Category: Crossing Borders Podcast

Ximena Aleman, Prometeo: Building the future of financial services in LatAm, Ep 154

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:

  • [1:35] – About Prometeo
  • [1:50] – Differences between LatAm and US markets
  • [4:58] – Being an entrepreneur from Uruguay
  • [6:58] – From journalism to creating a product that scales
  • [12:25] – Choosing to specialize in fintech
  • [15:45] – Understanding the ‘elite’ labels
  • [27:15] – The female founder in fintech experience
  • [30:54] – Advice to Ximena’s younger self
  • [35:23] – What’s next for Prometeo?

Show notes on Latamlist.com.

Caterine Castillo, Neivor: The Startup that streamlines building administration in Latin America, Ep 153

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:

  • [2:34] – About Neivor
  • [5:20] – Dealing with fraud
  • [6:35] – Where Neivor operates
  • [7:02] – Becoming an entrepreneur
  • [8:20] – From fintech to founder
  • [9:14] – Biggest lessons learned in fintech
  • [10:24] – Growing Neivor’s team 
  • [13:40] – Fundraising process
  • [15:30] – Jumping to Mexico
  • [18:00] – How to sell in Mexico
  • [20:27] – Books, blogs, and podcast recommendations
  • [21:20] – Caterine’s advice to her younger self
  • [22:09] – What’s next for Neivor? 

Show notes on Latamlist.com.


This episode of Crossing Borders is brought to you by AWS Startups.

AWS Startups supports entrepreneurs in Latin America across multiple programs, including Cloud Credits to help startups test features and extend runway, technical support to help optimize AWS solutions and integrations with your product, and – on the business side – help you build strategic contacts with investment funds, accelerators, and corporations to accelerate your growth.

For more information, check out aws.amazon.com/es/campaigns/founders, where you can access $1,350 in AWS credits for your startup.

Gonzalo Blanco, Quansa: Promoting employee financial health in Latin America, Ep 152

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:

  • [1:46] – About Quansa
  • [4:55] – The entrepreneurial ‘itch’
  • [6:15] – Transition from the corporate world
  • [10:26] – On meeting his co-founder
  • [12:47] – Misaligned incentives in financial solutions
  • [24:30] – Quansa’s fundraising process
  • [28:00] – Advice to Gonzalo’s younger self 
  • [29:49] – Books, blogs, and podcast recommendations
  • [31:20] – What’s next for Quansa?
  • [33:00] – Magma Partners and Quansa

Show notes on Latamlist.com.

Greatest Hits Episode: Marta Forero, Driving Economic Growth in LatAm via Corporate Education with UBits, Ep 151

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:

  • [2:44] – What is UBits?
  • [3:09] – Courses the platform offers
  • [4:00] – How did you decide on UBits?
  • [5:26] – Why Marta decided to build a company
  • [7:18] – The benefits of a supportive dad
  • [9:32] – First steps in founding UBits.
  • [11:32] – How did you meet your co-founder?
  • [13:33] – On getting their first client
  • [15:40] – Decision to focus exclusively on online courses.
  • [16:52] – Toward a scalable business model
  • [18:22] – When did you decide to start raising money for the business?
  • [18:35] – Bootstrapping in Latin America.
  • [19:40] – Applying for Y Combinator
  • [23:20] -Tips for a Y Combinator interview.
  • [25:18] – How did you practice putting everything into 15-second responses?
  • [26:20] – Going to the US with a strategic plan and not feeling shame.
  • [29:24] – How to make the most of YC
  • [31:23] – Raising an investment round after Y Combinator.
  • [33:05] – Advice to other Latin American founders trying to raise in the US.
  • [35:10] – Being a female founder in Latin America.
  • [36:40] – How the ecosystem can improve on being more gender-inclusive.
  • [38:20] – Advice for women looking to raise money in the US and expand their business.
  • [40:46] – Marta’s top resources for entrepreneurs
  • [41:47] – What’s next for you and UBits?

Show notes on Latamlist.com.