Tag: 500 startups

Ignacio Guglielmetti: Cuida Mi Mascota, The Airbnb for Pets in Latin America, Ep 57

Category : Argentina, Brazil, Crossing Borders Podcast, Mexico
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If you don’t believe entrepreneurship is a grueling job, just ask Ignacio Guglielmetti. Ignacio says he has never worked harder than he does for his startup Cuida Mi Mascota, and he used to be a management consultant – one of the most demanding jobs out there. His path from consulting to building a pet-sitting startup was far from clear; it took him to the Netherlands, USA, Mexico, Argentina, Puerto Rico, and Brazil. One might say that Ignacio knows a thing or two about doing business across borders.

In this episode of Crossing Borders, I invited Ignacio to discuss his two startups, how he studied in Buenos Aires and Rotterdam, what it was like to merge with a competitor in Latin America, having a startup acquired, the difference between all the accelerators Ignacio has participated in (three, in three different countries!), and how Ignacio became an angel investor. Check out this episode to learn about doing business across Latin America’s biggest economies, including how to do business in Brazil as a Spanish-speaking entrepreneur.

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8 Tips From Latin American Startup Investors

Category : Latin America Startups and Investing
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As an VC investing in both the US and Latin America, I get to see how investors look at the world differently around the world. I gathered the top advice from Latin American venture capitalists on starting a company, fundraising, and how to keep moving forward that can be applied anywhere in the world.

Move faster and believe in yourself

“Move forward and do it faster than others.” – Rocio Fonseca, Executive Director, Start-Up Chile, Chile

Fonseca started and sold a microbiology company in Chile before running Start-Up Chile, the Chilean Government back incubator. Fonseca stresses that women especially need to trust in themselves when moving forward with their businesses. She thinks that if women are given access to education, coaching, and other female role models, countries can change their viewpoint on women’s empowerment.

Focus is Crucial

“It’s impossible to do everything at one time.“ – Sebastian Vidal, Executive Director, Parallel 18, Puerto Rico

Vidal has met many founders who lack focus. They’re all over the place, trying to launch in different markets, at the same time perform R&D. They don’t realize how fast money goes unless they focus on one specific thing. If a founder is distracted from the company’s primary mission, they lose traction, and waste money, leading to failure.

Be Frank about What You Don’t Know

“It’s really about listening and observing. “ – Amanda Jacobson, Sub Director, Fiinlab, Mexico

Everyone starts out somewhere, Jacobson observes. She started out asking a lot of questions, observing, listening, and asking questions to fully herself immerse in her position at Village Capital. People love to talk about what they know, she realized, which allowed her to build great connections that served her long-term. (more…)

Doing Business in Mexico: A Look at the Opportunities & Challenges

Category : Latin America Startups and Investing, Mexico
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Mexico’s business opportunities rival those of any other emerging economy in the world. Despite a complicated history with violence and corruption, the country is starting to transform its negative reputation into new opportunities. New initiatives, especially to boost Mexican innovation, and an ever-expanding middle class with disposable income have given way to a new era of business opportunities for residents and foreigners alike.

To attract new investment, the Mexican government is making significant improvements to its infrastructure to compete globally in sectors like telecommunications and transportation. According to a recent PWC report , Mexico will become the 7th largest economy in the world by 2050.

But, to understand how Mexico will get there, it’s important to understand Mexico’s history and some factors that led it to become what it is today. (more…)

Mexico Venture Capital Overview

Category : Latin America Startups and Investing
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This post is the fourth in a series about Latin American venture capital ecosystems. Read the post on the Chilean Venture Capital, Peru Venture Capital, Colombia Venture Capital, Highlighting Latin American Startups. Hopefully it’s helpful. Let me know what I missed and got wrong!

Mexico is the most interesting startup ecosystem in Latin America. It’s interesting because:

  • Population (125m, Mexico City has more people than Chile)
  • Biggest Latin American economy leads to startups servicing local market
  • Proximity to the US leads to more global vision from entrepreneurs
  • US companies with their tech back offices in Mexico
  • US funds with presence in Mexico

There are three important cities for tech in Mexico, although there is activity in many other cities, too.

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