We sat down with Nico Estrada, CFO of VEMO, to dive into how this Mexican company is accelerating the electric mobility revolution across Latin America. Nico takes us through his journey from Colombia to Wall Street to Mexico City — and why he left investment banking to become VEMO’s first non-founder hire.
We explore how VEMO rolled up multiple startups to build an integrated EV ecosystem that combines fleets, charging infrastructure, and fintech-style solutions, solving the chicken-and-egg problem of EV adoption in LatAm. Nico also shares how VEMO is driving financial inclusion through lease-to-own programs for ride-hailing drivers with Uber and DiDi, helping gig workers access cars, credit, and ownership.
Finally, we discuss VEMO’s recent $250M fundraise, one of the largest in Latin America this year, what it means for scaling fleets and charging networks, and the lessons Nico has learned guiding a capital-intensive startup through hypergrowth.
You can find show notes, deep dives, and other great content in our newsletter 👉 www.lafronterapodcast.com
Intro and outro music is Me Quema by The Berger / Sanchez Project.
Keywords: latam, startup, electro-mobility, climate tech, mexico, VEMO, BYD, DIDI, UBER, nico, estrada, Vision ridge, electric vehicles, charging network
In this episode, we talk with Daniela Pacheco, Managing Partner of New Ventures Capital (NVC), about making impact investing in Latin America both sustainable and profitable. Daniela shares how NVC is bridging philanthropy and venture capital with a $20M fund focused on youth, women, and overlooked sectors like healthcare. We dive into why impact + returns go hand in hand, how her team proactively sources deals, and why disciplined growth beats blitzscaling in today’s market.
You can find show notes, deep dives, and other great content in our newsletter 👉 www.lafronterapodcast.com
Intro and outro music is Me Quema by The Berger / Sanchez Project.
Keywords: new ventures capital, impact investing, venture capital, Latin America startups, healthtech LatAm, women's health, fintech LatAm, sustainable growth, Daniela Pacheco, New Ventures Capital, Fibrazo, Plenna, Smartbeemo, early-stage VC, Colombia venture capital, Botnar Foundation, entrepreneurship LatAm, startup ecosystem, La Frontera podcast
In this episode, we dive into why M&A matters now more than ever in LatAm, and how Adquiere is tackling the region’s exit gap head-on. Daniel shares how a failed acquisition of his last company sparked the idea for Adquiere, why small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) may hold the key to a virtuous cycle of reinvestment, and how connecting cross-border capital (think the Hispanic diaspora) can supercharge the ecosystem. This conversation is packed with insights on building in public, democratizing acquisitions, and preparing early for an exit.
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Intro and outro music is Me Quema by The Berger / Sanchez Project.
Tomas Uribe's unconventional path, unique style and perspective is a refreshing one, and his journey has a bit of everything: from a childhood steeped in music and the arts to a leap from Colombia to New York City. He shares hard-won lessons navigating the U.S. immigration maze and building a startup that’s caught the attention of investors like Pharrell Williams and Morgan Stanley. In this episode, Tomás shares how his creative roots give him an edge in tech, why being authentic helped him fundraise, and how he’s using AI to supercharge creative work.
If you’re a founder from an unconventional background, an immigrant entrepreneur, or an investor interested in the creative economy, this conversation is packed with golden insights.
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Intro and outro music is Me Quema by The Berger / Sanchez Project.
Ali Jamal, Founding Partner of First Check Ventures, was more than just an early-stage investor. He was a friend, a mentor, and a quiet force who backed founders before anyone else did; often when all they had was conviction and a dream. In this special episode, investors, founders, and friends share about their moments with and memories of Ali that defined who he was and the deep impact he had on the venture ecosystem — especially in Latin America. While it doesn’t capture everything, we hope this tribute offers a glimpse into the legacy he leaves behind.
Thank you to everyone who shared their memories of Ali for this episode:
Alex Zorychta, Not Yet Ventures
Andres Cano, Pygma
Ihar Mahaniok, Geek Ventures
Ivan Montoya, NuMundo Ventures
Juan Sebastian Jaramillo, Pari
Martin Tobias, Incisive Ventures
Mike Ma, Sidecut Ventures
You can find show notes, deep dives, and other great content in our newsletter 👉 www.lafronterapodcast.com
Intro and outro music is Me Quema by the The Berger / Sanchez Project.
In this episode of La Frontera, we sit down with Juan Fantoni, co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Pomelo, one of Latin America’s most ambitious fintech infrastructure startups. Juan walks us through his journey from Mastercard executive to fintech founder, and how he and his co-founders built Pomelo to power card issuance and embedded finance across the region. We dive deep into launching a B2B startup, the strategy behind Pomelo’s rapid multi-country expansion, and what it takes to succeed in complex markets like Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil. Juan also shares his approach to raising capital across boom and bust cycles—including how they closed a rare Series B in a tough market—and speaks candidly about managing dilution, choosing the right investors, and building a generational company in LatAm. If you’re building or backing fintech in Latin America, this episode is packed with insight.
You can find show notes, deep dives, and other great content in our newsletter 👉 www.lafronterapodcast.com
Intro and outro music is Me Quema by the The Berger / Sanchez Project.
In this episode, we sit down with Maria Gutierrez Peñaloza, co-founding partner of Nido Ventures, to explore why Mexico may be entering its “golden decade” for tech and cross-border innovation. Maria shares how her background working in supply chain in Silicon Valley shaped Nido’s investment thesis, and why they’re backing B2B startups transforming legacy industries. We dive into nearshoring trends turbocharging Mexico’s economy, the specific industries ripe for disruption, and how Nido bridges two worlds – mobilizing U.S. capital to seize opportunities south of the border.
You can find show notes, deep dives, and other great content in our newsletter 👉 www.lafronterapodcast.com
Song is Me Quema by The Berger / Sanchez Project.
In this episode of La Frontera, we talk with Marinella Piñate, CEO and co-founder of Zumma, a Mexico-based fintech transforming messy manual finance ops with an AI-powered “WhatsApp CFO” for businesses across Latin America. We dive into what led Zumma to pivot from a beloved B2C app to a fast-growing B2B platform, how Marinella’s travels through 60+ countries shaped her entrepreneurial mindset, and why she believes meaning (and mental health) are non-negotiables for founders. She also shares lessons on hiring top engineering talent without a CTO, the resilience that defines LatAm founders, and her candid approach to building community and investor support along the way. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did.
You can find show notes, deep dives, and other great content in our newsletter 👉 www.lafronterapodcast.com
In this episode of La Frontera 🌵, we sit down with Luis Enriquez, co-founder and GP of Bridge Latam, to explore why now is the moment to invest in Latin America's booming tech scene. Luis breaks down the $1 trillion opportunity, the industries primed for disruption, and how Mexico's cultural nuances shape startup culture. We also dive into the challenges (and opportunities) of Series B liquidity, secondaries, and founder over-dilution—key issues shaping the future of venture in the region
You can find show notes, deep dives, and other great content in our newsletter 👉 www.lafronterapodcast.com
In this episode of La Frontera 🌵, we talk with Andrés Londoño Botero, CFO and co-founder of Monet, a Colombian fintech that’s issued over a million loans to users at the base of the pyramid—many receiving credit for the first time. We dig into how Monet ditched the HR data model, built their own open banking rails, and why Andrés thinks social media credit scoring is a step too far. He also shares the challenges of raising capital in LatAm, what it’ll take to unlock more exits, and why Monet still has its sights set on an IPO.
You can find show notes, deep dives, and other great content in our newsletter 👉 www.lafronterapodcast.com
In this episode, we sit down with Susy from DUX Capital to explore the hustle, focus, and luck needed to break into venture capital, the critical role of female investors in the startup ecosystem, and why fundraising in Latin America is facing extreme headwinds. Susy shares actionable tips for founders preparing for early-stage fundraising — from building strong data rooms to managing investor relationships — and reflects on the rapid rise of Mexico City as one of the most exciting and vibrant startup hubs in the world.
You can find show notes, deep dives, and other great content, in our newsletter 👉 www.lafronterapodcast.com
In this episode of La Frontera 🌵, we sit down with Nico Yepes, co-founder of Moffin, a fintech infrastructure startup based in Guadalajara that’s quietly transforming how data is shared in Mexico. Nico brings the investor lens—having spent years in private equity focused on emerging market financial services—while his co-founders bring deep engineering and product expertise. Together, they’ve built a platform that integrates messy, fragmented data into automated underwriting pipelines, unlocking faster, smarter credit decisions for lenders of all sizes. Whether you’re a fintech founder, investor, or just curious about the future of financial infrastructure in LatAm, this one’s for you.
You can find show notes, deep dives, and other great content, in our newsletter 👉 https://www.lafronterapodcast.com
In this episode, we sit down with Angel Cisneros, founder and CEO of Saptiva, an AI infrastucture and orchestration platform in LatAm. We explore his remarkable journey of bootstrapping Quiubas and exiting to Twillio, long before a robust ecosystem existed in Mexico, and his insights on how to position a startup for a successful acquisition. We dive deep into why he believes Latin America urgently needs its own AI infrastructure, how Saptiva is taking a decentralized, cloud-agnostic approach to building it, and why local investors still hesitate to back AI-focused startups. Angel’s perspective on AI, bootstrapping, scaling, and navigating exits offers a unique playbook for founders across the region.
You can find show notes, deep dives, and other great content, in our newsletter 👉 https://www.lafronterapodcast.com
In this episode of La Frontera, we sit down with Alejandro Troll, GP at BVC, to unpack the differences between venture ecosystems in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru—and why those nuances matter for startups and investors. We explore how BVC builds trusted deal flow in markets like Peru and Colombia, sources high-potential startups before they hit major accelerators, and works to educate Japanese LPs on the opportunity in LatAm. We also settle a critical debate: does Peru really have the best sushi in the world?
You can find show notes, deep dives, and other great content, in our newsletter 👉 https://www.lafronterapodcast.com
In this episode, we chat with Courtney McColgan, Founder and CEO of Runa, about the realities of building and scaling a startup in Latin America as a foreign founder. Courtney shares hard-earned lessons from growing Cabify from $20M to a $1.5B valuation, how she navigated fundraising for Runa during the VC boom, and why thinking like an investor gave her an edge. We also dive into LatAm’s tech talent landscape, why expanding across the region isn’t as simple as market size suggests, and the cultural and operational hurdles that make scaling uniquely challenging.
You can find show notes, deep dives, and other great content, in our newsletter 👉 https://www.lafronterapodcast.com
In this episode, we sit down with Rene Ojeda, partner at 500 Global, who’s been shaping the LatAm startup ecosystem from day one. We explore the history of 500 LatAm, how the VC and startup landscape has evolved, and what makes for a great angel investor. Rene also pulls back the curtain on 500’s investment process and how they add value—plus, he reveals the biggest risk international VCs worry about when investing in the region. But don’t worry—it’s not all caution signs. Rene shares why he’s bullish on the next 5-10 years in LatAm and why you should be too.
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In this episode, we talk to Valentina Valencia, founder and CEO of Vaas, about how she’s unlocking capital markets in LatAm by automating asset-backed private debt transactions. As a Latina founder who started in Silicon Valley, Valen shares why she returned to build in Colombia, how she raised early VC funding from Andreessen with just a vision—no product, no traction—and the lessons she learned along the way. We also dive into how Vaas is making private debt markets more efficient in Mexico and Colombia and get an inside look at Colombia’s thriving startup scene.
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Song is Me Quema by The Berger / Sanchez Project
In our very first episode, we sit down with Cristobal Perdomo, co-founder of Wollef VC, to unpack what it takes to build and scale a top VC fund in Latin America. Cristobal shares how he raised his first fund, the key differences between LP bases in Mexico, the U.S., and Brazil, and why foreign investors need strong local partnerships to succeed in the region. We also dive into the challenges of exits in LatAm, the role of IPOs and M&A in creating liquidity, and whether it’s still too early to truly judge the potential for long-term success of VC in the region.
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