Sramana Mitra: Is FinTech a sector that you have invested more in? This is a global trend.
Hernan Fernandez: Yes. We were lucky enough to be in the middle of the FinTech wave. When we started the fund in 2013, we had no idea that we were going to see FinTech deals. When we started seeing the trends, we realized we needed to build a proper FinTech capacity.
Out of our first fund, we invested in 21 companies, six of which are in FinTech. Two of the top performers are in FinTech. Mexicans banks are getting better, but they are so expensive.
>>>Sramana Mitra: Talk about the companies. What problems are they solving?
Jose Duestua: We have one startup that’s focusing on changing the way teachers teach in K12. In Latin America, we’re lagging behind in using technology in classrooms.
This startup is trying to put all textbooks on a platform where you can learn from the platform but also incorporate artificial intelligence. You can customize educational training and programs for each student.
>>>Sramana Mitra: You said you invest in Mexico, Chile, Peru, and Colombia. Are the angel investors also from all the four countries or are they all Mexican investors?
Hernan Fernandez: We have a very broad base of angel investors that represents 15 nationalities. We do have investors from the US and Canada, but the core is certainly Mexico. Colombia might be a close second. We have Germany, Spain, Japan, Thailand, and Australia.
>>>Responding to a popular request, we are now sharing transcripts of our investor podcast interviews in this new series. The following interview with Jose Deustua was recorded in May 2019.
Jose Deustua, Managing Director at UTEC Ventures, talks about Peru’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Sramana Mitra: Let’s get to know you. Let’s get you introduced to our audience. Tell us about yourself as well as UTEC Ventures.
>>>Responding to a popular request, we are now sharing transcripts of our investor podcast interviews in this new series. The following interview with Hernan Fernandez was recorded in May 2019.
Hernan Fernandez is Managing Partner at Angel Ventures Mexico, a firm that invests in Mexico, Chile, Peru, and Colombia. This is an excellent discussion on trends in Latin America.
Sramana Mitra: Let’s get to know you and let’s get to know Angel Ventures Mexico. Tell us about the fund. Tell us about your activities. Where do you invest? What size fund do you run?
>>>Alain le Loux is General Partner at Cottonwood Technology Fund. The firm invests in hardcore technology startups in Northern Europe and the South West of United States.
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Luis Gutierrez Roy, Managing General Partner of Telegraph Hill Capital, discusses his firms’ investment thesis. The fund provides Spanish Limited Partners access to investment opportunities in the US and Europe.
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Sramana Mitra: My last trend question is B2B versus B2C. It sounds like it’s largely a B2C entrepreneur pool.
Eghosa Omoigui: Actually, it’s the other way around. That has some correlation with the difficulty of access to capital. What you find is that more entrepreneurs are entering businesses where their path to revenue is much shorter.
No one is going to give you three years of financing to go out and build a customer base and not monetize. We’ve done a few consumer plays, but many investors favor B2B.
>>>