The Enthusiast: Founders and VCs beyond the Valley
Pat Alex
"Entrepreneurial Talent is Global" - On The Enthusiast, Host Pat Alex chats with some of the most fascinating Founders, Operators and Investors Beyond Silicon Valley. Every two weeks, he sits down with the likes of Arjuna Costa (Flourish), Paulo Passoni, Jeffrey Paine (Golden Gate Ventures), Gerry Giacoman (Clara) and Monica Brand Engel (Quona) to dissect their challenges around scaling, fundraising, managing boards and company leadership. Taken together, the guests have raised venture capital in the hundreds of millions and are behind their regions' biggest business and venture successes paving the way towards a more equitable and diverse future. Follow the newsletter to always stay up to date with the latest episodes: https://linktr.ee/Patalex
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 21, 2022 • 40min
[Operator Stories] Rafaella Baraldo (PodsFinance) on the digitalisation of banking, understanding DeFi and hedging crypto
On this episode Pat sat down with Rafaella Baraldo, CEO and Co-Founder of DeFi startup Pods to discuss the potential of DeFi to fix some of the challenges in traditional finance, her journey as a founder and any lessons learned along the way. On this episode you will learn about: The failures of traditional banking and how it can be fixed through DeFiCentralised vs. De-centralised financial systems Building a crypto startup and any challenges along the wayFundraising journey of Pods...
Jun 7, 2022 • 34min
[Investor Journey] Federico Gomez Romero (Seaya Cathay) on empathy, the importance of the founding team in deal selection and Seaya Cathay’s new Latam fund
On this episode Pat sat down with Federico Gómez Romero, Principal at Seaya Cathay Latam, Seaya and Cathay's new joint venture for investing collectively in LatAm. We explore Fede's own journey into venture, the motives behind Seaya and Cathay joining forces and among others making the most out of cross-pollination for your international portfolio. On this episode you will learn about: Behind the scenes look into the formation of Seaya Cathay LatAm Inflection points in the LatAm eco...
May 24, 2022 • 45min
[Operator Stories] Marcelo Sampaio (Hashdex) - Building the S&P 500 for Crypto, pushing for mainstream adoption & unlocking value
On this episode Patrick sat down with Marcelo Sampaio, Co-Founder and CEO of Brazilian crypto startup Hashdex to discuss the state of crypto in LatAm, its potential to unlock value for the general public and his scale-up journey bringing crypto investing to the mainstream. On this episode you will learn about:Marcelo's journey from a successful career at Microsoft and Oracle Why crypto provides a tremendous opportunity for the LatAm ecosystem How crypto can unlock value for the wide...
May 10, 2022 • 41min
[Investor Journey] Luiz Ribeiro (General Atlantic) on the origins of GA, manoeuvring bear markets, macro outlook & tips on going public
On this episode Patrick sat down with Luiz Ribeiro, Managing Director and Co-Head of General Atlantic's Brazilian office to unpack the implications of the current macro environment on venture and startups. During the conversation, we dive also into Luiz's own journey, adding value on boards and Luiz's tips to prepare a company to go publicOn this episode you will learn about: GA's beginnings, their approach on investing and their cultureHow to manoeuvre market corrections and advice for ...
Apr 26, 2022 • 48min
[Operator Stories] Janan Knust (KLog) on being uncomfortable as a state of mind, bootstrapping to $100M in revenues and revolutionising the logistics industry at the same time
On this episode Patrick sat down with Janan Knust, Founder & CEO of Chilean logistics startup Klog to learn more about his fascinating journey into the world of startups, the inception for Klog, why we need more standardisation in global supply chains to fix some of the inherent problems and lessons on trust & faith to be a successful leaderOn this episode you will learn about: Janan's eclectic style to founding Klog and inspiring his team on being uncomfortable all the timeHis m...
Apr 12, 2022 • 48min
[Investor Journey] Patrick Arippol & Bianca Martinelli (Alexia Ventures) on the next Gen of VC in LatAm and sustaining moats through tech enabled communities
On this episode Pat sat down with Patrick Arippol (Co-Founder) & Bianca Martinelli (Partner) of Brazilian / LatAm VC Alexia to talk about the thesis of the firm, their respective journeys into venture and their take on adding value to founders. On this episode you will learn about: How to craft the thesis of a VC Are moats ever sustainable and the lock-in effects of tech enabled communitiesHow to make the most out of boards What metrics Alexia is looking for in sharpe...
Mar 29, 2022 • 41min
[Investor Journey] Tackling poverty through financial inclusion - Monica Brand Engel (Quona) on the intersection of profit and purpose, measuring impact and managing boards
On this episode Patrick sat down with Quona Co-Founder and Managing Partner Monica Brand Engel. This is a truly special conversation as we dive into Monica's multicultural upbringing and how it shaped her way to see the world. Monica makes a compelling case on how the lines between profit and purpose become increasingly blurred and how investing in financial inclusion can provide a solution to one of the world's greatest problems, poverty. On this episode you will learn about: Monica's j...
Mar 15, 2022 • 45min
[Operator Stories] From Coca-Cola to NotCo - Flavia Buchmann (NotCo) on building consumer brands, the NotConcept and guerrilla marketing
Flavia Buchmann is Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at NotCo, a leading alternative protein brand that creates delicious food products such as Milk, Burgers and Ice-Cream without sacrificing taste or texture. After a successful corporate career at Unilever and Coca Cola, Flavia joined the NotCompany in 2019 to lead their global marketing and branding efforts. She is based in New York City with her husband and family.We dive into her journey into the world of startups, lessons for other consumer ...
Mar 1, 2022 • 40min
[Operator Stories] Pedro Sônego de Oliveira (TruePay) on the next wave of B2B fintech in Brazil, building TruePay and making the switch from investor to founder
Pedro Sônego de Oliveira is Co-Founder and CEO of Brazilian B2B Fintech start-up TruePay. Founded only a little more than a year ago, the company has scaled rapidly, having raised +US$40M of capital with leading investors Addition, KASZEK, Monashees and GFC. On the show, we dive into Pedro's journey from investor to founder, how he teamed up with his co-founder, the opportunity on the ground in B2B Fintech in Brazil, the next big wave of tech adoption in the country. Pedro provides valuable l...
Feb 15, 2022 • 43min
[Strategic DeepDive] Angie Udry (KASZEK) on scaling culture, incentive structures and managing multi-cultural teams
Angie Udry is a partner at leading Latin American fund KASZEK (backer of many of the region’s greatest success cases). Before joining KASZEK (for a second time) Angie was an HR leader for companies such as AT&T, MercadoLibre, IBM and Selina.We talk about how to set up companies for success, how to manage culture, build teams and incentivise them successfully.On this episode you will learn aboutAngie’s journey into VC and working with entrepreneursHow to take full advantage of diversity on...
