Tag: allvp

Mariana Castillo, Ben & Frank: Direct-to-Consumer Eyewear for Mexicans, Ep 124

Mariana_Castillo_Ben_Frank

You can now find the full show notes of the Crossing Borders podcast on LatamList.com’s new podcast section. I’ll still post the audio of the podcast on my blog and I’m planning to start writing more again on my blog, like I used to.

Subscribe to the LatamList Weekly newsletter to get updated on the week’s top tech news and stories from the region.

Thanks for listening to Crossing Borders all these years! If you have any feedback or questions, please feel free to reach out here, or contact me on social media.

Outline of this episode:

  • [2:10] – About Ben & Frank
  • [2:36] – Traditional retail experience for eyewear in Mexico
  • [3:55] – Mexican roots, nomadic upbringing
  • [4:53] – Entrepreneurial journey
  • [5:40] – Internship at ALLVP
  • [7:38] – Lessons learned at the Central Bank and ALLVP
  • [8:36] – Why tackle this specific problem?
  • [9:42] – Ben & Frank’s inflection point
  • [12:26] – Building a brand in Mexico
  • [13:58] – Insights into Latam’s direct-to-consumer category
  • [15:14] – Competing with traditional retailers
  • [18:13] – Expanding Mexican direct-to-consumer brands
  • [19:05] – Advice to Mariana’s younger self
  • [19:33] – Fundraising for a direct-to-consumer startup
  • [24:14] – Being a female founder in Latam
  • [27:26] – Avoiding biases in the VC ecosystem 
  • [30:00] – What’s next for Mariana and Ben & Frank?

Show notes on Latamlist.com.

Antonia Rojas, ALLVP: Investing in Human Development & Smart Cities in Latin America, Ep 111

You can now find the full show notes of the Crossing Borders podcast on LatamList.com’s new podcast section. I’ll still post the audio of the podcast on my blog and I’m planning to start writing more again on my blog, like I used to.

Subscribe to the LatamList Weekly newsletter to get updated on the week’s top tech news and stories from the region.

Thanks for listening to Crossing Borders all these years! If you have any feedback or questions, please feel free to reach out here, or contact me on social media.

Outline of the episode:

  • [1:20] – About ALLVP
  • [2:40] – Getting into tech
  • [5:20] – From entrepreneur to investor
  • [8:00] – Experience at Start-Up Chile
  • [9:17] – Convincing others into tech 
  • [10:40] – Joining ALLVP
  • [14:27] – Advice to angel investors
  • [14:49] – ALLVP’s verticals & investment process
  • [17:44] – The future of Latam’s tech ecosystem
  • [21:05] – Books, blogs, & podcast recommendations
  • [22:30] – Advice to Antonia’s younger self

Show notes on Latamlist.com.

Daniel Undurraga: The Story Behind the Cornershop Acquisition, Ep 65

Daniel Undurraga never thought he would sell even one Latin American company to a company in the US market, but with the recent US$225M acquisition of Cornershop, a grocery-delivery app he has officially sold two startups to US companies. His first startup, Needish, was the basis for Clan Descuento, a Chilean Groupon clone that was acquired by Groupon in 2010. Clandescuento’s acquistion was before most people in Chile had heard of startups!

Daniel is a lifelong entrepreneur with his share of failed projects, but ever since he and his business partner Oskar Hjertonsson found their niche in Latin American e-commerce, they’ve become an example for the whole ecosystem.

I sat down with Daniel on this episode of Crossing Borders to talk about the Latin American startup ecosystem, living and working across borders, and advice for founders who are launching and scaling in Latin America. We also discuss the backstory behind Cornershop’s decision to not raise capital in Chile and their experience raising money from funds across in Latin America.

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Federico Antoni, ALLVP: Investing in the Mexican Startup Ecosystem, Ep 59

The Mexican venture capital and startup ecosystem is changing fast. And ALLVP’s Federico Antoni has been there helping it grow since 2012 when he and his partner Fernando Lelo de Larrea started their first fund. The once-CEO of a Mexican fashion company started investing after he failed to reinvent an aging consumer brand. The transition from a corporate position to the world of entrepreneurship might not be obvious, but Federico leveraged his experience teaching at universities to help him raise not one, but three venture capital funds that have gone on to support not only Mexican but also Latin America startups.

I sat down with Federico on this episode of Crossing Borders to discuss how he raised US$6M in 2012, before startups were popular, lessons learned while raising his second and third funds, the Cornershop acquisition for $225M by Walmart, in which ALLVP was an early investor, CORFO’s effect on the Chilean VC ecosystem, and China’s impact on the Latin American ecosystem. Check out this episode to hear Federico’s journey from the corporate world to becoming a prominent player in Latin America’s startup ecosystem.

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