September 11, 2025

Francisco Alvarez-Demalde, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Riverwood Capital and Host Todd S. Rich, Co-Founder & Partner of Declaration Partners

1 hour 2 minutes

In this episode of declarations., Todd Rich is joined by Francisco Alvarez-Demalde, co-founder and managing partner of Riverwood Capital. Francisco shares how his upbringing in Argentina shaped his entrepreneurial spirit, how he defines success as the constant pursuit of building, learning, and creating opportunity for others and how he and his partners built a global growth equity platform focused on scaling technology businesses. Their discussion also covers lessons from cycles in the private equity and tech markets, the importance of combining vision with execution, and the role of education and philanthropy in creating lasting impact.

They discuss:

Francisco’s declaration to make a positive impact on others
Lessons from growing up in Argentina and early exposure to tech startups
Founding Riverwood Capital and building a differentiated growth equity model
Partnering with management teams to scale businesses sustainably
Insights on global markets, including opportunities and challenges in Latin America

Links:

Francisco on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/franciscoalvarezdemalde/

Todd S. Rich on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-s-rich-6a091333/

Declaration Partners - https://www.declarationpartners.com/

Riverwood Capital - https://www.riverwoodcapital.com/

Amp It Up by Frank Slootman - https://a.co/d/8jpo3h6

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:11) - Francisco's declaration and values
(00:04:35) - Early life and education in Argentina
(00:07:43) - Career beginnings and move to the US
(00:12:55) - Founding Riverwood Capital
(00:17:26) - Investment philosophy and market dynamics
(00:29:41) - Growth and scalability in tech investments
(00:32:23) - Building a global company
(00:33:08) - The importance of exits in private equity
(00:33:46) - Investing, building, and monetizing
(00:34:31) - Partnering with management teams
(00:37:00) - Balancing ambition and execution
(00:40:09) - Global tech opportunities
(00:43:12) - Navigating emerging markets
(00:45:38) - Argentina's economic outlook
(00:51:34) - Personal insights and philanthropy
(00:56:40) - Closing thoughts and reflections

...more

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By Declaration Partners

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