Semilla.VC

Allison Kern, Morro Ventures Partner, Semilla.VC Interview

On this episode of Semilla.VC, the podcast highlighting the most exciting and revolutionary figures in Latin American Venture Capital, Tech, and Society, Trip Gorman spoke with Allison Kern, Partner at Morro Ventures. Morro is a new early-stage venture capital fund based in San Juan, Puerto Rico investing in attractive technology-enabled products and services across the Hispanic market. The Fund leverages the unique position of Puerto Rico, as a U.S. law-based and U.S. dollar-denominated entity with a bilingual populace to provide a platform for offshore Spanish-speaking companies to launch into the U.S. market and for American companies to capitalize on opportunities in Latin America. Prior to her current role, Allison was previously a Senior Associate at StarVest Partners and a Senior Associate at the Carlyle Group. 
In this episode, we discussed:✅ Puerto Rico’s Venture Capital & Technology ecosystem.✅ What you need to know about Puerto Rico; its legal status in the United States, the tax incentives, and even what life is like there.✅ How Morro is fundraising in the current interest rate environment.
We talked about all this and more in this episode of Semilla.VC
🌎 Subscribe to Semilla.VC's www.Dealflow.la Newsletter! 🌎
Subscribe to Semilla.VC on YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcasts!Host: Trip Gorman, Twitter @GormanTrip, Linkedin: Tripg.me

Leonardo Quintão, Smoov Founder, Semilla.VC Interview

On this episode of Semilla.VC, the podcast highlighting the most exciting and revolutionary figures in Latin American Venture Capital, Tech, and Society, Trip Gorman spoke with  Leo Quintao, Founder of Smoov, a retail Smoothie Company founded in São Paulo, Brazil. Yes, Semilla.VC is a podcast about Latin American VC and technology, but Smoov is a smoothie shop I came across in São Paulo when walking down the street in São Paulo over the summer. I saw a sign for Zero sugar smoothies…it felt like back home in the United States…even more specifically back home in California. When I walked up to the counter, Leonardo and his co-founder greeted me–first in Portuguese…and when it was clear my Portuguese wasn’t sufficient…then in English and told me about his company Smoov. After spending time in the US, he wanted to bring healthy, zero-sugar Smoothies to Brazil and popularize them. Just like some enterprising entrepreneurs have done in the past decade by bringing Acai from Brazil to the United States. 
https://smoovco.com/en/
In this episode, we discussed:✅ Everything you’d ever want to know about operating a brick-and-mortar business in Brazil.✅ How Leo prioritizes safety in Brazil's “security situation”.✅ Brazilian hourly wage for retail workers.✅ Why he doesn’t hire and place friends together in the same store.
and much, much more!
🌎 Subscribe to Semilla.VC's www.Dealflow.la Newsletter! 🌎
Subscribe to Semilla.VC on YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcasts!Host: Trip Gorman, Twitter @GormanTrip, Linkedin: Tripg.me

Eric Yáñez, Holacasa.mx (YC W23) Founder and CEO, Semilla.VC Interview

On this episode of Semilla.VC, the podcast highlighting the most exciting and revolutionary figures in Latin American Venture Capital, Tech, and Society, Trip Gorman spoke with Eric Yáñez, the Founder and CEO of Holacasa.mx (YC W23). Before founding Holacasa, he was the founder and CEO of HolaHipo and Mentoreamos. 
In this episode, we discussed:✅ How Eric used no code tools like Canva and Figma instead of a design agency to build out his website.✅ How Y Combinator helped catalyze Holacasa’s growth✅ How Eric has found success as a solo founder
We talked about all this and more in this episode of Semilla.VC
🌎 Subscribe to Semilla.VC's www.Dealflow.la Newsletter! 🌎
Subscribe to Semilla.VC on YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcasts!Host: Trip Gorman, Twitter @GormanTrip, Linkedin: Tripg.me

Claudio Schlegel, Platanus/Cometa/99 LP & Angel Investor, Semilla.VC Interview

On this episode of Semilla.VC, the podcast highlighting the most exciting and revolutionary figures in Latin American Venture Capital, Tech, and Society, Trip Gorman spoke with Claudio Schlegel for a special episode to hear about a new perspective…the boss's boss…the LP! Claudio is an LP in 99 Startups, Platanus Ventures, and Cometa. He is also an angel investor.
In this episode, we discussed:✅ What the minimum LP investment is for LatAm VC funds, and how he’s able to invest in them below their normal thresholds.✅ What type of companies he invests in as an Angel Investor.✅ How Claudio provides real value to his portfolio companies.
We talked about all this and more in this episode of Semilla.VC
🌎 Subscribe to Semilla.VC's www.Dealflow.la Newsletter! 🌎
Subscribe to Semilla.VC on YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcasts!Host: Trip Gorman, Twitter @GormanTrip, Linkedin: Tripg.me

Rafa Barroso, Apple Engineering Manager, Semilla.VC Interview

On this episode of Semilla.VC, the podcast highlighting the most exciting and revolutionary figures in Latin American Venture Capital, Tech, and Society, Trip Gorman spoke with Rafa Barroso, Engineering Manager at Apple and a former Solutions Architect at Google. Rafa is also an Advisory Board Member at DUX Capital, an Angel Investor, and a former founder.
In this episode, we discussed:✅ How he adds value as a *technical* angel investor.✅ Why you NEED a technical co-founder.✅ Why co-founder relationships destroy most startups.
We talked about all this and more in this episode of Semilla.VC
and much, much more!
🌎 Subscribe to Semilla.VC's www.Dealflow.la Newsletter! 🌎
Subscribe to Semilla.VC on YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcasts!Host: Trip Gorman, Twitter @GormanTrip, Linkedin: Tripg.me

Javier Sánchez Aldana, CARABELA Managing Partner, Semilla.VC Interview

On this episode of Semilla.VC, the podcast highlighting the most exciting and revolutionary figures in Latin American Venture Capital, Tech, and Society, Trip Gorman spoke with Javier Sanchez Aldana, Managing Partner at Carabela, based in Guadalajara, Mexico.
In this episode, we discussed:✅ Why some founders try to solve too many problems at once.✅ What is happening in Guadalajara’s venture capital and tech scene.✅ Why Javier is betting on underrepresented founders.
We talked about all this and more in this episode of Semilla.VC
🌎 Subscribe to Semilla.VC's www.Dealflow.la Newsletter! 🌎
Subscribe to Semilla.VC on YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcasts!Host: Trip Gorman, Twitter @GormanTrip, Linkedin: Tripg.me
 

Claudio Barahona, Alaya Capital Managing Partner, Semilla.VC Interview

On this episode of Semilla.VC, the podcast highlighting the most exciting and revolutionary figures in Latin American Venture Capital, Tech, and Society, Trip Gorman spoke with Claudio Barahona, Managing Partner at Alaya Capital. Claudio is on the board of Kilimo Agtech, Backstartup, Houm, Inti-Tech, Telenty, Pago49, and Rocketpin.
In this episode, we discussed:✅ The advantage of doing business in Chile✅ What the real role of boards is for venture-backed companies and how he operates on them✅ Why he wants all of Latin America to be a single common country
and much, much more!
🌎 Subscribe to Semilla.VC's www.Dealflow.la Newsletter! 🌎
Subscribe to Semilla.VC on YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcasts!Host: Trip Gorman, Twitter @GormanTrip, Linkedin: Tripg.me

Joel Phillips, Siglo Internet (YC S21) Founder, Semilla.VC Interview

On this episode of Semilla.VC, the podcast highlighting the most exciting and revolutionary figures in Latin American Venture Capital, Tech, and Society, Trip Gorman spoke with Joel Phillips, Founder of Siglo Internet (YC S21).
Before Founding Siglo Internet (YC S21), Joel was CEO of Farrow Ventures, a mobile money, payment, and content platform that he scaled to 1.5 Million users in Mexico and Colombia.
In this episode, we discussed:✅ How to allow customers to pay for your product at 7/11, OXXO, and other retail locations in Mexico✅ How Cambridge Analytica killed his last startup after Trump’s election✅ Joel and Siglo’s experience in Y Combinator 
and much, much more!
🌎 Subscribe to Semilla.VC's www.Dealflow.la Newsletter! 🌎
Subscribe to Semilla.VC on YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcasts!Host: Trip Gorman, Twitter @GormanTrip, Linkedin: Tripg.me

Alejandro Gonzalez, Redwood Ventures Managing Partner, Semilla.VC Interview

On this episode of Semilla.VC, the podcast highlighting the most exciting and revolutionary figures in Latin American Venture Capital, Tech, and Society, Trip Gorman spoke with Alejandro Gonzalez. Alejandro is a Managing Partner at Redwood Ventures, an early-stage fund based in Guadalajara, and a Managing Partner at Santatera Capital, a global fund investing in emerging companies in the food & beverage industry, with a particular focus on those seeking to dominate the US market.
In this episode, we discussed:
✅ What Redwood Ventures does differently.✅ Redwood’s Investment in Seeri✅ Why he co-created Santatera Capital to capitalize on the future of innovation in the food & beverage industry.✅ Food & Beverage Innovation in the USA vs. LatAm
and much, much more!
🌎 Subscribe to Semilla.VC's www.Dealflow.la Newsletter! 🌎
Subscribe to Semilla.VC on YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcasts!Host: Trip Gorman, Twitter @GormanTrip, Linkedin: Tripg.me

Vicente Zavarce, Yummy (YC S21) Founder & CEO Semilla.VC Interview

On this episode of Semilla.VC, the podcast highlighting the most exciting and revolutionary figures in Latin American Venture Capital, Tech, and Society, Trip Gorman spoke with Vicente Zavarce, the Founder & CEO of Yummy (YC S21), which operates services like rideshare and food delivery in overlooked Latin American markets like Venezuela and Bolivia. I have to say, I particularly enjoy speaking with founders who truly are contrarian and Vicente is exactly that.
In this episode we discussed:
✅ Building a team and startup in Venezuela✅ The differences in pricing rideshare for Venezuela, including difficulties calculating rates, and Yummy’s introduction of price bidding. ✅ The difficulties of fundraising for a startup with Yummy’s geographic focus of Venezuela and Bolivia.✅ The role of Venezuela in the future of Latin American Venture Capital & Technology. 
and much, much more!
Listen to Semilla.VC on all major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/semilla-vc/id1629579231) and Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7nFfqPL4Sj8e8yI9kTzdsa?si=a6f5daec54a3491a)
🌎 Subscribe to Semilla.VC's www.Dealflow.la Newsletter! 🌎
Subscribe to Semilla.VC on YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcasts!Host: Trip Gorman, Twitter @GormanTrip, Linkedin: Tripg.me
Filming date: 6/9/2023