV and more. Its last reported valuation was $2.1B. Since its public launch early in 2021, Jeeves scaled across 22 countries in North America, South America, the UK and Europe. In Latam the list of its customers include Bitso, Hotmart, Avenue, Buser and Cayena. In our conversation we unpacked Jeeves unique playbook for entering new markets, discussed why Latin America and Brazil in particular is such a lucrative opportunity for Jeeves and how to build strong relationships with investors when pursuing a contrarian strategy like global expansion across 22 countries. In today's episode we discuss: 1. Vamos Latam: why focusing on Brazil and Mexico can be a game-changer for US fintech startups? 2. Jeeves global expansion playbook: practical strategies for entering new markets with a localized approach 3. Choose the right market: why fintech infrastructure and regulatory environments matter for scaling? 4. Cap table strategy 101: how to excel at raising capital with a contrarian go-to-market strategy? 5. Low ego, high output mentality: how to hire leaders who build exceptional teams and drive success at scale? If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass).
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Rafael de Albuquerque, CEO & founder at Zoox Smart Data, a global tech company that offers integrated solutions in big data, analytics, AI & ML. Zoox has over 1650 enterprise customers in 25 countries including the likes of Pepsi, Burger King, F1, PWC and Telefonica. Rafael's journey from selling Wi-Fi routers door-to-door to building a $100m in revenue global data analytics business from Brazil is nothing short of remarkable and paved with countless setbacks and failures. His relentless drive to overcome obstacles and pivot business models serves as a valuable example for other entrepreneurs. In our conversation, we explored how building a successful company without VC funding demands strategic thinking and resourcefulness. Leveraging early investor relationships and focusing on customer-driven growth were crucial in scaling the business. We also discussed the importance of family support for sustaining long-term business success and performance. In today's episode we discuss: 1. Zoox Sales Playbook: how to build a robust enterprise sales strategy? 2. Mastering the pivot: how and why (!) to leverage customer feedback to transform your enterprise? 3. Optimize your startup cap tablet: key benefits of strategic investors vs. traditional VCs 4. Customer-centric innovation: how to boost growth and market relevance by co-creating with customers? 5. Turning failure into fortune: Rafael's lessons in business If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass).
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Dave Nangle, founder and CEO of VEF, an emerging markets-focused, growth-stage fintech investment firm. VEF's Latam portfolio includes the likes of Creditas, Solfacil, Gringo and Konfio. We talked about Dave's investment strategy, focusing on growth-stage companies that have nailed unit economics and product-market fit. We discussed the most common mistakes founders make when pitching to VEF, what makes Brazil one of the most attractive markets in the world from a venture capital perspective, why trying to predict exit timing in emerging markets is often a losing game, and why Dave prefers M&A over IPO as the go-to exit strategy. Dave also shared his perspective on the most underrated tech company in Latin America. In today's episode we discuss: 1. VEF's investment strategy playbook: single country, single product focus and big scale up market 2. Build for exit: how to make M&A a viable exit strategy in VC and why an IPO might be less attractive than you think? 3. The holy grail of private markets: the pros and cons of a permanent capital vehicle structure in venture capital 4. Emerging markets are not all the same: what makes some particularly attractive for venture capital investors? 5. Brazil deconstructed: key factors making it a top tech investment market If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass).
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Geraldo Thomaz, founder and co-CEO at NYSE-traded enterprise e-commerce platform VTEX. VTEX is an incredible example of Brazilian company that grew to become a global player in a digital commerce with Walmart, Coca-Cola and L'Oreal among customers. Prior tp going public in 2021 VTEX raised over $360m in capital from the likes of Softbank, Riverwood Capital, Tiger Global and Endeavor Catalyst. In our conversation, we dive into the importance of intentionally targeting your customer segment, the transformative journey of a CEO leading a publicly traded company, and the critical need to maintain core fundamentals, even in the toughest times. In today's episode we discuss: 1. From zero to Walmart: key strategies for landing enterprise customers 2. Optimize for scalability: key trade-offs VTEX made for global growth 3. Building a high-performing partnership: trust, complementary skills, and a divide-and-conquer management approach 4. From Founder to Public Company CEO: main lessons on leadership transformation 5. Take LatAm to the World: how to inspire global entrepreneurial ambitions in the region? If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Susan Segal. Susan has been the President and CEO of Americas Society / Council of the Americas since August 2003, following a distinguished 30-year career in the private sector working with Latin America and other emerging markets. As a partner and head of the Latin American Group at Chase Capital Partners, Susan pioneered early-stage venture capital investing in Latin America. She played an active role during the Latin American debt crisis of the 1980s and early 1990s, serving on numerous advisory committees and chairing the Chilean and Philippine Advisory Committees. Susan's board memberships include Mercado Libre, Vista Oil & Gas, Robinhood, Americas Society/Council of the Americas, the Tinker Foundation, and the Bretton Woods Committee. She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. We talked about the importance of strong governance and financial prudence, dug into the key traits of highly successful Latin American founders, and got Susan's perspective on the future of tech entrepreneurship in the region. We also looked at why startups in Latin America are in a great position to ride the wave of AI advancements. In today's episode we discuss: 1. Strong governance matters: why should startups establish robust governance structures early on? 2. Build personal relationships: how can cultivating meaningful relationships with partners, investors, and teams impact your business success? 3. Traits of exceptional founders: What signature traits set apart highly successful founders in Latin America? 4. From Latam to the world: why the future of regional entrepreneurship is global? 5. The rise of AI: why Latam startups are well-positioned for AI breakthroughs? If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Daniela Binatti, co-founder and CTO at the Brazilian payments infrastructure company Pismo, which was recently acquired by Visa for $1 billion in cash. This conversation is very special as Pismo stands out as a globally successful tech company with roots in Brazil. Moreover, Daniela herself is an exceptional example of female leadership in technology, breaking barriers and setting new standards in a predominantly male-dominated field. We talk about how leveraging advanced technology from sectors like social media and streaming could revolutionize traditional industries like financial services, why embracing global ambitions early allowed Pismo to rapidly adapt and expand into new markets. We also discuss navigating VC founder relationships and why it's important to balance investor insights with founder intuition. And finally we touch on the rationale behind selling Pismo to Visa. In today's episode we discuss: 1. Embracing global mindset: how this foundational decision enabled scalability and flexibility, allowing Pismo to rapidly adapt and expand into new markets? 2. Cross-industry innovations: how leveraging advanced innovations from alternative sectors can revolutionize traditional industries and provide startups with a competitive edge? 3. Unified front: what are the key ingredient for fostering enduring co-founder relationships? 4. Building critical infrastructure: what startups must get right from the get-go? 5. Power dynamics: the fundamentals of a successful founder-VC relationship If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Alexandre Zolko, founder and CEO at CRM&BONUS, Brazilian customer loyalty management platform that has just raised $80m in Series B led by Bond Capital with the participation from Valor Capital. This round valued the company at 2.2B Brazilian reais or over $400M dollars, more than doubling its Series A valuation. Bond Capital is the fund that was created by Mary Meeker, a former Kleiner Perkins partner, whose internet trends report is considered one of the most influential reports in the world of tech and venture capital. With CRM&BONUS Bond makes its first bet in Latin America. The list of CRM&BONUS's prior backers includes the likes of Softbank, Riverwood Capital, Volpe Capital and Igah Ventures. The company, which is Alexandre's 8th entrepreneurial adventure, was started in 2018, been profitable since the third month of operations and was bootstrapped until the Series A in 2021. Together we explore Alexandre's early fascination with sales, learnings from his prior entrepreneurial experiences, his approach towards building the ecosystem of products in customer loyalty space and what it takes to raise capital from some of the best investors in the world. In today's episode we discuss: 1. Ownership mentality: how to build a company that puts customer first? 2. Profitability as a fundraising strategy: how to attract high quality VC investments in a startup? 3. The CRM&BONUS playbook: how to strategically build a product ecosystem? 4. Speed: The Power of focus in accelerating startup growth 5. Beyond AI: what is the future of customer loyalty market? If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
Welcome to season three of the J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America with me, Olga Maslikhova. My guests today are Andre Florence and Guilherme Azevedo, co-founders at Brazilian healthcare startup Alice backed by the likes of Softbank, ThornTree Capital Partners, Kaszek and Globo Ventures. Their latest Series C of $127m was the largest funding round raised by a healthtech in Latin America to date. Prior to co-founding Alice Andre was a CFO at Brazilian ride sharing company 99 and led it though the acquisition by Didi and Guilherme was a co-founder of a chain of healthcare clinics Dr. Consulta. We discuss their methodical approach to partnership, shifting focus from growth at all cost towards sustainability and lessons learned from that process and what it actually takes to drive a systematic change in such a complex market as healthcare. In today's episode we discuss: 1. Alice partnership playbook: how to build a co-founder relationship that lasts 2. Growth at all cost is dead: five lessons learned from pivoting towards efficiency 3. The vicious cycle: why healthcare innovation is broken in Brazil and how tech natives can fix it? 4. Fasten your seatbelts how to build a resilient startup culture in a volatile market? 5. Breaking the mold: the biggest challenges of challenging the status quo If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Thibaud Lecuyer, CEO at Loggi, Brazilian delivery company that has raised close to $500m over 6 rounds from the likes of Softbank, Monashees, GGV, CapSur Capital and Microsoft. Prior to that Thibaud was a co-founder at Brazilian online fashion retailer Dafiti. Together we explore Thibaud's transition from finance and J.P. Morgan in Europe into entrepreneurship in Brazil. We discuss his experience of launching and scaling Dafiti in the environment in which venture capital was scarce. We also talk about strategies and tactics Thibaud used to put Loggi on a path to profitability while maintaining a high rate of growth and discuss why Brazil represents a lucrative opportunity for global investors. In today's episode we discuss: 1. From disruption to transformation: how to turnaround a billion dollar tech business? 2. Founders' blind spot: how to think about capital efficiency? 3. The case for optimism: why global investors should invest in Brazil? 4. The last mile delivery challenge: how to win in a crowded market? 5. Doing business in Brazil: what founders need to know? If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Joao Barbosa, co-founder at corporate wellness platform Gympass (now Wellhub), that has raised over $600M from the likes of EQT Growth, Softbank, General Atlantic and Valor Capital. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. The global leap: key challenges of scaling in different markets 2. The art of the pivot: how to find a business model that fits? 3. Building a winning team: how to hire and fire at scale? 4. Pricing strategy in B2B: how to approach it? 5. Economies of scale: what are they really? If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Vitor Torres, Endeavor entrepreneur and founder and CEO at Brazilian accounting platform Contabilizei, that has raised over $100m from the likes of SoftBank, Goldman Sachs, IFC, Kaszek and Endeavor Catalyst. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. The cultural moat: how Contabilizei has built corporate culture into competitive edge? 2. Responsible innovations: how to disrupt a regulated industry? 3. The future of accounting: the very real impact of AI 4. Word of mouth marketing: how to make it work? 5. Leadership in a startup: how to rise above challenges? If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Michele Levy, the private equity investor and banker turned fashion entrepreneur behind the successful growth of the Melissa shoe brand in the USA as well as the premium beauty brand Costa Brazil. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. How to sell branded commodities? 2. The secret sauce to high-performing teams 3. Creative storytelling strategies for B2C businesses 4. How to find a good problem to solve? 5. Hunger, passion and purpose: how and why to empower women in business? If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Gaston Irigoyen, founder and CEO at Argentinian fintech infrastructure company Pomelo that has recently raised $40m in Series B from the likes of Kaszek, monashees, Index Ventures, Insight Partners, Endeavor Catalyst and Section 32. The latest financing brings the startup's total raised since inception to $103 million. Gaston is a third-time founder, with two previous exits and former CEO of Naranja X, one of Argentina's largest neobanks. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. $103m from top VCs in 3 years: how to get real good at fundraising? 2. Horizontal growth strategy: pros, cons and examples 3. Beyond Brazil: why Argentina is a hot bed for tech talent? 4. Products, operations, regulations: a compete guide to fintech startup moats 5. From 3 to 300 people in 2 years: Pomelo's guide to building a great startup team If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Doug Storf, Endeavor entrepreneur and founder and CEO at Sao Paulo-based payment infrastructure company Swap that has raised ~$30M from the likes of Tiger Global, Endeavor, Global Founders Capital, ONEVC and Flourish Ventures. Prior to starting Swap, Doug was Head of Corporate Strategy at 99, Brazil's first known tech unicorn that was acquired by Chinese Didi in 2018. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. How to raise VC capital: from building a funnel to running a sales process. 2. Fintechs in Brazil: opportunities and threats in ever-changing environment 3. Swap's go-to-market playbook: a cheat code for growth 4. The art of war: what startups can learn from China's work culture? 5. From 30 to 200 employees: how to scale a startup team? If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Martin Migoya founder, CEO and Chairman of the Board at Globant, NYSE-traded IT and software development company focused on reinventing businesses through innovative technology solutions. Globant powered digital transformation of the likes of FIFA, McDonald's, Nissan, and Novartis, and its most recent market cap is over $10B. Martin is a member of young president's organization and a board member of Endeavor Argentina. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. The future of AI and humans in business: what lies ahead? 2. From LatAm to the world: how to boost global expansion of local Latin American startups? 3. Globant framework: how to foster a culture of innovation in big businesses? 4. Twenty years strong: the secret sauce of long-lasting business partnership 5. The multiplier effect: how Endeavor helps entrepreneurs reshape startup ecosystems? If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Marcelo Sampaio, founder and CEO at Hashdex, Brazilian crypto asset manager backed by the likes of Coinbase Ventures, SoftBank and Valor Capital. Hashdex is the only LatAm spot bitcoin ETF among 11 ETFs recently cleared by the US Securities and Exchange Commission in the event that some called a watershed moment for crypto adoption. Please note, that this is a two-part conversation. The first part follows our regular format in which we deconstruct Marcelo's personal leadership and talk about the pivotal stages and critical lessons of his career. In the second part of our conversation, we talk about what the recent SEC approval means for the industry, its pros and cons as well as the real-world application of crypto and bitcoins. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. Lessons from Oracle: how to win at enterprise sales? 2. Bitcoin fundamentals: why open-source is important for blockchain and vice versa? 3. From LatAm to the world: what's the next billion dollar company nobody's building yet? 4. AI or Crypto: which will have the bigger Impact? 5. The game of law: why cryptocurrencies should be regulated? If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
In this final episode of the year we are going through some growth metrics we've managed to achieve this year as well as taking a look back at top 10 most listened-to episodes of the year and sharing our favorite moments from each and every one of them. If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, please subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. That is the best way to support the show. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
Hi everyone and welcome to The J Curve. This time we have a very different format. In this episode, I answer the questions posed by the students of entrepreneurship class at Purdue University on entrepreneurship, early stage investing, tech in Latin America and so much more. We discuss: 1. How to stay on top of emerging tech trends? 2. What is preferred capital structure of the early stage startups? 3. What are the red flags for startup investors? 4. What are the big reasons to invest in Latin America? 5. What is the main difference between tech entrepreneurs in Brazil and US? 6. How to resist the herd mentality prevalent in VC? 7. What are the industries I am excited about as an investor? 8. How to assess startups in terms of market potential? The talk was slightly edited for length and clarity. Hope you enjoy! If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
For this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Gabriela Toribio, Managing Director at telco giant Telefonica's Brazilian corporate venture capital arms Vivo Ventures and Wayra. Vivo Ventures and Wayra have invested in 30+ startups in Brazil including a low-code integration platform Digibee. Prior to joining Telefonica, Gabriela launched venture capital arms in Votorantim and Companhia Siderurgica Nacional, two large industrial corporations in Brazil. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. Investor pick: what qualities do CVCs look for in founders? 2. Pay forward: how to build long lasting connections in business and life? 3. Permission to fail: what large companies get wrong about corporate venture capital? 4. Cash, infrastructure, distribution: how can a corporate venture capital fund help your startup? 5. Women mean business: how to succeed in the corporate world as a female? If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
For this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Roberto Dagnoni, an Endeavor Entrepreneur and the Executive Chairman and CET at 2TM, a holding company of Mercado Bitcoin, the largest crypto exchange in Latin America that was valued at $2.1B after raising $200 million in Series B funding from the SoftBank Latin America Fund. Roberto has also invested in 60+ early stage startups including Brazilian digital bank Neon. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. From financial services to loyalty programs: why the future is blockchain? 2. Blockchain the Brazilian way: what are the three big reasons why Brazil is a hotbed for crypto adoption? 3. Corporate investment philosophy: what Mercado Bitcoin executives are looking for in startups? 4. Going remote: how to build a successful remote-first company? 5. The law of trust and other critical elements of successful business partnerships If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
For this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Alec Oxenford, serial entrepreneur, managing partner at Myelin VC, co-founder at online marketplace platforms OLX (acquired by Naspers after raising capital from the likes of Founders Fund, Bessemer Venture Partners and General Catalyst) and letgo (merged with OfferUp). Alec is an important Argentinian contemporary art collector. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. Buying the dream: what venture capital and contemporary art have in common? 2. AI vs Artist: how technology can shape the future of art ? 3. Escape the box: how to win in a competitive market? 4. Hard at play: how to create a fun work culture in a startup and why is it important? 5. Martian approach: why the future of tech will (still) be concentrated in the US? If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
For this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Fabio Carrara, founder and CEO at Brazilian renewable energy firm Solfacil, that has raised over $130m from the likes of QED, Fifth Wall, Softbank, VEF and Valor Capital. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. Window of opportunity: why market timing is everything? 2. The heat of the crowd: how to thrive in commoditized market? 3. Go slow to go fast: how to become an ecosystem player? 4. Solar space market in Brazil: market opportunity, key profit pools and obstacles to adoption. 5. First principles thinking: structured approach to disrupting complex markets. If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
For this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Eduardo della Maggiora, founder and CEO at LatAm's first social unicorn Betterfly, that hit $1b valuation after raising $125m in a Series C funding round led by Glade Brook Capital and joined by Greycroft, Mundi Ventures, Lightrock, QED Investors and DST Global Partners. The list of Betterfly's prior backers also includes the likes of Valor Capital, Endeavor Catalyst and the SoftBank Latin America Fund. Eduardo has represented Chile in six occasions at the Ironman World Championships. He is a two-time world champion runner-up in his category at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships, as well as a three-time finisher of the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. In 2022 he was awarded as "Entrepreneur of the Year" in Chile by Ernst & Young and in 2022 and 2021 he was recognized among the 500 most influential people in Latin America by Bloomberg. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. The Ironman Mindset: lessons from triathlon every entrepreneur should learn. 2. From 0 to $1B: how to scale yourself as a startup leader? 3. The purpose-driven business: how to embed impact in your startup's DNA? 4. From LatAm to the world: key pitfalls to avoid when scaling a startup globally. 5. Leaving $4M on a table: when, why and how to pivot a startup? If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
For this episode I am thrilled to welcome Patricia Moraes, Founder and Managing Partner at Unbox Capital, Sao Paulo-based venture capital firm that Patricia co-founded together with Luiza Trajano, Brazilian billionaire and the chairman of retailer Magazine Luiza. Unbox Capital portfolio includes the likes of Solinftec, Rock Content and Incognia. Prior to starting Unbox Capital, Patricia spent over 22 years as a Managing Director at J.P. Morgan. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. The story of adaptability: what makes Brazilian founders globally competitive? 2. Startup governance: common mistakes startup founders make with their board of directors 3. People-first leadership: why success in business hinges on your people and putting them first? 4. Key elements of successful business partnership: from radical transparency to putting company's best interests first 5. Mulheres do Brasil: how women are bringing community to the world of business If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
For this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Lucas Vargas, CEO at Brazilian fintech Nomad, that has recently raised $61m in an investment round led by Tiger Global with participation from prior investors including Monashees, Stripes and Globo Ventures. Prior to joining Nomad, Lucas was CEO at Viva Real which he led through the merger with Grupo ZAP and acquisition by OLX, the leading marketplace group in Brazil. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. Raising growth capital during the market downturn: what to expect? 2. Startup culture in fast-growing companies: how to build the one that scales? 3. Leading through a layoff: the startup CEO guide to letting people go. 4. Money isn't everything: the powerful role non-financial incentives can play in a startup. 5. Riding the wave of PIX adoption: what are the trends that will shape Brazil's financial industry in the next decade? If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olgamaslikhova/message
For this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Julio Vasconcellos, founding partner at Brazilian early stage venture capital firm Atlantico, founder at Canary, former Brazil country manager for Facebook and former entrepreneur-in-residence (EIR) at Benchmark. I am also thrilled to welcome Ana Clara Martins, partner at Atlantico and co-founder at Brazil at Silicon Valley, one of the largest annual conferences that connect entrepreneurs, executives and investors from Brazil with global tech community. This is the special edition of The J Curve in which we go into the nitty gritty details of The 2023 Atlantico Digital Report , the most comprehensive overview of key tech trends in Latin America. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. Tectonic shifts: what are the five key forces shaping the future of Latin America? 2. From LatAm to the world: why will we see more global companies coming out of Latin America? 3. Beyond US and China: the rise of LatAm's startup ecosystem 4. Top reasons startups fail: what to avoid? 5. Lessons from Pix: what the world can learn from Brazil's instant payment method? If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). Shownotes: Curious article on Pix: https://thefintechtimes.com/the-story-of-pix-and-what-us-banks-can-learn/ Eric Schmidt interviewed by Julio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TesYzPxN7AU --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olga-maslikhova/message
For this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Veronica Serra, Founding Partner at Brazilian VC growth fund Innova Capital, whose current investments include Semantix AI and Clearsale. Veronica is a former board member and investor of Mercado Libre and Movile-iFood and current board member of Endeavor Global and Harvard Business School Latam Advisory Board. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. Endeavor flywheel: insider's look into the global entrepreneurship powerhouse 2. From Movile to Mercado Libre: the common traits of exceptional founders 3. Smart beyond the money: how great VC investors make decisions? 4. Veronica's advice to women getting started with investing: 'Don't be afraid and take the risk' 5. Building momentum: what's next for Innova Capital and VC growth investing in Latin America? If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olga-maslikhova/message
For this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Diego Barreto, CFO & VP of Strategy at iFood, the largest food tech company in Latin America; author of the best seller “New Economy” ('Nova Economia') and mentor at Endeavor. Prior to that Diego was Director of Finance at Suzano, the largest paper and pulp company in Latin America. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. Garage to riches: the secret sauce of iFood success 2. Brazilian gig economy: what are the trends that will shape its future? 3. Food delivery revolution: the impact of AI 4. Power of mentorship: how to unlock economic growth through guidance? 5. The next tech thing: top scalable startup business models in Brazil If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading English speaking podcast about tech builders. She's been investing in the USA, SEA and Latin America for over 13 years. Companies she backed include tech unicorn ClassPass (acquired by Mindbody) and Vitalk (acquired by Gympass). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olga-maslikhova/message
For this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Gabriela Gonçalves, founder and managing partner at Namari Capital; managing partner at Brasil Venture Debt, whose portfolio includes the likes of Exact Sales (acquired by RD Station), Solfacil and Digibee. Prior to that Gabriela was a co-founder and managing director at Rocket Internet-backed Lazada (acquired by Alibaba).We hope to make in person recordings our new normal, so please do check out our new YouTube channel.In today's episode we will discuss: 1. Inside Rocket Internet: what is it like to work at a startup clone factory and what does it teach you about business?2. The founder's guide to venture debt: what is it and how it works? How is it different from venture capital?3. Flying high through lows: why 2023 is the golden year for startup investing?4. Present value: why financial literacy is a must for startup founders?5. Overcoming sunk cost fallacy: fail fast, fail forwardIf you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olga-maslikhova/message
For this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Pedro Sirotsky Melzer, partner at Patria Investments; founding partner at Igah Ventures, whose portfolio includes the likes of Infra Commerce, Unico, Avenue Securities, Hashdex, Conexa Saude, CRM&Bonus and more.We hope to make in person recordings our new normal, so please do check out our new YouTube channel.In today's episode we will discuss: 1. Deconstructing VC decision making framework: how does Igah evaluate startups?2. From Unico to Contabilizei: what do successful founders have in common?3. Gambling is not a thesis: why investment discipline outweighs hypothetical upsides? iFood example4. Startup governance: how to run a high performing Board?5. Igah & Patria Investments: how to build a lasting VC business within the largest alternative investment firm in Latin America?If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our new YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olga-maslikhova/message
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