On this episode Pat sits down with Michael Lints, Partner at leading South East Asian VC firm Golden Gate to dive into their expansion into MENA, his move to Qatar, why now and how he sees the two regions complementing each other in terms of ecosystem maturity, VC and LP landscape. 

You will learn about:

• Doing business in MENA
• Cross pollination opportunities between the two regions
• Liquidity and exit opportunities and t he importance of Secondaries in SEA 

You can find Michael on LinkedIn here.

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On this episode Pat sits down with Mihai Faur, CIO of UiPath to discuss his 10 year journey with the company from a small startup in Romania to the global automations company it is today. 

We dive into the IPO readiness piece, how as a Chief Accounting Officer he set the company on the path for IPO following Daniel Dines' vision in 2019 to bring the company public in 2 years. 

You will learn about

• What does it take to get a company from startup mode to IPO ready 
• How to get to operational predictability 
• The role AI will play in UiPath’s 2nd act merging AI and Automations 

You can find Mihai on LinkedIn here. 

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On this episode Pat brings back Alex Lazarow, Managing Partner of Fluent Ventures to talk about where Fintech in emerging markets has been going and where we are heading. So much to unpack as they dive intoThe different tech waves in emerging markets and LatAm more specifically Embedded Finance and the potential that still remains to be unleashed Where B2C Fintech delivered on its promise to increase financial inclusion You can find Alex on LinkedIn here. Also make sure to chec...

On this episode Pat sits down with Coen Jonker, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of TymeBank to discuss their scale-up journey from South Africa into the Philippines building a true multi-country digital bank for emerging markets. You will learn about:Product road map when scaling a digital bank How to approach market expansion and identifying your next target market What financial inclusion truly means for Coen You can find Coen on LinkedIn here. Support the show

On this episode Pat sits down with Mikhail Lomtadze, CEO of superapp Kaspi. We dive into the origin story of the business, its humble beginnings in Kazakhstan to going public on Nasdaq earlier this year at a whopping $20Bn market cap.

You will learn about - How to successully execute the superapp strategy - How to go about product priosiation and not losing focus - Why customer centricity is the key to everything

- The importance of culture in scaling your business

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On this episode Pat sits down with Erin Renzas, the former CMO of Checkout who today runs her own advisory firm EBB strategic to unpack how to unleash marketing performance at the growth stage, the right way to experiment on marketing spent and how to make sure that you nurture the upper funnelWhat you will learnSales is about generating revenue today vs. Marketing is about generating revenue tomorrow - How to strike that balance? What to watch out for when hiring for a CMOHow to communi...

On this episode Pat sits down with the one and only Ralf Wenzel, Founder & CEO of JOKR. We dive into his entrepreneurial journey from growing up in East Germany to his first entrepreneurial stint with Jamba, conquering Asia with Foodpanda and subsequently embarking onto LatAm with grocery delivery platform Jokr. You will learn aboutWhy Founders and Artists are more alike than you would thinkHow to unlock value in grocery delivery in emerging marketsIt is all about integrating the val...

On this episode Pat sits down with Ali Karabey, co-founder of Türkiye's first institutional VC 212 to dive into building the fund, making the first bets, getting conviction and ultimately turning 212 into a platform of funds that invests beyond its country's borders. On this episode you will learn about:Building a fund from scratch Playing the platform game right without losing focus The Türkiye opportunity and its remarkable roster of talentYou can find Ali on LinkedIn here. S...

On this episode Pat sits down with Hamdi Tabbaa, Co-Founder and CEO of leading MENA edtech Abwaab. We dive into his journey moving from expansion at Uber to building a thriving edtech in the region, expansion into other markets and upselling opportunities. You will learn about:The edtech landscape in MENAExpanding into other geos with a highly localised productFundraising in a challenging industry and regional context You can find Hamdi on LinkedIn here. Support the show

On this episode Pat sits down with Dave Nangle, Managing Partner of VEF, a leading VC firm that invests in emerging markets fintech from Latin America to Asia. Dave is a true emerging markets warrior from day one having spent 10 years in Russia in the early 2000s when Tinkoff was getting off the ground and Dave smelled blood, he didn't let go of looking for the future Tinkoff's all across the globe. Fast forward 10 years later VEF has amassed an amazing portfolio of companies including ...

On this episode Pat sits down with Ramiro Lauzan, Partner at growth and private equity investing giant L Catterton to dissect their investment thesis, consumer trends and thematic investing and the playing field in Latin America and why he is bullish on the region. You will learn about:How L Catterton makes long term, thematic driven investment decisionsThe role long-term consumer trends play in defining the categoryThe differences in PE investing in LatAm vs. developed markets and its opport...

On this episode Pat sits down with Carl Fritjofsson, Creandum's partner for the US to dive into what made the VC firm stand out and turn into one of the top European venture firms out there, his take on the future of European tech talent and why he is both optimistic and cautious about 2024. On this episode you will learn about:Carl's journey from former operator to investor Key takeaways for building a lasting VC firm Why he is bullish on the future of European start-ups2024 predic...

On this episode Pat sits down with Managing Partner of Across Capital, Rafael Costa, to dive into his journey building Across investing cross-border in the US & LatAm after a successful career at Summit Partners and Vulcan Capital, how he things around portfolio construction and liquidity for growth stage, getting to conviction when deciding to invest and a lot more.

You will learn about

• How Rafael broke into Venture
• Why he decided to position Across as early growth stage cross border fund
• Why he is all about high conviction, concentrated bets
• His take on driving liquidity and how it influences his decision making around portfolio construction

You can find Rafael on LinkedIn here

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On this episode Pat sits down with the one and only Christopher Schroeder, author, investor, operator and advisor of startups in emerging markets. He has worn many heads during his stellar career amongst them CEO and President of Washington Post's online presence , founder of HealthCentral and President of Legi-Slate as well as senior policy positions during Georg Bush's administration.You will learn about: Christopher's journey into the world of startups and why he is bullish on the fou...

On this episode Mikal Khoso joins Pat to chat with Omair Ansari, Founder and CEO of Pakistan Fintech Abhi about his journey into the world of entrepreneurship, scaling the company, going multi-product early on in the company's lifecycle as well as the expansion into the UAE and neighbouring Bangladesh. You will learn about:The state of the financial services industry in PakistanWhere Abhi fits into the marketScaling in a frontier ecosystem and going against the common wisdom Strateg...

On this episode Pat sits down with Endeavor's Senior Director of Research Leah Barto to discuss research at Endeavor, why studies on emerging ecosystems are important and Endeavor's most recent ground breaking research on founder pathways. You will learn about:The setup of Endeavor Insight, the very own research arm of EndeavorWhere successful unicorn founders come from and what they have in common What makes founders from emerging markets different to founders from the USAny future topi...

On this episode Pat sits down with Julian Roeoes, Partner and Head of the Americas for global early stage fund Picus Capital. We dive into his journey into venture, Picus's born global investment strategy, how to branch out into investing in emerging markets and get off the ground and the business models he believes will shape the next wave of emerging markets entrepreneurship successYou will learn about:Global investing with an emerging markets angleDifferences between public vs. private mar...

On this episode Pat sits down with Yana and Yash of Alter Global, a leading early stage investment firm that has backed companies in the seed to Series-A stage in LatAm, Africa, South East Asia, Middle East and beyond. We dive intoYana and Yash's role at AlterHow Alter is set up as a decentralised, global early stage VC with a lean team Identifying founder talent on the ground at the early stage You can find Yana on LinkedIn here and Yash here. Support the show

On this episode Pat sits down with Victor Chua, Managing Partner of Southeast Asian venture firm Vynn Capital to dive into Victor's investor journey, lessons learned along the way, raising as a first time fund manager and the evolution of the venture and startup ecosystem in the region. You will learn about:Victor's journey into ventureHis time at Gobi Partners and how it prepared him for launching his own firmFundraising and building LP relationshipsThe state of venture in region and th...

On this episode Pat sits down with Victor Noguera & Bernardo Cordero, Co-Founders at leading Mexican proptech Flat.mx to discuss their founder journey, the evolution of the proptech space in Latin America, how Flat is adding valuable building blocks to a more inclusive real-estate market in Mexico and their angel investing activity through their vehicle Nascent.vcOn this episode you will learn about: Victor and Berni's journey into founding Flat What to look for in a co-founderH...

On this episode Pat sits down with Brazilian investment icon Fersen Lambrahno, Chairman of GP Investments.We dive into his long career, the evolution of Brazilian PE and investment space, what makes PE in Brazil to operate fundamentally differently to the US or Europe and much more. You will learn about: Fersen’s way into investing and lessons learned looking back to a fulfilling careerThe evolution of the Brazilian economy in the last 40 yearsWhy PE in Brazil is a lot more operatio...

On this episode Pat sits down with seasoned entrepreneur and investor Ganesh Rengaswamy, co-founding partner of leading fintech inclusion fund Quona and Kulin Shah, Co-Founder and CEO of Onsurity, a leading Indian insurtech. We dive into the founder-investor relationship, the insuretech space in India and how to manage boards successfully. So much to unpack here with the two of the on the show. You will learn about: Kulin & Ganesh's journey into the world of entreprene...

On this episode Pat sits down with Tunisian tech entrepreneur Karim Jouini, Co-Founder and CEO of Expensya. We dive into his journey into tech, scaling out of his native Tunisia, drivers for M&A success and much more. You will learn about: Building an international company from day oneHow to reduce value destruction that comes with an M&A dealThe latest trends and developments in the expense management space You can find Karim on LinkedIn here. Support the show

On this episode Pat sits down with Milena Oliveira, Partner of Latin American early-growth fund Volpe Capital to dive into the dynamics of investing post Series-A, portfolio construction and making concentrated bets in a few select opportunities. We dive into why LatAm Tech entrepreneurs and VCs can produce top tier returns, and Volpe has the data to back it up.

You learn about

- Volpe's investment thesis

- How to convince LPs to bet on the asset class and invest in multi-vintages

- The maturity of LatAm tech entrepreneurs and how they are thriving not only despite the adversity but because of it

You can find Milena on LinkedIn here.

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On this episode Pat sits down with Razaq Ahmed, Co-Founder and CEO of Nigerian Fintech Cowrywise, that is all but revolutionising the retail investment space in the country providing access to investment products to millions of young Nigerians. You will learn about: Razaq's journey into the world of startups and founding Cowrywise after a stint at Investment BankingThe particularities of building a retail investing business in an emerging market such as NigeriaHow to acquire users effect...

On this episode Pat sits down with Sandra Nolasco, CEO and Co-founder of Spain based Twinco Capital, a B2B fintech focused on supply chain financing.On the episode you will learn about:The intricacies of supply chain financing and why the status quo is not helping SMEs in emerging marketsTwinco’s value proposition The role of supply chain traceability and ESG criteriaHow Twinco can become the standard in global trade financingYou can find Sandra on LinkedIn here.Support the show

On this episode Pat sits down with one of LatAm Fintech greats, Pedro Conrade, Co-Founder and CEO of Neon, a leading challenger bank in Brazil that serves more than 23M customers and has raised an impressive $700M. We dive into the making of Neon, how the company has scaled, when is it right time to introduce new product features and how to manage acquisitions successfully.On this episode you will learn: Pedro's way into entrepreneurshipLeadership lessons along the way and why it is...

On this episode Pat sits down with Polish IT entrepreneur Wiktor Schmidt, co-founder and executive chairman of Netguru, a IT company that has scaled to 30M in revenues providing its services at a global scale. Aside from his role at Netguru, Wiktor is the founding board chair of Endeavor Poland. We dive into his role in the Polish ecosystem, his experience scaling Netguru and what is next for the country with the arrival of Endeavor. On this episode you will learn about: W...

On this episode Pat sits down with Inanc Balci, Co-Founder and Partner at emerging markets fintech fund Crestone Venture Capital where he invests across South East Asia and Latin America. We dive into his journey as an operator turned VC, scaling in SEA, similarities between LatAm and SEA in terms of fintech models and much moreYou will learn about: How Inanc ended up in SEA as an operator and Co-founder of Lazada Why operators make good investorsWhat input metrics he finds critical...

On this episode Pat sits down with Lolita Taub, founding partner of Ganas VC, an early stage fund that invests in community-driven business models in the Americas. We dive into Lolita's journey into venture, why immigrant communities, especially Latinx still have an ownership gap to other communities in the US and how that translates into a low representation in start-up founders and VC and how community-driven business models serve as a moat for startups. You will learn about: Why gener...

On this episode Pat sits down with Gerry Giacomán, CEO and Co-Founder of leading B2B fintech Clara. We dive into Gerry's journey into the world of startups, his learnings along the way, how he scaled the company in rapid pace and what role culture and team-building played in this. Crucially we explore the intersection between profitability and growth and why it pays to always be changing. On this episode you will learn about: How to be ready for hypergrowth mode for your startupThe ...

On this episode Pat sits down with Jonathan Whittle, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of emerging markets fintech inclusion fund Quona Capital. We dive into his journey from operator to VC, lessons learned from the dot-com bust and what it means for today's market correction, the status of Fintech in emerging markets and why it pays to become a bank at the final stage of a B2C fintech's growth journeyOn this episode you will learn about: Jonathan's journey into VC and long time engag...

On this episode Pat sits down with Sergiu Negut, Co-Founder of leading low-code platform FintechOS to dive into the scale-up journey for the company, how they attracted an impressive roster of banks and insurance companies to use their platform to develop digital products, why the digital transformation of incumbents is relevant and how to build a global company from day one. You will learn about:Sergiu's journey into techThe banking and insurance landscape and why launching digital prod...

On this episode Pat sits down with Ricardo Kanitz, founding partner of Spectra Investments to talk about the founding of the alternatives investment firm, how they gained the trust of their LPs, their strategy on performing due diligence on GPs, diversifying their portafolio, the current state of alternatives in LatAm during a period of high interest rates and much more. On this episode you will learn about: The beginnings of Spectra and the vision behind the firm becoming an investment ...

On this episode Pat sits down with Alexis Pantazis, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of European insurtech Hellas Direct to dive into the insurtech playbook, succeeding in smaller yet profitable markets in Southern and Eastern Europe, and how to go about vertical integration as a moat to build maximum value for consumers. 

To date Hellas has raised more than $85M from the likes of5G Ventures S.A | Phaistos Investment Fund,Portage ,ETF Partners - The Environmental Technologies Fund ,IFC - International Finance Corporation,EBRD,Convex Insurance andEndeavor Catalyst and since its founding has expanded to Romania and further grown their insurance offering through vertical integration.

You will learn about

- The Insurtech playbook on going direct to the customer but also through brokers

- How to go about expansion from smaller markets and under penetrated segments that in aggregate have significant value creation potential 

- How Greece made their way out of the slump and are now one of the best performing and dynamic economies in Europe

You can find Alexis on LinkedInhere.

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On this episode Pat sits down with Axel Christensen, Chief Investment Strategist and Managing Director for Latin America & Iberia at leading asset manager Blackrock to dive into the current macro environment, how it affects investment decisions and what it means for emerging markets. On this episode you will learn about: The interplay between interest rates and investment decisionsCurrency fluctuations in emerging markets and LatAm specifically What is the new investment paradig...

On this episode Pat sits down with Arjuna Costa, Managing Partner at leading fintech fund Flourish, which is part of the Omidyar network, we dive into the challenges of achieving true financial inclusion and access to capital for everyone, how the next waves of fintech products will evolve and making the most out of embedded financeOn this episode you will learn about: Arjuna's journey into VC The evolution of financial inclusion in emerging markets and beyondHow embedded fina...

On this episode Pat sits down with Robin Butler, Partner and Head of Impact at frontier investment firm, Sturgeon Capital. Robin eloquently unpacks the $300bn opportunity in frontier markets in Central Asia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Egypt and how you can combine profit and impact making a lasting impact on growth and innovation in these markets. You will learn about: Sturgeon's thesis and why these marketsHow Robin thinks about the challenges in frontier ecosystems in terms of dealflow d...

On this episode Pat sits down with Wenyi Cai, Co-Founder and CEO of Latin American venture studio Polymath. We dive into Wenyi's journey into LatAm, the region's similarities with Asia, Polymath's approach to venture building and designing business and much more. On this episode you will learn about: The characteristics of the Latin American middle class and why is it difficult to service them Parallels between Asia / China and LatAm in terms of building business for the middle clas...

On this episode Pat sits down with Noureddine Tayebi, founder and CEO of leading ride-hailing super app Yassir, the YC-backed company started out in 2017 to provide on-demand services in French-speaking Africa quickly scaling beyond its native Algeria into neighbouring Morocco and Tunisia. Last year the company closed a historic US$30M Series-A backed by the likes of WndrCo, FJ Labs, DN Capital, Kismet and Endeavor Catalyst. Now they just announced a US$ 150M Series-B led by BOND, with p...

On this episode Pat sits down with Jacobo Singer, President of leading payment processor dLocal. During the conversation, they dive into the company's expansion journey from tiny Uruguay onto conquering huge markets such as Brazil and India, the company methodology on identifying and promoting talent from within and how they are trailblazing their way onto the African continent. Jacobo is currently based out of South Africa to lead the company's expansion across the continent. On this episode...

On this episode Pat sits down with one of the veterans of the tech investment space, Francisco Alvarez-Demalde, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Riverwood Capital. Alongside the 15 years of the firm, Francisco has seen it all and provides valuable insights into how to build a generational firm, how to extract the most value from boards and his key investment criteria. On this episode you will learn about: The origin story of Riverwood Capital Francisco's take on identifying and ha...

On this episode Pat sits down with Clara Gold, former Director of Growth and Product of Latin American superapp Rappi. We dive into her journey, how Rappi has evolved along those years and how she personally grew within the company as it went through hyper growth. The narrative ties the Rappi expansion years to the growth of the LatAm ecosystem, putting into context how fundamental those years where. You will learn about:How to grow with the companyWhy a culture of hustling and relentless exe...

On this episode Pat sits down with Matt Cole, CEO of Suma SaaS to talk about his approach to leadership, how leadership styles have to evolve in VUCA environments and what makes a successful leader. We also dive into his journey into startups in LatAm and the future plans for Suma. On this episode you will learn about: What makes a successful leaderWhat is paradoxical leadership and how to implement it Why coaching is critical to evolve and grow your leadership skillsYou can fi...

On this episode Pat sits down with Tiago Costa Alves, Golden Gate's first EIR (Entrepreneur in Residence) to talk about doing business and scaling in SEA, his own journey into startups and the region, what the EIR role is about and why it made sense for Golden Gate to embrace it. On this episode you will learn about: Cultural differences in and across SEA What to be aware of when scaling tech teams in the region The startup opportunity in SEAWhy an EIR adds value to any fund an...

On this episode Pat sits down with Jimena Prado, Partner at Latin American VC firm Hi Ventures, which has backed the likes of Cornershop and Fintual. We explore Jimena's journey from one of the first female founders in Mexico to becoming an investor, how she thinks about navigating the current AI craze and where LatAm entrepreneurs can play at and capture value.

Hi Ventures is one of the leading early stage funds in LatAm, having backed the likes of Cornershop (exited to Uber at 3Bn), Sequoia backed Fintual and Clau.com. Founded by Federico Antoni, it has raised more than US$170M over 4 vintages.

We dive into: - How to filter through the AI noise and where LatAm entrepreneurs play in the space - Transitioning from founder to funder - How Hi Ventures has formulated their investment thesis around AI

You can find Jimena on LinkedIn here.

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This episode is a recording from a panel conversation at Endeavor on the "Deciphering LatAm VC" study, a research that dives into how LatAm VCs make decisions, are structured and add value. The conversation starts with a brief 15min presentation by Pat on the core findings of the study and then dives into a panel discussion with Magdalena Coronel (CIO @IDB Labs), Daniela Izquierdo (CEO & Co-Founder, Foodology), Andy Tsao (SVB), Adolfo Blasco (Nazca). We dive into: The current state o...

On this episode Pat sat down with Seedstars Co-Founder and CIO Charlie Graham Brown to dissect the evolution of investing and entrepreneurship in emerging markets over the last decade, how Seedstars got off the ground and what is next for the organisation. On this episode you will learn about: Charlie's way into the world of startupsThe origins of Seedstars and what is next for the organisationHow to build high performing growth teams You can find Charlie on LinkedIn here. For more ...

On this episode Pat sits down with Dan Green, Partner and Co-Head of the Latin America Practice of Gunderson Dettmer, a leading global law firm on VC transactions. Based on his decade long experience as legal counsel on some of the most important transactions in LatAm, we dive into the current macro-situation and what it means for entrepreneurs out there fundraising and negotiating with VCs. Dan provides crucial tips and lessons on how to manoeuvre, the current environment, how to create leve...

On this episode Pat sits down with Allen Taylor, Managing Director of Endeavor Catalyst, Endeavor's own investment vehicle that invests in a rules-based manner into Endeavor entrepreneurs in the nonprofits +40 markets.We dive into how the fund has scaled from its early beginnings in 2012 to the recently announced close of fund IV with a US$292M fund size. On this episode you will learn about: Allen's career with Endeavor The current macro-environment and how it translates into a cha...