Latin America in Focus

Latin America is known worldwide for its entrepreneurship. With unicorns, new ecosystems, and investments back to pre-pandemic levels, what's the region's secret sauce? Three of the Latin America's most successful business visionaries—Francisco Alvarez-Demalde of Riverwood Capital, Sebastian Mejia of Rappi, and Mariano Gomide de Faria of VTEX—sat down with long-time Americas investor Susan Segal of AS/COA for a conversation about how the region has an edge on creating the companies of tomorrow. In this conversation recorded at the 2024 COA Symposium in Miami this October, they discuss what it takes to build billion-dollar companies, Latin America's promising technology prospects, and the future of the region’s entrepreneurial businesses.

Learn more about the 2024 COA Symposium in Miami and the BRAVO Business Awards.

Subscribe to the BRAVO Leadership Forums podcasts for conversations with business leaders shaping the region: www.as-coa.org/BRAVO

The music in this podcast is performed by “Ya,” by Eric Kurimski Quartet, for Americas Society. 
Find out about upcoming concerts at: musicoftheamericas.org

Access other episodes of Latin America in Focus at www.as-coa.org/podcast and send us feedback at [email protected]. Share and subscribe at Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members

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Local concerns like sanitation, funding for schools, or road repairs were low on the agenda during Brazil’s October 6 municipal elections. Campaigns for mayorships and town-council seats were flashpoints for national fissures of identity politics that are reshaping the traditional left-right spectrum. Thomas Traumann, a journalist and political consultant, discussed the implications of this polarization rippling through politics in the country. He spoke with Luisa Leme on which political blocks made clear progress this year, next steps for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and what these races for Brazilian cities tell us about the 2026 presidential election.

Traumann is co-author of Biografia do Abismo (“Biography of the Abyss”), on polarization in Brazil, and O Pior Emprego do Mundo (“The Worst Job in the World”), about Brazilian finance ministers. 

Check out Traumann’s past participation in the podcast and the 2022 episodes on Brazil’s presidential elections:

How VP Choices Are Shaping Presidential Races in Colombia and Brazil
https://www.as-coa.org/articles/latam-focus-how-vp-choices-are-shaping-presidential-races-colombia-and-brazil

Kingmakers and Key Issues in Brazil's Lula-Bolsonaro Showdown
https://www.as-coa.org/articles/latam-focus-kingmakers-and-key-issues-brazils-lula-bolsonaro-showdown

The Battle for Brazil's Divided Electorate
https://www.as-coa.org/articles/latam-focus-battle-brazils-divided-electorate
 

Access other episodes of Latin America in Focus at www.as-coa.org/podcast and send us feedback at [email protected]. Share and subscribe at Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

The music in this podcast is is performed by Tiganá Santana for Americas Society.  
Find out about upcoming concerts at: musicoftheamericas.org

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members

Follow us on social media:

Twitter/X: @ASCOA
Instagram: @ascoa
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Uruguayans head to the polls on October 27 for what is looking to be a close contest between the incumbent conservative coalition and the leftist Broad Front. But there’s another key player in the race: a constitutional referendum that could reshape the country’s pension system. Nicolás Saldías, a senior analyst for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Economist Intelligence Unit, profiles the major presidential candidates and details what’s on the line economically and politically if the pension reform is approved.

Access other episodes of Latin America in Focus at www.as-coa.org/podcast and send us feedback at [email protected]. Share and subscribe at Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The music in this podcast is “Three Points of View" performed by Gustavo Casenave for Americas Society. 

Find out about upcoming concerts at: musicoftheamericas.org

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members

Follow us on social media:

Twitter/X: @ASCOA
Instagram: @ascoa
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ascoaonline/
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On August 31, users of Twitter/X woke up to a platform devoid of Brazilians. After a protracted fight with CEO Elon Musk, Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered a shutdown of the social media site in his country. Marie Santini, founder of Net Lab, details the timeline that led to the shutdown and how it fits in the Brazil’s larger efforts around Internet regulation. Then, University of Palermo’s Agustina Del Campo gives a regional panorama and explains what’s changing with the approach of countries—and companies—to Internet moderation.

Access other episodes of Latin America in Focus at www.as-coa.org/podcast and send us feedback at [email protected]. Share and subscribe at Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.     

The music in this podcast is "Caiboaté" performed by Alejandro Brittes and Baroque Ensemble for Americas Society. Find out about upcoming concerts at: musicoftheamericas.org

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members

Follow us on social media:

Twitter/X: @ASCOA
Instagram: @ascoa
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Our latest edition of Latin America in Focus marks a major milestone: episode 200. Over the past eight years, we’ve covered a range of topics—and asked a lot of questions, including in our episode titles. For this episode, we decided to revisit three of those questions to see how we would answer them now. Half the world is going to the polls in 2024, so we focus on elections.

Americas Quarterly Editor-in-Chief and AS/COA Vice President of Policy Brian Winter tells us why Latin America’s anti-incumbency trend may be coming to a close. Pew Research Center’s Director of Race and Ethnicity Research Mark Hugo Lopez covers how Latino voters view the high-stakes U.S. presidential competition between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. And, AS/COA Online Editor-in-Chief Carin Zissis shares what to watch for in Mexico, where Claudia Sheinbaum is preparing to take the presidential reins in Mexico.

Speaking of elections, check out AS/COA’s 2024 guide for more about this year’s votes. www.as-coa.org/2024

Find out more about what the Latino vote means for the U.S. elections in our poll tracker: https://www.as-coa.org/articles/poll-tracker-latino-vote-2024-us-presidential-election

Listen to the original episodes that sparked these three segments:

• “Will the Anti-incumbency Wave Reach Argentina and Guatemala?” https://www.as-coa.org/articles/latam-focus-will-anti-incumbency-wave-reach-argentina-and-guatemala
• “What Do We Really Know about the Latino Vote?” https://www.as-coa.org/articles/latam-focus-what-do-we-really-know-about-latino-vote Mark Hugo Lopez also appeared in an episode titled, “The Myth of the Monolithic Latino Vote” https://www.as-coa.org/articles/latam-focus-myth-monolithic-latino-vote 
• “In Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Won Big: Now What?” https://www.as-coa.org/articles/latam-focus-mexico-claudia-sheinbaum-won-big-now-what

The music in this podcast is “Galopada” by Itiberê Zwarg, performed for Americas Society. Find out about upcoming concerts at: musicoftheamericas.org

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members

Follow us on social media:

Twitter/X: @ASCOA
Instagram: @ascoa
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ascoaonline/
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Since he came to power 11 years ago, Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro has been stacking the decks in his political favor. But will he hit a wall in the July 28 election? The regime disqualified popular rival candidate Maria Corina Machado, yet a unified opposition is leading the polls. “[The Maduro government] could try to do a mega fraud, but the political costs, even within the ruling coalition, could be very high,” journalist and political analyst Tony Frangie Mawad tells AS/COA’s Guillermo Zubillaga in an on-the-ground view of the electoral competition.

The fight to govern Venezuela is being played out online as well. Mariví Marin Vázquez, founder and executive director of digital observatory ProBox, explains why the country’s voters have turned to social media to get news. She told AS/COA’s Carin Zissis how the regime exploits social media algorithms as it seeks to soften Maduro’s image, even as online tools offer an opportunity for independent news sources and civil society to share information.

Access other episodes of Latin America in Focus at www.as-coa.org/podcast and send us feedback at: [email protected]

Learn more about Venezuela’s elections at: www.as-coa.org/2024

Read ProBox resources on Venezuelan social media use (t.ly/y7bh3) and the Maduro regime’s use of online tools (t.ly/Kk1NG).

Read an Americas Quarterly article by AS/COA’s Board Chair Andrés Gluski and President/CEO Susan Segal about why this electoral round may be different: t.ly/NDCxh

This is the seventh episode in our 2024 election series. Prior episodes covered what comes next for Mexico after Claudia’s Sheinbaum’s electoral win, how Latin America figures into the Trump-Biden battle, the Dominican Republic’s unique political culture, the economic agenda for Panama’s next president, the youth vote in Mexico, and Nayib Bukele’s global reach. Find this content and more in this year's election guide at: www.as-coa.org/2024

The music in this podcast is “Nos volveremos a encontrar,” performed by Venezuelan singer-songwriter Geraldyn García and cuatro player Daniel Molina for Americas Society. Find out about upcoming concerts at: musicoftheamericas.org   

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members

Follow us on social media:

Twitter/X: @ASCOA
Instagram: @ascoa
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Latin America, the biggest source of freshwater in the world, is running dry. Amid record-breaking temperatures, 150 million people live in water-scarce areas and water insecurity is becoming a new normal for many.  

But solutions exist. World Meteorological Organization’s Rodney Martinez and Acción Andina’s Florent Kaiser cover how Latin American countries can address the region’s water crisis. They talk how science and early warning systems are available for use, that simple solutions can restore water access in dry areas, and how water can be a decisive argument when engaging stakeholders to take action.   

Read more about this episode: https://tinyurl.com/yvr7p5n3
Read an Americas Quarterly issue on water: https://tinyurl.com/ytt3xkmz
Read WMO’s recent report on the State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean 2023 https://tinyurl.com/2kpptghk

Get other episodes of Latin America in Focus at www.as-coa.org/podcast and send us feedback at: [email protected]

The music in this podcast was performed by Tiganá Santana for Americas Society.

You can catch this concert and others on our YouTube channel. Find out about upcoming concerts at: musicoftheamericas.org 

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members

Follow us on social media:

Twitter/X: @ASCOA
Instagram: @ascoa
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ascoaonline/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ASCOA/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@ascoa

 

Claudia Sheinbaum and her Morena party won Mexico’s June 2 election by a landslide, and that means the country’s first woman president is set to have a huge mandate. What will she do with it? On the ground in Mexico City, AS/COA Online spoke to voters and then three experts on concerns and priorities for Sheinbaum’s sexenio. One question kept coming up: How will Sheinbaum differ from her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador? Hear from Oscar Ocampo of the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness on energy and climate, Brenda Estefan of IPADE Business School and Reforma on the future of Mexican foreign affairs, and Isaac Morales of FTI Consulting on the country’s cybersecurity policy. 

This is the sixth episode in our 2024 election series. Prior episodes covered how Latin America figures into the Trump-Biden battle, the Dominican Republic’s unique political culture, the economic agenda for Panama’s next president, the youth vote in Mexico, and Nayib Bukele’s global reach. Find this content and more electoral insight in this year guide at www.as-coa.org/2024. 

Watch Claudia Sheinbaum speak at a COA event in Mexico City in April 2024. https://www.as-coa.org/watchlisten/programa-exclusivo-claudia-sheinbaum-candidata-presidencial-de-mexico

Get other episodes of Latin America in Focus at www.as-coa.org/podcast and send us feedback at: [email protected]

The music in this podcast includes “La folia,” “Descarga Gandinga, Mondongo y Sandunga,” and “Llorarás” all performed for Americas Society.

Learn about upcoming concerts at: www.musicoftheamericas.org

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members

Follow us on social media:

Twitter/X: @ASCOA
Instagram: @ascoa
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ascoaonline/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ASCOA/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@ascoa

 

Buckle up: U.S. politics are headed for a bumpy ride. And the issue of migration, particularly at the U.S. Southern border, will significantly influence this year’s elections. In this episode, AS/COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth moderates a conversation between two top political consultants—a Democrat and a Republican—to get a view of Latin America's impact on the U.S. electoral scenario. Doug Sosnik is senior advisor at The Brunswick Group and served as a political consultant for, among others top Democrats, former President Bill Clinton. Meanwhile, Russ Schriefer, founding partner at Strategic Partners & Media, has advised high-ranking Republicans, such as Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush.

The conversation took place at the State Department during COA’s Washington Conference on the Americas on May 7. Watch the panel: t.ly/cUBlx  

Catch other speakers and panels from the conference: t.ly/W2I7V

This is the fifth episode in our 2024 election series. Prior episodes covered the economic agenda for Panama’s next president, the youth vote in Mexico, Nayib Bukele’s global reach, and how the DR election bucks regional political trends. Get this content and more electoral insights in this year's Election Guide at: www.as-coa.org/2024

Fabrizio Ricalde produced this episode. Luis Leme is the executive producer. Carin Zissis is the host. Get other episodes of Latin America in Focus at www.as-coa.org/podcast and send us feedback at: [email protected] 

The music in this podcast is "A mis hermanos,” performed by C4 Trio for Americas Society. Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVJ57F2TPl4

Find out about upcoming concerts at: www.musicoftheamericas.org

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members

Follow us on social media:

Twitter/X: @ASCOA
Instagram: @ascoa
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ascoaonline/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ASCOA/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@ascoa

 

The Dominican Republic’s Luis Abinader is one of the most popular leaders in Latin America, if not the world, so it may come as little surprise that Abinader appears to be on comfortable footing to win in the first round of the country’s presidential vote on May 19. But then again, the country’s political climate differs from that of the rest of Latin America in that presidents tend to be popular, elections don’t usually go to runoffs, and polarization levels remain low. In this episode, Temple University Professor Emeritus Rosario Espinal talks with AS/COA Online’s Carin Zissis, providing a larger context to this Dominican electoral cycle.

This is the fourth episode in our 2024 election series. Prior episodes covered the economic agenda for Panama’s next president, the youth vote in Mexico, and Nayib Bukele’s global reach. Get this content and more electoral insight in this year guide at www.as-coa.org/2024. Access a poll tracker for the Dominican presidential race.

We will host President Abinader at the 54th Washington Conference on the Americas. Learn more about the May 8, 2024 event: https://www.as-coa.org/wca2024Read an Americas Quarterly profile of the president: https://americasquarterly.org/article/the-rare-popular-incumbent/

Jon Orbach produced this episode. Maria Despradel contributed reporting. Carin Zissis is the host. Get other episodes of Latin America in Focus at www.as-coa.org/podcast and send us feedback at: [email protected]

The music in this podcast is "Pacholí” performed by Pedro Martínez for Americas Society. Watch the full performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIwKjvpkzN8
Find out about upcoming concerts at: www.musicoftheamericas.org

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members.

Opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Society/Council of the Americas or its members

Follow us on social media:

Twitter/X: @ASCOA
Instagram: @ascoa
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ascoaonline/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ASCOA/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@ascoa