Nathan Lustig

Daniel Peña, LocalAdventures: Making travel easier for Latin Americans, Ep 161

Category : Crossing Borders Podcast
Posted on by

You can now find the full show notes of the Crossing Borders podcast on LatamList.com’s podcast section. I’ll still post the audio of the podcast on my blog and I’m planning to start writing more again on my blog, like I used to.

Subscribe to the LatamList Weekly newsletter to get updated on the week’s top tech news and stories from the region.

Thanks for listening to Crossing Borders all these years! If you have any feedback or questions, please feel free to reach out here, or contact me on social media.

Outline of the episode:

  • [01:24] – About LocalAdventures
  • [02:01] – What is the unique solution that LocalAdventures offers?
  • [04:25] – Daniel’s background
  • [06:25] – Starting LocalAdventures
  • [08:39] – Couchsurfing in Dallas
  • [11:36] – LocalAdventures’ transition through the pandemic
  • [14:36] – How LocalAdventures grew during the pandemic
  • [16:07] – Products that LocalAdventures offers to travelers 
  • [18:25] – Building a sales-focused organization
  • [20:40] – Advice for entrepreneurs who are just getting started
  • [22:26] – Daniel’s book recommendations
  • [23:26] – Advice to Daniel’s younger self
  • [25:05] – The future of LocalAdventures

Show notes on Latamlist.com

Miguel Medina, Plerk: Revolutionizing employee benefits in Latin America, Ep 160

Category : Crossing Borders Podcast
Posted on by

You can now find the full show notes of the Crossing Borders podcast on LatamList.com’s new podcast section. I’ll still post the audio of the podcast on my blog and I’m planning to start writing more again on my blog, like I used to.

Subscribe to the LatamList Weekly newsletter to get updated on the week’s top tech news and stories from the region.

Thanks for listening to Crossing Borders all these years! If you have any feedback or questions, please feel free to reach out here, or contact me on social media.

Outline of this episode:

  • [01:34] – About Plerk
  • [04:10] – Miguel’s background 
  • [05:58] – Work experience before being an entrepreneur
  • [08:30] – Launching Rappi in Latin American cities
  • [10:20] – Turning point of Miguel’s coming of age
  • [12:13] – Biggest lessons learned at Rappi
  • [13:15] – Making his own path
  • [15:33] – The origins of Plerk
  • [17:57] – Overcoming obstacles in entrepreneurship
  • [20:15] – Creating an ecosystem with Plerk
  • [22:44] – How fintechs are disrupting the industry
  • [24:03] – Miguel’s recommendations
  • [24:37] – Advice to younger self
  • [25:10] – Next years for Plerk

Show notes on Latamlist.com

Greatest Hits Episode: Mariana Castillo, Ben & Frank: Direct-to-Consumer Eyewear for the Mexican Market, Ep 159

Category : Crossing Borders Podcast
Posted on by

Mariana_Castillo_Ben_Frank

You can now find the full show notes of the Crossing Borders podcast on LatamList.com’s new podcast section. I’ll still post the audio of the podcast on my blog and I’m planning to start writing more again on my blog, like I used to.

Subscribe to the LatamList Weekly newsletter to get updated on the week’s top tech news and stories from the region.

Thanks for listening to Crossing Borders all these years! If you have any feedback or questions, please feel free to reach out here, or contact me on social media.

Outline of this episode:

  • [1:37] – About Ben & Frank
  • [2:06] – Traditional retail experience for eyewear in Mexico
  • [3:23] – Mexican roots, nomadic upbringing
  • [5:05] – Entrepreneurial journey
  • [6:00] – Internship at ALLVP
  • [6:55] – Lessons learned at the Central Bank and ALLVP
  • [7:55] – Why tackle this specific problem?
  • [9:04] – Ben & Frank’s inflection point
  • [11:48] – Building a brand in Mexico
  • [13:15] – Insights into Latam’s direct-to-consumer category
  • [14:20] – Competing with traditional retailers
  • [17:25] – Expanding Mexican direct-to-consumer brands
  • [18:15] – Advice to Mariana’s younger self
  • [18:41] – Fundraising for a direct-to-consumer startup
  • [23:18] – Being a female founder in Latam
  • [26:35] – Avoiding biases in the VC ecosystem 
  • [29:07] – What’s next for Mariana and Ben & Frank?

Show notes on Latamlist.com.

Santiago Aparicio, Ontop: Building the future of work from Latin America, Ep 158

Category : Crossing Borders Podcast
Posted on by

Santiago Aparicio

You can now find the full show notes of the Crossing Borders podcast on LatamList.com’s new podcast section. I’ll still post the audio of the podcast on my blog and I’m planning to start writing more again on my blog, like I used to.

Subscribe to the LatamList Weekly newsletter to get updated on the week’s top tech news and stories from the region.

Thanks for listening to Crossing Borders all these years! If you have any feedback or questions, please feel free to reach out here, or contact me on social media.

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

Show notes on Latamlist.com