La Frontera: Bridging Startups and VCs Across the Americas

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

Song is ⁠Me Quema⁠ by The Berger / Sanchez Project

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

Song is ⁠⁠Me Quema⁠⁠ by The Berger / Sanchez Project

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

Song is ⁠⁠Me Quema⁠⁠ by The Berger / Sanchez Project

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

Song is ⁠⁠Me Quema⁠⁠ by The Berger / Sanchez Project

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

Song is ⁠⁠Me Quema⁠⁠ by The Berger / Sanchez Project

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

Song is ⁠⁠Me Quema⁠⁠ by The Berger / Sanchez Project

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

Song is ⁠⁠Me Quema⁠⁠ by The Berger / Sanchez Project

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

Song is ⁠⁠Me Quema⁠⁠ by The Berger / Sanchez Project

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.

You can find show notes, deep dives, and other great content, in our newsletter 👉 ⁠https://www.lafronterapodcast.com⁠

Song is ⁠⁠Me Quema⁠⁠ by The Berger / Sanchez Project