Crossing Borders with Nathan Lustig

For this week on the Crossing Borders podcast, we’re revisiting one of our greatest hits episodes featuring Pedro Moura, Co-Founder, and CEO of Flourish Fi. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did

Pedro Moura moved from Natal, Brazil to the US at a young age, overcoming many challenges while always trying to build a better future for himself, his family and his region. His perseverance and grit guided him to create a company that he is truly passionate about. In this episode of Crossing Borders, Pedro tells the story of his career path and how taking a risk on what he really believed in led him to found Flourish, a B2B SaaS company that empowers people to establish positive money habits.

In this episode, I sat down with Pedro to discuss how he landed on the idea for Flourish, what companies can do to attract foreign talent, and how to think of a business from a global perspective.

Finding a fit in financial inclusion

Pedro’s story is truly inspirational. He moved to Northern California from Brazil when he was young, and his mother worked tirelessly for the family. Pedro attended UC Davis, studying Economics and International Relations, then venturing into Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley. However, he soon realized the position was not the best fit for him. After joining Opportun, a startup dedicated to making financial services more accessible, Pedro realized his passion for financial inclusion and decided to start Flourish.
Listen to this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about Pedro’s career path and what led him to Flourish.

Attracting talent overseas

A key part of Pedro’s story was his decision to ‘cross a border’ to build something great. With talent today more mobile than ever before, some countries are still more hesitant than others to recruit from out-of-country. Despite political immigration boundaries, the culture of international collaboration is healthy and thriving.
Find out more about the opportunities that lie in hiring across borders in this episode of Crossing Borders.

Chasing your passion

While Pedro was still working at the bank, he saw a TV program that inspired him to learn more about companies that were driven by social issues: specifically, the disparity between the Latin American community and the world of financial services spoke to him. This experience sparked Pedro’s curiosity and led him to Opportun and then to founding Flourish.
Learn more about how Pedro discovered his passion in this episode of Crossing Borders.
Pedro Moura’s story is inspiring in more ways than one. Adapting to a new environment at a young age and thriving required perseverance and hard work. By following his passion, he took several career risks to serve the Latin American community. Join us to learn his story and what he is building at Flourish.

Outline of this episode:
[1:90] – About Flourish
[3:35] – Pedro’s move to the US
[7:00] – Adapting to a new culture at a young age
[8:30] – Advice on attracting talent
[12:30] – From wealth management to Oportun
[16:30] – Why starting a company was the natural next step
[18:30] – How geography plays a part in the business
[22:10] – What is Flourish’s next step
[23:20] – What advice would you offer your younger self?
[25:30] – Where do you see Flourish 2 years from now?

Resources & people mentioned:
Pedro Moura
Flourish
Book: The Brain That Changes Itself

For this week on the Crossing Borders podcast, we’re revisiting one of our greatest hits episodes featuring Maricel Saenz, Founder, and CEO of Compound Foods.

People continue to experience how global warming can have devastating effects on the world. Crop yields have already started to decline from rising temperatures, changes in rainfall patterns and extreme weather events. Climate change is threatening the future of many foods, and that includes coffee. This threat and her love for coffee inspired Maricel Saenz to launch Compound Foods, a food science company to reinvent coffee.
Originally from Costa Rica, where coffee is ingrained in the national identity, Maricel wanted to dedicate her time and energy to creating solutions fighting climate change. Maricel left her first startup to create a product that could recreate coffee in a sustainable way. Coffee is one of the most consumed products in the world and it comes with a large water footprint. Maricel’s idea for Compound Foods is to replicate the coffee experience with less environmental impact.
In this episode, I sat down with Maricel to talk about Compound Food’s mission in tackling climate change, her career in science without being a scientist, her journey of building a company at the start of the pandemic and the future of the coffee industry.
I hope you enjoy this conversation with Maricel Saenz.

From fighting bacterias to fighting climate change
Maricel shares why she left her first startup to start Compound Foods to fight climate change. Maricel’s experience in biotechnology and her longing to impact the world positively were the catalyst to launch Compound Foods and ultimately, what happens on a coffee farm in the lab.
Find out why Maricel decided to follow her passion to tackle climate change in this episode of Crossing Borders. If you want to learn more about Maricel’s backstory, I talked to her in Episode 76 about the battle against drug resistant bacteria and the challenges of raising capital in Silicon Valley as a Latina entrepreneur.

Drawing inspiration from nature
Research shows that 50% of the land we grow coffee on today may not be suitable for growing coffee in the future. A big chunk of coffee production could go away over the next few years due to environmental changes, for which Marciel believes we must take action and start producing coffee in an environmentally friendly way. Compound Food’s draws inspiration from nature and relies heavily on the fermentation process to create a product that has the same chemical composition of coffee beans. The microbes play a key role in creating flavors and aromas, and are grown efficiently and in a scalable way.
Check out this episode to learn more about why Maricel wants to make coffee without coffee beans!

Changing the mindset around climate change
Maricel conveys an empowering message to go from climate anxiety to taking action. We can still do something significant about climate change and the environment. Technologies and companies are being built around climate change and people have the power to make big changes through simple choices, like buying a product that has less of an environmental impact.
Listen to the rest of this episode to hear Maricel on changing the mindset and the advice she would give to her younger self.



Coffee is one of the most consumed products on the planet and the way we produce it today has a high environmental impact. Solving this global problem is not easy and needs all hands on the (coffee) table. If this resonates with you, Compound Foods is on the lookout for more passionate team members to join the team.
Check out this episode of Crossing Borders to hear Maricel tell her story in her own words and her enthusiasm about creating a climate-resilient future, starting with your morning coffee.

Outline of this episode:

[01:06] - The backstory of creating coffee without coffee beans
[02:30] - Why is coffee the perfect target?
[03:28] - Why does coffee contribute to climate change?
[04:10] - Why do we need to brew coffee without coffee beans?
[05:10] - Two minute background on Maricel
[06:05] - First startup experience
[06:40] - Singularity University and meeting her first co-founder
[07:10] - From fighting bacteria to fighting climate change
[08:03] - Can we do something for climate change now?
[08:40] - From climate anxiety to taking action
[09:27] - How to take action fighting climate change
[12:00] - Opening jobs at Compound Foods
[13:05] - What does it take to build a company like Compound?
[14:05] - From Costa Rica to the Bay Area
[15:33] - Fundraising for a live product
[16:25] - Thoughts on fundraising
[17:35] - Why is Compound not a synthetic food company?
[19:50] - What does the future look like?
[21:05] - Next steps for Compound
[22:09] - What advice would you give to yourself when you were first getting into tech?


Resources & people mentioned:
Sci-Fi Book: Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
Newsletter: Snaxshot
Podcast: Crossing Borders

For this week on the Crossing Borders podcast, we’re revisiting one of our greatest hits episodes featuring Javier García, Director of FEMSA Ventures.

Javier García knew that there were at least 50 ways of doing corporate venture capital the wrong way, which is why he took a couple of years to figure out how to do it right with FEMSA. Today, Javier is the Director of Corporate Venturing and Growth Capital at FEMSA’s corporate venture capital fund. FEMSA is a publicly-traded conglomerate company that started out as a brewery and has produced popular brands like Dos Equis and Tecate.

Founded in 1890, FEMSA has since branched out into other business verticals such as drugstores, gas stations, and restaurants, including OXXO, the largest chain of small-format stores in Mexico.

I sat down with Javier to talk about his transition from consulting to working at FEMSA and getting involved with Latin America’s venture capital ecosystem. We discuss innovation in corporations and Javier shares tips on how to collaborate with startups and large corporations.

Getting a slice of the innovation pie

According to Javier, FEMSA’s venture capital arm started as a mission to collaborate with the most disruptive external sources of innovation. He started to learn about the different ways to approach this collaboration by investigating and conducting over 30 interviews with people involved in the corporate venture capital world. Choosing the right way was another challenge.

Learn more about how Javier built an operational design for FEMSA to collaborate with the best startups on their business platform in this episode of Crossing Borders.

Engaging with the ecosystem from a perspective of learning

After studying mechanical engineering at university, Javier considered working in the aerospace industry as one of his potential paths. However, his first experience working for a consulting firm made him realize he liked problem-solving and that he wanted to be in a space where he would be closer to the execution of solutions and be continuously faced with learning opportunities. He explains that he found the ideal formula working with FEMSA and learning about Latam’s venture capital ecosystem.

Listen to this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about how Javier got involved in Latam’s venture capital ecosystem.

A misalignment of incentives

Collaborating with a corporate venture capital fund can be very different from working with a traditional VC. Javier explains that there tends to be a misalignment of expectations between big corporations and entrepreneurs with regard to what actually happens at the startup. He sees this confusion during startup pitches where the entrepreneur prioritizes an investment over the actual collaboration.

Find out more about Javier’s recommendations for working with big corporations in this episode of the Crossing Borders podcast.

Javier García is making amazing collaborations happen between startups and corporations through FEMSA’s venture capital arm. His thirst for knowledge and his passion for problem-solving and execution are key to positioning corporate venture capital funds as attractive business partners.

Outline of this episode:
[1:41] - About FEMSA
[7:30] - Mechanical engineering in Monterrey
[11:55] - FEMSA’s investment strategy
[23:52] - Recommendations for working with big companies
[29:38] - Lessons learned from collaborating with startups
[36:24] - Advice to Javier’s younger self
[38:16] - Books, blogs, & podcast recommendations
[42:11] - What’s next for Javier and FEMSA ventures?

Resources & people mentioned:
FEMSA
Javier García
OXXO
Dos Equis
Tecate
Bain & Company
Books: Masters of Corporate Venture Capital, Corporate Venturing, The Three-Body Problem, Atomic Habits
Ep 26 Mak Gutierrez, Supporting Makers and Startups In Guadalajara

For this week on the Crossing Borders podcast, we’re revisiting one of our greatest hits episodes featuring Mariana Costa, CEO, and Co-founder of Laboratoria.

Mariana Costa, founder of Laboratoria, a programming bootcamp for Latin American women, found a way to mix two worlds she was passionate about: technology and helping women. Originally from Peru, Mariana combines technology with social impact by running programming bootcamps for women from underserved backgrounds. The program seeks to prepare these women for a career in tech by placing them in jobs with a success rate of over 85%. Laboratoria started operating in Lima, but has since expanded to Santiago, Chile, Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Sao Paulo.

Laboratoria tackles both sides of the equation by propelling a digital and cultural transformation within the tech companies so that they will continue growing their teams, but with a lens of diversity and inclusion.

In this episode, I sit down with Mariana and a third special guest, her two week old baby, to talk about how she got into tech with her background in social impact, and what it was like to be on a panel in Silicon Valley with Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg. We also cover her advice on building a non profit in Latin America, how companies can hire more women in tech, and Laboratoria’s plans for expansion across Latin America.

Becoming an Entrepreneur

While getting her Master’s degree in Public Administration and Development at Columbia University, Mariana and her husband, who is a programmer, decided to move back to Peru. Rodolfo, a friend from her Master’s program, had also moved back to Peru at the time, and together they started brainstorming on what could be done in their home country. It was clear from the team composition that it would be something on the social impact route combined with technology.

Before Laboratoria, Mariana and her team went through many ideas that didn’t get off the ground, and in that process stumbled upon a problem in the tech industry: the lack of female software developers. Learn more about how Laboratoria challenged the status quo on this episode of Crossing Borders.

“We were really lean”

Mariana recalls Laboratoria’s beginnings: running a pilot with 15 students, and being amazed by the interest that several companies expressed in hiring female developers. Although it was a very low cost pilot due to their limited budget, it was the validation they needed to realize that their program had growth potential. A better understanding of the market also taught them when to be aggressive, and when to be more cautious in Laboratoria’s growth. Learn more about Laboratoria’s impact on the tech industry on this episode of Crossing Borders.

Advice for hiring women in tech

Part of what Laboratoria does is work with companies to diversify their pipeline, a process which requires open minds and policies. Mariana explains that companies need to change their prerequisites and make an additional effort to recruit outside of the traditional universities in places like Laboratoria to include more women in their pool of candidates.

Find out what companies can do to have more diversity and inclusion in their hiring processes on this episode.

Mariana Costa is creating digital and cultural transformation in Latin America’s tech industry through her work with Laboratoria. She is helping women from low-income backgrounds unleash their full potential and overcome structural and societal barriers. Teams that are built with a lens of diversity and inclusion can make Latin America’s digital economy grow more quickly.

Outline of this episode:
[1:35] - About Laboratoria
[3:45] - Becoming entrepreneurs in Latin America
[7:01] - A picture Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg
[9:28] - Laboratoria’s success rate
[11:59] - Choosing the tech path
[13:54] - What did you do before you saw that weird screen of code?
[15:31] - Biggest lessons you learned from working in social impact
[17:48] - Finding a market for Laboratoria
[19:35] - Thoughts on international expansion
[22:51] - Raising money for Colombia
[25:54] - Strategies for hiring more women in tech
[29:18] - Advice to Mariana’s younger self
[30:50] - Books, blogs, and podcasts Mariana recommends
[32:30] - What’s next for Mariana and Laboratoria?

Resources Mentioned:
Laboratoria
The Lean Startup - Eric Ries
Masters of Scale - Ried Hoffman
How I Built This - Guy Raz

For this week’s episode of Crossing Borders, we’re revisiting one of our greatest hits episodes featuring Santiago Aparicio, CEO, and Co-founder of Ontop.

The future of work is going to be remote and decentralized, according to Santiago Aparicio, Co-Founder and CEO of Ontop, a payroll software startup that allows companies to legally hire and pay anyone in the world. Santiago is a serial entrepreneur and sales passionate who believes in the influence of developing markets in defining the future of work.

After long nights working on Excel sheets back in his banking days, Santiago decided he wanted a change. He reached out to Felipe Villamarin, co-founder at Rappi, and joined the team as its seventh employee, which really helped him to become an entrepreneur.

I sat down with Santiago to talk about his experience as an entrepreneur, while Santiago shared the story of Ontop and their meteoric growth in their first fifteen months (actively operating in over 190 countries, transacting over $2M per month).

Fundraising and starting his first two companies

For Santiago, the next frontier as a salesperson was fundraising, which pushed him to build his first company, Fitpal, a fitness and wellness platform for gyms in Latin America. But after Covid hit, Santiago and his cofounder decided to launch a second company, this time focusing on something becoming increasingly popular: remote working.

Listen to this episode of Crossing Borders to learn how Ontop raised its initial money from founders of all over the region.

Building a sales engine for high growth

Santiago shares why the best salespeople are the ones that focus on the input instead of the output, and how finding the most predictable metrics in the sales funnel are the first steps to create a replicable process that allows a company to grow internationally.

Find out about Santiago’s advice on productizing a sales engine, how to hit network effect, and why you should focus on building something small instead of building something huge in this episode of Crossing Borders

Biggest lessons as an entrepreneur

Santiago offers advice on being kind, passing the ball to the team and being in constant pursuit of the best talent for Ontop. We also discuss the importance of staying grounded and not letting fame get in the way of creating a product that people will really love.

Check out Santiago’s story in this episode of Crossing Borders and find out why you should exercise kindness and the importance of having uncomfortable conversations within a company.

Outline of this episode:
[02:18] - About Ontop
[02:39] - Top line metrics from Ontop
[02:39] - Santiago’s background
[04:53] - On joining Rappi
[07:05] - Launching Fitpal
[08:48] - Santiago’s biggest lessons
[13:54] - Coming up with the idea for Ontop
[14:23] - Fundraising for Ontop
[17:13] - The crazy world of fundraising
[18:42] - On building a sales engine
[19:14] - The best salesman (or woman)
[21:00] - Predictable metrics
[23:52] - The big milestones
[27:33] - Being famous is not being successful
[28:13] - Advice for a younger Santiago
[31:06] - How to hit network effects
[32:48] - The importance of hard conversations
[34:11] - The future of work

Resources & people mentioned:
Santiago Aparicio
Fitpal
Ontop
Measure What Matters by John Doerr - Book
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott

Alejandro Gálvez was an early Mexican angel investor and now is Managing Partner of 99 Startups, a venture capital firm that invests in Latin American pre-seed and seed stage companies.

After studying law, Alejandro’s first step into the tech world was learning to code. However, it was networking, angel investing in great founders, and attending events like YC Demo Day that took Alejandro from coding to creating his fund.

In this episode of Crossing Borders, Alejandro talks about his podcast Fundadores, the differences between angel investing and fund investing, starting small for long-term success, and 99 Startups’ investment thesis.

Starting as an angel investor in 2016 Mexico

2016 was a turning point in Alejandro’s life as it was the year he started investing in Latin American startups.

Although he started his career pre-technology investing in real estate, he moved into tech as an LP in funds like 500 startups, Investo and Magma. As he learned from fund managers and entrepreneurs, Alejandro used what he learned to start his own fund.

Listen to this episode to discover how Alejandro decided to create his fund after several years of angel investing.

The Compound Effect

Alejandro’s approach to life and 99 Startups’ investment thesis are similar: take small, smart steps for bigger returns in the long run.

Alejandro believes that you can master something over the long term by taking small steps and practicing daily. As he says, he likes to make long-term bets and build long-term things with long-term people.

Check out this episode of Crossing Borders to learn why 99 Startups’ thesis is to stay small and get bigger returns.

Outline of this episode:
[01:30] - About 99 Startups
[01:45] - Alejandro’s background
[02:45] - Investing in real estate
[03:43] - From tech enthusiast to angel investor
[06:00] - Networking
[07:18] - Angel investing versus fund investing
[08:54] - Why did Alejandro start a fund?
[10:20] - Alejandro’s podcast Fundadores
[11:12] - Biggest lessons from producing a podcast
[12:50] - 99 Startups’ thesis
[14:46] - Reaching out to 99 Startups
[15:14] - Advice to younger self
[15:53] - Book and documentary recommendations
[17:00] - What’s next for 99 Startups?

Resources & people mentioned:

Alejandro Gálvez
99 Startups
Podcast Fundadores
500 Startups
Investo
José Vielma
Santiago Zavala
Miguel McAllister
Kaszek
Andreseen Horowitz
Nowports
Book Atomic Habit
Documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Cristobal Perdomo is cofounder and General Partner at Wollef, a Latin American VC firm. Five years ago, I sat down with Cristobal to talk about Latin American venture capital in what turned into Episode 34 of Crossing Borders, where we covered the state of play of VC in 2018. Listen to our conversation for an update into what’s changed since our last sit down.

After getting an MBA and working in consulting in Brazil, Cristobal realized that there was a big opportunity to fund Latin American startups, especially in Argentina and Mexico. In that episode, Cristobal shares advice for managing a business in multiple countries, investing in startups across LatAm and tips for managing teams across borders.

Five years after that conversation, I sat again with Cristobal to discuss what's changed in Latin America’s VC ecosystem in the last five years.

Changes in LatAm’s startup ecosystem

In this episode, Cristobal shares his take on how Latin America’s startup ecosystem is improving, with more and better quality investors and founders. In conversation, he talks about the tourist capital and the tourist founders, the ups and downs of taking money from governments and the changes in Wollef’s thesis from fund to fund.

Lessons learned investing in Latin America

Cristobal shares his thoughts on talent, investing in great founders and in investing in great teams. Cristobal invests a lot of his time trying to understand if the founders will be able to acquire and retain top talent to help them build their businesses.

Listen to this episode to know more about what has changed for Wollef from fund 1 to fund 3, which LatAm country is the most interesting for investments today and all about Cristobal’s new podcast Indie vs. Unicorn.

Outline of this episode:
[00:31] - Introduction to Cristobal
[00:31] - Cristobal’s quick overview of changes in the ecosystem in the past five years
[04:34] - Thoughts on tourist capital and tourist entrepreneurs
[06:54] - Wollef’s evolution as a VC fund
[12:10] - Changes in Wollef from fund 1 to fund 3
[14:58] - Lessons learned from fund to fund
[18:40] - The most interesting countries to invest in right now
[21:41] - Thoughts on Colombia and the entrepreneur’s mindset
[29:23] - Technology’s role in economic development
[30:09] - Cristobal’s opinion on web3 and crypto
[33:12] - Documentaries and podcast recommendations
[34:37] - Advice to a younger Cristobal
[36:41] - Indie vs Unicornio, Cristobal’s new podcast

Resources:
Cristobal Perdomo
Crossing Borders Ep 34 with Cristobal Perdomo
Wollef
Documentary: Something Ventured
Documentary: General Magic
Podcast: Indie vs Unicornio

Cars and motorcycles are the most valuable assets for many Latin American families. People use them to access better opportunities and open income streams.

Colombian fintech R5 solves a major pain point for vehicle owners by offering low-cost, fast, and fair insurance and loans for vehicles. Its mission is to help vehicle owners save money.

Originally from Venezuela, Fernando Sucre, R5’s cofounder, was building a career in finance in the UK before moving to Colombia. Fernando used his banking experience to create a financial product that is improving the financial health of Colombians.

In this episode, I sat down with Fernando to discuss the lessons he learned from building tech businesses in Colombia, his path as an entrepreneur, hiring tech talent, and R5’s business model.

Starting a tech company in 2011 Colombia

In 2011, Fernando founded ComparaMejor.com in Colombia, which became one of the country’s leading insurance comparison websites. In 2018 ComparaOnline, the leading insurance comparison website in Latin America, acquired the company.

2011 Colombia was not the ideal place to start a tech business. When building ComparaMejor, Fernando lacked money and access to venture capital, and found it difficult to hire talent.

In this episode, Fernando shares the lessons he learned from building ComparaMejor in 2011 and R5 in 2018.

R5’s business model

R5’s business model is unique because it combines insurance and lending. R5 uses technology and algorithms to cross-sell by offering loans to clients who buy insurance and vice versa, thereby lowering prices

Traditional insurance companies often use very basic pricing methods. Instead, R5 built a pricing algorithm to provide better prices to customers.

Check out this episode of Crossing Borders to discover how R5 combined timing, artificial intelligence, and TV ads to become a successful business in 6 months.

Outline of this episode:

[01:10] - About R5
[01:37] - Insurance and lending for vehicles in Colombia
[03:07] - Fernando’s background
[03:50] - Steps that Fernando took to start his own business
[07:50] - Fernando’s decision to move to Colombia
[09:22] - About ComparaMejor
[10:32] - Starting a tech company in 2011 in Colombia
[13:37] - From R5’s idea to creating a business
[16:41] - How R5 became the business it is today
[19:29] - Special characteristics of the Colombian lending and insurance market
[21:08] - Advice to younger self
[22:34] - Book and podcast recommendations
[24:25] - What’s next for R5

People & resources mentioned:
Fernando Sucre
R5
ComparaMejor
ComparaOnline
Books
Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio
Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness
Podcast The Knowledge Project

Only one inf ten Mexicans has access to a credit card. Many people have monthly incomes that are too low for traditional banks, or they are part of the 55% of Mexicans who form the informal, cash-based economy.

Vexi helps Mexicans get their first credit cards by analyzing data that banks don’t in order to issue credit. Users can build credit by using credit responsibly and paying off their bills each month. Vexi pairs this credit card with financial education to help people learn how to use their new credit cards.

In this episode I sat down with Cinthia Merlos, Vexi’s cofounder and Chief Product Office to talk about Mexico's financial system and lessons learned on her journey as an entrepreneur.

Taking a leap of faith

Cinthia had to learn from early on how to overcome challenges with the tools she had. Although she didn’t have the money to attend a top Mexican university, she was able to get a scholarship and a job to pay her way through university. . After graduating she landed a job at large company and worked her way quickly up the corporate ladder.

Like most entrepreneurs, Cinthia wasn't happy with the status quo and the way business was being done in Mexico. So, she took a leap of faith into entrepreneurship to help solve a problem she knew well: access to credit. In conversation, Cinthia tells us more about her entrepreneurial journey and her motivation behind developing Vexi’sl product.


The importance of listening to your customers

Vexi is a starting point for many Mexicans that are starting to build their credit history. To create a product people use and need, Cinthia invests a lot of her time talking to Vexi’s clients.

Listen to this episode to know how Vexi improves the lives of Mexicans by providing access to affordable credit and helps thousands of people build a strong financial future.

Outline of this episode:
[01:18]: About Vexi
[03:53]: Cinthia’s background
[06:64]: Cinthia’s motivations
[07:51]: Breaking into the entrepreneurial world
[09:21]: Lessons learned from her corporate career
[11:23]: Best thing of building Vexi as a business
[12:15]: Where is Vexi heading to
[13:36]: How are people using their credit card
[16:06]: Cinthia’s books and podcasts recommendations

Resources:

Cinthia Merlos
Vexi
Podcast: Cracks with Oso Trava
Book: The Analyst by John Katzenbach
Book: Azteca by Gary Jennings
Book: Becoming by Michelle Obama
Book: Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek

Twenty years ago, if you wanted to start a mobile telecom company, you had to either buy an existing company or build out extremely expensive infrastructure. Now, Oxio allows you to spin up your personalized, cloud-based mobile service in minutes using a simple API.
In this episode, I sat down with Nicolas Girard, founder and CEO of Oxio, the first telecom as-a-service platform that allows companies to offer their own telecom service about the platform as a service revolution that Oxio is leading.
Lessons learned working in government and starting startups

Nicolas’ first work experience was with the French government doing network security. After that he transitioned to research and fell in love with the telecom and wireless networks, where one of the byproducts of his research became his first company.

In this episode of Crossing Borders, Nicolas walks us through his journey from working for the French government to becoming an entrepreneur. He also shares his motivation for starting Oxio and some of the lessons learned dealing with the first tech bubble and the 2008 financial crisis.

Communication without cables

It might sound strange now, but 20 years ago people used Ethernet cables to connect to the Internet. When Nicolast first saw wireless communication, he was fascinated, which led him to dig deeper into the telecommunications industry.

Nicolas thought mobile connectivity was too expensive. In some markets one gigabyte of data costs the average wages of a full week’s work, making many people unable to be digital participants in the economy. In order to solve this problem, Nicolas’ idea was to build a global platform that became Oxio.

In this episode, Nicolas shares his vision on building Oxio and the importance of understanding your customer and the market by collecting data to create a personalized experience.

Bringing connectivity in Latin America

Nicolas’ business experience in LatAm made him realize the disparity of mobile operators in the region, and chose it as the best place to launch Oxio to improve connectivity in Latin America and create an experience that users want.

Listen to this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about why Nicolas chose Latin America to launch Oxio, how crypto and web3 decentralized technology apply to telecom, and the importance of diversity in the workplace.

Outline of this episode:

[00:01] - Introduction to this episode
[01:20] - About Oxio
[03:23] - From working for the government to entrepreneurship
[05:51] - Wireless communication
[07:43] - Biggest lessons from working for the government
[10:49] - Biggest lessons learned from the financial crisis
[14:37] - How Oxio came to be
[16:22] - The affordability of mobile connectivity
[19:07] - About Brand IQ
[22:29] - Why is Latinamerica a great place to invest?
[26:43] - How crypto and Web3 apply to telecom
[33:15] - Advice to a young Nicolas

Resources and people mentioned:

Nicolas Girard
Oxio
Book: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Reid Hoffman podcast: Masters of Scale
Andreessen Horowitz Articles