The J Curve with Olga Maslikhova

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).

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).

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).

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).

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

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).

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).

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. 

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. 

For this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Fersen Lambranho, Brazilian entrepreneur and investor; chairman of the board of GP Investments and G2D Investments, member of the board of Centauro, Spice Private Equity and The Craftory. Fersen is also the former CEO of Lojas Americanas and the current board member of several non-profits including São Paulo Museum of Art. Additionally, he actively invests in deep tech initiatives in the USA, UK and Brazil through his family office Volpini Ventures.  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. Bridging the gap: how digitalization can tackle social inequality?2. From Brazil to the world:  how Brazil can shape the future of climate-tech?3. Bumps in the road: what are the key challenges of building a deep tech startup in Brazil?4. GP and G2D Investments playbook: how did it evolve and what are the key startup evaluation factors today?5. The power of mentorship: who are the key influential figures in Fersen's life and what are their most important lessons?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. The J Curve on InstagramOlga 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).Olga on LinkedInOlga on InstagramOlga on Twitter