Latitud Podcast

What does it take for Latin America to have the next Nelson Mandela, Greta Thunberg, or a few thousand more David Vélez?LALA, the Latin American Leadership Academy, believes it's about unleashing the potential in young people and bringing them together. Seeking to promote sustainable economic development and strengthen democratic governance, LALA is finding, developing and connecting a new generation of entrepreneurial, principled, impact-focused leaders for the region.Diego Ontaneda has seen it work. Originally from Peru, in 2013 he joined the African Leadership Academy, and became determined to adapt the model to LatAm. After completing an MBA from Stanford, he was introduced to educator David Baptista and found in him the ideal founding partner to build LALA. With over 15 years of experience, David chose this path inspired by his own family's story of breaking the cycle of poverty through education.In this episode, Diego and David share:How the Theory of Change and Systems Thinking are applied at LALAHow Unit economics work for non-profitsHow to measure your Social Return on InvestmentAnd how to become an allyStarting something new?Apply at apply.latitud.comBuilding good sh*t in Latin America? Learn about how Latitud can help you at latitud.com Discover and pitch Latitud Ventures, your partner from 0 to 1 and beyond Sign up for our weekly newsletter for founder insights and some tough love And follow us on Linkedin / Instagram / Spotify to stay in the loop

Salvador Rivero is a self-proclaimed fintech geek. Born and raised in Mexico City, he's trained in Political Science and Finance at Science-Po in France. With 9 years of experience in the investment industry, he allocated more than $1.5B USD in Latam equity markets.As a 3rd-time founder, he now joins forces with Max Mergenthaler, also 3rd-time founder, to build the high yield savings account for Mexico. Levo started last year and it's already backed by Latitud, Y Combinator, Magma Partners, and BackBone Ventures.Starting something new?Apply at apply.latitud.comBuilding good sh*t in Latin America? Learn about how Latitud can help you at latitud.com Discover and pitch Latitud Ventures, your partner from 0 to 1 and beyond Sign up for our weekly newsletter for founder insights and some tough love And follow us on Linkedin / Instagram / Spotify to stay in the loop

When he was 12, David Vélez made his first investment: a cow. Bought with birthday money and savings from summer jobs, that one cow eventually became six, which were then sold and turned into his college tuition at Stanford.After graduating, David spent a few years working at investment banking and private equity before he joined Sequoia Capital. As Partner, he was responsible for all Latin American investments, leading him to move to Brazil in 2011. But shortly after that, Sequoia decided to pull back: the tech space was just not developed enough.David saw that as an opportunity. This time, as an entrepreneur. Nubank is a pioneer in digital banking, even though it doesn't see itself as a bank. Rather, it's a tech company that happens to be in financial services. Now valued at 30 billion dollars, Nubank is one of the fastest-growing fintechs in the world, with operations in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia.David is a father of three, a marathon runner, and him and his wife Mariel recently signed the Giving Pledge, committing to donate the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.In this episode, he shares:How he manages his time as cofounder and CEOThe most culture-defining moments at NubankHow to balance speed, growth and quality in the long termAnd some of the curve balls that could've changed this entire story.Bulding something new? Apply for the Latitud Fellowship at apply.latitud.comBuilding good sh*t in Latin America? Learn about how Latitud can help you at latitud.com Discover and pitch Latitud Ventures, your partner from 0 to 1 and beyond Sign up for our weekly newsletter for founder insights and some tough love And follow us on Linkedin / Instagram / Spotify to stay in the loop

Chile is a country that, despite being a smaller market in LatAm, has always pushed to be at the forefront of innovation. It is home to Startup Chile, the birthplace of two unicorns, and also where Antonia Rojas is from.Last year, Antonia became the youngest female venture capital partner in Latin America when she joined ALLVP, one of the most active new wave funds in Spanish-speaking LatAm.With a master’s degree in social entrepreneurship, Antonia is a Kauffman Fellow and a founder-turned-investor, having started her own edtech and worked at seed fund Manutara Ventures.Last year, she became the youngest female venture capital partner in LatAm when she joined ALLVP, one of the most active new wave funds in Spanish-speaking LatAm, with investments in companies like Cornershop, Flink and Nuvocargo.In this episode, Antonia shares:Her views on the evolution of the Chilean ecosystemHer take on signalingAnd the mechanics and nuances behind ALLVPs investment decisionsBulding something new? Apply at apply.latitud.comBuilding good sh*t in Latin America? Learn about how Latitud can help you at latitud.com Discover and pitch Latitud Ventures, your partner from 0 to 1 and beyond Sign up for our weekly newsletter for founder insights and some tough love And follow us on Linkedin / Instagram / Spotify to stay in the loop

Nine years ago, the terms fintech and open banking barely even existed in Latin America.But Benjamin Gleason was already working on building Guiabolso, a personal finance platform that helped improve the lives of millions of Brazilians and transform the country's financial landscape.The early days back in 2012 were rough, but Ben says product-market fit became clear when the app ranked higher than Tinder in the list of most downloaded apps in Brazil. Fast forward to today and Guiabolso has proven to be a great success story, having been acquired by financial marketplace PicPay just two weeks ago.In this episode, Ben shares:The struggles faced in the early daysWhy and how they pivoted very close to launch dayChallenges overcoming regulatory barriersAnd details behind the sale of Guiabolso to PicPayStarting something new?Visit apply.latitud.com to learn about the Latitud Fellowship program.Building good sh*t in Latin America? Learn about how Latitud can help you at latitud.com Discover and pitch Latitud Ventures, your partner from 0 to 1 and beyond Sign up for our weekly newsletter for founder insights and some tough love And follow us on Linkedin / Instagram / Spotify to stay in the loop

Fintech is a global trend at the moment, and having people who truly understand it is as valuable as ever.With a Bachelor's from Stanford and a Harvard MBA, Ana Cristina Gadala-Maria certainly fits this description. Ana leads Fontes, a seed-stage fund for Latin America fintech at QED, and is a supporter of the LatAm ecosystem through Mosaico, a content platform. She's passionate about democratizing access to financial services, a strong believer in entrepreneurship as the driving force behind transformative solutions, and an advocate for female and diverse founders.In this episode, Ana shares:Why fintech is so hot in Latin America (and globally!)How to cater to the "underbanked and under-served"Her opinion on the future of embedded financeChallenges that founders starting or scaling financial services should be aware ofHow Fontes works within QEDStarting something new?Visit apply.latitud.com to learn about the Latitud Fellowship program.Building good sh*t in Latin America? Learn about how Latitud can help you at latitud.com Discover and pitch Latitud Ventures, your partner from 0 to 1 and beyond Sign up for our weekly newsletter for founder insights and some tough love And follow us on Linkedin / Instagram / Spotify to stay in the loop

Ben Casnocha was practically born an entrepreneur. In his teenage years, he started and scaled a couple of companies, before becoming Chief of Staff at LinkedIn and Greylock, both founded by Reid Hoffman. From this partnership, two books were born, co-authored by Ben and Reid, including New York Times bestseller The Start-Up of You.Since 2017, Ben has been a co-founder and Partner at Village Global, an early stage venture capital firm that aims to work not simply as a traditional VC, but also as a network. With almost a quarter billion dollars under management, Village Global is backed by some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs.In this episode, Ben shares:Inspirational tips for your journey and career as an entrepreneurWhat sets Village Global apart from the rest of the VC worldHow to build a strong networkAnd how his interest in Buddhism is compatible (or not) with the entrepreneurial mindsetStarting something new?Visit apply.latitud.com to learn about the Latitud Fellowship program.Building good sh*t in Latin America? Learn about how Latitud can help you at latitud.com Discover and pitch Latitud Ventures, your partner from 0 to 1 and beyond Sign up for our weekly newsletter for founder insights and some tough love And follow us on Linkedin / Instagram / Spotify to stay in the loop

Caterine Castillo is a lover of rowing, crossfit, extreme sports and meditation – it's all about balance! Originally from Bogotá, her commitment to personal and professional growth led her to complete programs in Harvard, Columbia, UC Berkeley, become a Kauffman Fellow and, of course, a Latitud Fellow.Cate has been in fintech for about 10 years. She's worked in Growth for a Neobank in Colombia, in Product for a Banking as a Service company, and as Country Manager for one of the biggest global payment providers. Now as co-founder and CEO of Neivor, she is simplifying payments and building a digital ecosystem for more than 2.2 Million condominiums and apartment buildings in Latin America.Starting something new?Visit apply.latitud.com to learn about the Latitud Fellowship program.Building good sh*t in Latin America? Learn about how Latitud can help you at latitud.com Discover and pitch Latitud Ventures, your partner from 0 to 1 and beyond Sign up for our weekly newsletter for founder insights and some tough love And follow us on Linkedin / Instagram / Spotify to stay in the loop

A renegade is someone who renounces conventions.It is through this innovation mindset that Renata Quintini runs Renegade Partners, an early-stage deep technology investment firm which she co-founded and is currently a Managing Partner at.Renata has been working in venture for over 15 years, having also been a Partner at Lux Capital and Felicis Ventures. Prior to becoming a VC, she was an investment manager at Stanford University's endowment, which invests in dozens of private equity and venture capital funds.In this episode, Renata shares:The thesis behind Renegade and their investmentsWhat is a founder’s “supercritical” stagePotential red flags founders should be aware ofThe importance of diversity in the entrepreneurial ecosystemStarting something new?Visit latitud.com to learn about the Latitud Fellowship program.Building good sh*t in Latin America? Learn about how Latitud can help you at latitud.com Discover and pitch Latitud Ventures, your partner from 0 to 1 and beyond Sign up for our weekly newsletter for founder insights and some tough love And follow us on Linkedin / Instagram / Spotify to stay in the loop

Raphael Kappeler grew up in Switzerland and has over 15 years of experience in finance and sales. Almost 10 of them he spent in Credit Suisse, working in investment banking in Europe and Asia. His childhood dream was to become a fighter jet pilot. Instead, he ended up jumping out of planes in the Swiss Army. He is a lover of the outdoors, often skydives, scuba dives, goes skiing and surfing.After living and working in Asia for a few years, he fell in love with Latin America and decided to call Mexico 'home.' There, he developed and launched several startups. The latest, Reworth, is an API data platform that will give financial institutions an edge in the competitive market, helping them to engage their customers and increase revenues.Building good sh*t in Latin America? Learn about how Latitud can help you at latitud.com Discover and pitch Latitud Ventures, your partner from 0 to 1 and beyond Sign up for our weekly newsletter for founder insights and some tough love And follow us on Linkedin / Instagram / Spotify to stay in the loop