Cristian Raygoza is a cheerleader of the Latin American innovation ecosystem. Currently, he is Head of Startups and VC at Clara, the leading Latin American solution for businesses to make and manage all their payments, with a presence in Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia. He is also Managing Partner of Iluminar Ventures, which invests in early stage startups in Spanish-speaking Latin America. Cristian is also on the board of TrueColors LatAm, a new nonprofit advocating for LGBTQ representation in the Latin American tech ecosystem. Cristian is Mexican-American and is originally from Los Angeles, California. He received his BA in Economics from the University of Chicago.

In today’s episode, you will learn more about:

• The importance of building ecosystems in Latin America.
• How regulations and governments play a role in innovation development.
• The different projects Cristian is currently working on and how they supplement each other.

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#AllThingsLatinXVC

Hosted by Fernanda Sesto

Santiago Rojas Montoya is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Cube Ventures, a VC firm that accelerates early stage tech startups in Latin America.

Santiago’s story is fascinating. Born and raised in Colombia, moved to Florida in the United States after experiencing some turbulent family conflict. He then moved back again and received a JD Degree from Universidad de los Andes in Bogota.

Previously, Santiago co-founded Startop Co and Phylo Legal, and received awards such as the Kairos Society Fellowship and IBM Global Entrepreneurship distinction.

In this episode you will learn more about:

• Santiago's story going from studying Law to be a Managing Director
• Cube Ventures creation and what Santiago looks for in startups
• The differences between being a startup founder and an investor

Follow The LatAm Venture Capital Podcast on Linkedin!

#AllThingsLatinXVC

Hosted by Fernanda Sesto

Damaris Mendoza is a Mexican communicator and investor. She led the Investor Relations/Fundraising efforts at 500 Global for LatAm. Her journey in the ecosystem began when she joined Boletia, where she served in various roles before becoming part of the 500 LatAm team. Prior to that, she built her career in the media industry.

Within the VC industry, she has served on the board of Mujeres Invirtiendo and as an ambassador for WeInvest Latam and Global Women in VC.

Currently, she is a Partner at 500 Global, the most active early-stage investment fund globally with the mission is to support the most talented entrepreneurs in the region with capital and guidance.

In this episode, you will learn more about:

• Damaris’ experience fundraising for the first time
• Her thoughts about the evolution of VC platform in Latin America
• How to create a strategy for a fund

Follow The LatAm Venture Capital Podcast on Linkedin!

#AllThingsLatinXVC

Hosted by Fernanda Sesto