Shows
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaHow Sami Tripled Gross Margin in Brazil's $60B Private Health Insurance Market w / Dr. Vitor AsseitunoDr. Vitor Asseituno is the CEO and Co-Founder of Sami, Brazil's fastest-growing health insurance startup. Sami has raised $65M total funding and serves 20,000+ customers across 11 Brazilian cities in the $60B private health insurance market.Key Insights & Takeaways:1. The "pipeline mathematics" behind turning 100+ VC rejections into Series B success2. Investor psychology: what resonates when pitching complex healthcare business models3. How embracing broker networks after everyone said "avoid them" drives 50%+ of sales4. AI workflow implementation: $800+ monthly savings per clinician and 30% EMR compliance improvement5. Loss ratio optimization tactics: the specific...2025-07-2959 minThe J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaFederico Vega (Frete.com) on Cracking Network Effects in a $100B Legacy Freight MarketWelcome to Season 4 of The J Curve with me, Olga Maslikhova.This week, I sit down with Federico Vega, founder and CEO of Frete.com—the largest freight matching platform in Latin America.Federico’s story is anything but conventional: he grew up in a small town in Patagonia, left a career in investment banking at JP Morgan in London, and moved—without speaking the language—to Brazil to reinvent an entire industry. What started as a Facebook group for truck drivers has evolved into a logistics giant, processing nearly $18 billion in freight transactions annually and servi...2025-07-011h 14The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaOlga Maslikhova, Host of The J Curve: LATAM’s Volatility Builds Better OperatorsWelcome to this special solo episode of Season 4 of The J Curve with me, Olga Maslikhova.Every few months, I zoom out to reflect on the lessons that stuck with me from the show. Think of this as your quarterly operator’s memo—especially if you’re building, raising, or investing in Latin America.Q2 was full of sharp insights and real operator depth. But in this edition of The J Curve Insider, I won’t recap every episode.I’ll go deep into three. João Del Valle (EBANX), Mike Packer (QED...2025-06-1727 minThe J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaCaetano Lacerda & Raphael Dyxklay (Barte) on How to Win Mid-to-Large B2B Customers in Latin AmericaWelcome to Season 4 of The J Curve with me, Olga Maslikhova.This week, I sit down with Caetano Lacerda and Raphael Dyxklay, co-founders of Brazilian fintech Barte, which is transforming the payments and working capital landscape for mid-to-large companies.Barte’s journey is a masterclass in efficient growth: from zero to $10M ARR in less than two years on just $1.5M of burn—and then growing sustainably to $20M ARR. Along the way, they’ve pioneered a build-in-public strategy that attracts customers, builds trust, and fosters engagement. They’ve also developed sharp insights into segmenting by use c...2025-06-031h 02The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaJoao Del Valle (EBANX) on The Future of Payments and Why Being Global by Default Is EBANX’s Biggest MoatWelcome to Season 4 of The J Curve with me, Olga Maslikhova.This week, I sit down with João Del Valle, co-founder and CEO of EBANX—one of Latin America’s most iconic fintech stories and a company that built one of the most expansive cross-border payment platforms in the world.Founded in Curitiba—well outside Brazil’s traditional tech hub of São Paulo—EBANX was built for scale from day one. Its global-by-design approach quickly became a powerful competitive moat, allowing the company to expand into 29 countries, process billions in cross-border...2025-05-201h 12The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaMike Packer (QED) on the Post-2021 Reset—and Why AI-Driven Platforms WinWelcome to Season 4 of The J Curve with me, Olga Maslikhova.Last week I got to spend a few days in cidade maravilhosa—Rio de Janeiro—for Web Summit, which this year attracted over 37,000 people. The event was action-packed—both inside the venue and across the city, with an incredible lineup of side events.It was a milestone week for The J Curve. We recorded our very first live episode on stage—a conversation I’ve been wanting to have for a long time, and the one we’re releasing today: a live interview with Mike Packer...2025-05-0632 minThe J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaMarcelo Lutz & Roberto Biselli (Capim) on the $14B Dental Market—and the Credit Wedge That Cracked ItWelcome to Season 4 of The J Curve 🎙️This week, I sit down with Marcelo Lutz and Roberto Biselli, the co-founders and co-CEOs of Capim—a vertical SaaS + fintech company that started as an MBA class project and is now doing $10M+ in ARR, serving thousands of dental clinics across Brazil.Their story breaks every rule—and proves that in Latin America’s most fragmented industries, the right wedge isn’t software. It’s credit.Instead of trying to “disrupt” dentistry with a standard SaaS tool, Marcelo and Roberto built a credit product tailor-made for the quirks of Braz...2025-04-2255 minThe J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaOlga Maslikhova, host of The J Curve on What Latam Founders Get Wrong About ExitsWelcome to this special solo episode of Season 4 of The J Curve with me, Olga Maslikhova.Every few months, I take a step back from the interviews to zoom out, connect the dots, and reflect on the themes that emerged from our conversations with Latin America’s most driven founders and sharpest investors.This quarter, the learnings hit hard.From Paulo Passoni’s breakdown of growth-stage capital and the M&A trap, to Roberto Oliveira’s slow-and-steady playbook at Blip, to Guilherme Horn’s vision for conversational commerce and fintech infrastructure on WhatsApp, to André...2025-04-1532 minThe J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaGustavo Mapeli (Kanastra) on the $300B Market Built on Excel—And the Startup Replacing ItWelcome to Season 4 of The J Curve 🎙️This week, I sit down with Gustavo Mapeli, co-founder and CEO of Kanastra — one of the fastest-growing fintech infrastructure companies in Latin America. Gustavo started out building a traditional asset manager focused on private credit and wealth outside of Brazil’s core markets. But after feeling the pain of operating in a fragmented, manual, and outdated system, he made the bold decision to build the infrastructure he wished existed — and Kanastra was born.Today, Kanastra powers over R$13B in assets across 150+ credit and securitization facilities — and has raised capital from...2025-04-0859 minThe J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaRoberto Oliveira (Blip) on Why WhatsApp, Not ChatGPT, Will Own AI CommerceWelcome to Season 4 of The J Curve 🎙️It’s rare to meet a founder who bootstrapped for two decades—then brought Warburg Pincus, SoftBank, and Microsoft onto his cap table. This week, I sat down with Roberto Oliveira, founder of Blip, the company powering billions of conversations across WhatsApp in Latin America. We covered a 25-year founder journey that began with mobile phone booths and evolved into one of Brazil’s most powerful AI platforms.Here’s what we cover:♢ Why websites and apps are being replaced by messaging—and how brands need to adapt now...2025-03-251h 20The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaGuilherme Horn (Agora, Orama, WhatsApp) on How WhatsApp Took Over Brazil’s Economy—And What’s NextWelcome to Season 4 of The J Curve 🎙️This week, I sit down with Guilherme Horn, one of the most influential figures in LatAm’s fintech and tech landscape. Guilherme has built and exited multiple companies, including Agora (acquired for $500M by Bradesco), which helped transform Brazil’s stock market, and Órama, the country’s first fully cloud-based bank. Now, as WhatsApp’s Head of Strategic Markets, he’s driving a major shift in how businesses, banks, and governments leverage messaging as their primary digital infrastructure.Here’s what we cover:♢ Why WhatsApp is replacing websites and ap...2025-03-111h 02The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaAndre Penha (QuintoAndar, IBBX): $5B QuintoAndar Was Just the Start—This Is Bigger.This week, I sit down with Andre Penha, co-founder of QuintoAndar and CEO of IBBX, for a brutally honest, founder-first conversation on building and scaling in Latin America.Andre built QuintoAndar into a $5B+ real estate giant, raised $750M from top investors, and is now betting on wireless electricity, aiming to make chargers, cables, and batteries obsolete with IBBX.Here’s what we cover:♢ Why product—not storytelling—wins in fundraising and how investors went from doubting QuintoAndar to fighting to get in.♢ How QuintoAndar cracked real estate’s biggest inefficiencies – and why transparency, speed, and reliability were non-negotiable for scale.♢ Sc...2025-02-251h 34
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaPaulo Passoni (Valor Capital) on IPOs, M&A, and AI’s Impact on Startups in LatamWelcome to Season 4 of The J Curve 🎙️Kicking off this season with a must-listen episode featuring Paulo Passoni, one of the sharpest investors in Latin America. Paulo played a key role in SoftBank’s multi-billion-dollar investment in Latin America’s tech sector, serving on the boards of Quinto Andar, VTEX, and Creditas. Now at Valor Capital, he’s focused on backing and scaling the region’s next generation of high-growth startups.This conversation is a direct, tactical breakdown of what really matters when building and scaling in LatAm. Here’s what we cover:♢ Why M&A is a broken exit s...2025-02-111h 43The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaOlga Maslikhova, host of The J Curve: LATAM’s tech explosion—blockbuster M&As, IPOs, and a pipeline of unicorns🎙️ No Guests, Just You & Me 🌍
Season 3 of The J Curve is officially wrapped, and I’m here to unpack the journey so far. From doubling our Spotify streams to hitting the top 5% of videocasts globally (what?!), this year has been a wild ride.
In this solo ep, I’m breaking down:
🔥 Why podcasting is THE medium of the future.
🌎 LATAM’s tech explosion—blockbuster M&As, IPOs, and a pipeline of unicorns.
💡 The 10 life-changing lessons I’ve learned from 40+ brilliant founders.
It’s bold. It’s pe...2024-12-3123 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaAllen Taylor, Managing Partner at Endeavor Catalyst: How U.S. IPOs Can Unlock Billions for LATAM StartupsWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. Today we sit down with Allen Taylor, Managing Partner at Endeavor Catalyst, to explore his 18-year journey with Endeavor and the rise of emerging markets as thriving hubs for entrepreneurship. We discuss Allen’s personal path from California to becoming a global advocate for high-impact entrepreneurs, the creation of Endeavor Catalyst, and how the model fosters economic development through the multiplier effect. Notably, Allen shares how Endeavor Catalyst’s first $6 million pool achieved an impressive 8x cash-on-cash return, investing in companies like Globant and Yemeksepeti.
2024-12-171h 23
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaThe J Curve After Hours: Dirty Martinis and Making It in Latin AmericaOn this special episode of The J Curve, I swap roles with the incredible Veronica Serra—founding partner at Innova Capital and Endeavor Global board member. With dirty martinis in hand, I shared my entrepreneurial journey, life lessons, and love for Latin America’s startup ecosystem. A rare and unforgettable moment 🥂 Enjoy!2024-12-1129 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaMarcelo Lombardo CEO at ERP giant Omie: What no one tells you about building a $100M in ARR startupWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. Today we sit down with Marcelo Lombardo, the founder of Omie, to explore the journey from a seven-person startup to a 1,600-strong team transforming Brazil’s SMB ERP market. We discuss his unconventional path to entrepreneurship, pivotal business decisions like the shift to accountant partnerships, and how Omie became a key player in an incredibly complex and fragmented market.
The list of Omie’s venture capital investors includes the likes of Riverwood Capital, Softbank and Astella.
Marcelo shares insights on building resil...2024-12-031h 18
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaAdhemar Milani Neto, CEO at Brazilian car subscription platform Kovi: Why Brazil is poised to dominate the global EV marketWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America with me, Olga Maslikhova. My guest today is Adhemar Milani Neto, founder and CEO of Kovi, an ‘all-inclusive’ car subscription platform for gig workers. Kovi has raised $145M from top investors like Valor Capital, Prosus Ventures, Quona, Monashees, Norte, Maya Capital, Globo Ventures, and Peter Thiel’s family office. In this episode, we talk about Brazil’s unique mobility landscape, the lessons from transforming Kovi from a pure tech company to an operational technology business, and how Adhemar is building a holistic company culture—plus so much more...2024-11-1954 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaSergio Furio, founder and CEO of $4.8B Brazilian fintech lender Creditas: Why the wrong market will sink even the best teamWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Sergio Furio, chairman of the board of Endeavor Brazil and founder and CEO of Creditas, Brazil’s leading fintech lender that is transforming Brazil's lending landscape by offering secured loans at significantly lower interest rates, bringing essential financial access to millions across the country.
Creditas has raised $879m dollars across six funding rounds. It’s most recent valuation is $4.8B and the list of backers includes the likes of Fidelity, Advent International, Lightrock, QED, VEF, Softbank and Kaszek.
In this...2024-11-051h 11
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaMarcelo Abritta, founder and CEO at Buser: How a simple marketplace model took over Brazil’s $10B bus industryWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Marcelo Abritta, founder and CEO of Buser, a Brazilian bus transportation platform that connects passengers with underutilized charter buses, offering affordable travel while disrupting the traditional $10 billion intercity bus industry.
Most recently, Buser raised $138m Series C from the likes of Lightrock, Softbank, monashees, Valor Capital, Globo Ventures and Canary. Marcelo shares his inspiring entrepreneurial journey, from selling emoji pillows to building a tech-driven company that directly challenges Brazil’s entrenched bus monopolies. We explore how Buser’s innovative platform...2024-10-221h 21
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaIgor Marinelli, founder & CEO at Tractian: First Principles Approach to Disrupting Legacy IndustriesWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Igor Marinelli, founder and CEO of Tractian, a leader in industrial IoT and enterprise asset management software. Just over a year ago, Tractian secured a $45M Series B funding round, led by General Catalyst and joined by Next47 .
Igor takes us on his incredible journey from building inventory systems as a teenager to founding one of the most innovative companies in the industrial tech space. His story highlights how a deep understanding of customer pain points fueled the creation of inno...2024-10-081h 11
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaMarcelo Maziero and Fernando Fontes, founders of Brazil’s leading receivables exchange firm CERC: The $5 trillion opportunity—How CERC is changing the capital market infrastructure in BrazilWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guests today are Marcelo Maziero and Fernando Fontes, founders at Brazil's leading financial market infrastructure provider Cerc, that has raised up to $100m in a round led by Abu Dhabi’s sovereign investor Mubadala Capital with a follow on from Valor Capital. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in fintech innovation across Latin America and other emerging economies.
We explore the complexities of scaling in highly regulated market, the importance of building a strong partnership, and the critical role that und...2024-09-241h 08
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaAndre Maciel, founder at Brazilian VC Volpe Capital: the $700B LATAM question for Meta, Google and ByteDanceWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Andre Maciel, founder of the Brazilian venture capital firm Volpe Capital, whose current and former portfolio includes the likes of Vtex, CRM&Bonus, Connectly, and Atlas Governance. Before starting Volpe, André was the founding managing investment partner at SoftBank Latin America, and prior to that, he spent nearly 17 years in investment banking and private equity at JP Morgan.
This is a special conversation where we dive into the evolution of startup investing in Brazil and Latin America, unpack various exit strate...2024-09-101h 30
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaMarcelo França, founder & CEO at Brazilian fintech infrastructure company Celcoin: three critical choices that made Celcoin a fintech leader in BrazilWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Marcelo França, founder & CEO at Celcoin, a brazilian financial infrastructure company that has recently raised a $125M in a Series C round led by global growth equity investor Summit Partners with the participation from the existing investor Innova Capital and John Coughlin, a former senior executive with Corpay. This financing comes at a time of rapid growth for Celcoin,which recorded US$63 million in annual recurring revenue in the first quarter of 2024 – a 140% increase compared to the same period last yea...2024-08-2758 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaDileep Thazhmon, founder and CEO at $2.1B tech unicorn Jeeves: LATAM is the future of fintechWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Dileep Thazhmon, founder and CEO at Jeeves, a corporate spend and expense management platform for global businesses. Jeeves has raised over $260m from the likes of GIC, Tencent, a16z, CRV and more. Its last reported valuation was $2.1B. Since its public launch early in 2021, Jeeves scaled across 22 countries in North America, South America, the UK and Europe. In Latam the list of its customers include Bitso, Hotmart, Avenue, Buser and Cayena.
In our conversation we unpacked Jeeves unique...2024-08-131h 05
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaRafael de Albuquerque, CEO & founder at global data analytics company Zoox Smart Data: $200M data giant built without VC fundingWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Rafael de Albuquerque, CEO & founder at Zoox Smart Data, a global tech company that offers integrated solutions in big data, analytics, AI & ML. Zoox has over 1650 enterprise customers in 25 countries including the likes of Pepsi, Burger King, F1, PWC and Telefonica.
Rafael’s journey from selling Wi-Fi routers door-to-door to building a $100m in revenue global data analytics business from Brazil is nothing short of remarkable and paved with countless setbacks and failures. His relentless drive to overcome obstacles and pivot bu...2024-07-301h 07
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaDave Nangle, founder and CEO of VEF, an emerging markets-focused, growth-stage fintech investment firm: Forget billion-dollar IPOs; M&A is the name of the exit game in venture capital!Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Dave Nangle, founder and CEO of VEF, an emerging markets-focused, growth-stage fintech investment firm. VEF's Latam portfolio includes the likes of Creditas, Solfacil, Gringo and Konfio.
We talked about Dave’s investment strategy, focusing on growth-stage companies that have nailed unit economics and product-market fit. We discussed the most common mistakes founders make when pitching to VEF, what makes Brazil one of the most attractive markets in the world from a venture capital perspective, why trying to predict exit ti...2024-07-161h 06
MVP - um podcast do Startups.com.brWho's That Girl? - Olga Maslikhova | The CurveSe você acompanha o cenário de inovação - ou melhor - ouve podcasts sobre o ecossistema (você está ouvindo o nosso agora, não está), você já deve ter ouvido falar de Olga Maslikhova. Fundadora e apresentadora do podcast The JCurve, ela já entrevistou centenas dezenas de investidores e empreendedores, tanto na América Latina quanto em outras partes do mundo.
Depois de tantas conversas, Olga tem opiniões fortes sobre as diferenças entre como é inovar em diferentes regiões e, segundo ela, inovar no Brasil nem de perto é como inovar no Vale do Silício.
E...2024-07-041h 23
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaGeraldo Thomaz, founder and co-CEO at NYSE-traded e-commerce platform VTEX: Key decisions that built a $1.3B+ e-commerce empireWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Geraldo Thomaz, founder and co-CEO at NYSE-traded enterprise e-commerce platform VTEX. VTEX is an incredible example of Brazilian company that grew to become a global player in a digital commerce with Walmart, Coca-Cola and L'Oreal among customers. Prior tp going public in 2021 VTEX raised over $360m in capital from the likes of Softbank, Riverwood Capital, Tiger Global and Endeavor Catalyst.
In our conversation, we dive into the importance of intentionally targeting your customer segment, the transformative journey of a...2024-07-021h 14
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaSusan Segal, CEO of Americas Society/Council of the Americas: Pioneering LATAM Venture Capital and Why the Region Will Thrive with AIWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Susan Segal. Susan has been the President and CEO of Americas Society / Council of the Americas since August 2003, following a distinguished 30-year career in the private sector working with Latin America and other emerging markets.
As a partner and head of the Latin American Group at Chase Capital Partners, Susan pioneered early-stage venture capital investing in Latin America. She played an active role during the Latin American debt crisis of the 1980s and early 1990s, serving on numerous advisory...2024-06-181h 04
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaDaniela Binatti, Founder at Financial Infrastructure Company Pismo: Pismo's Rise to a Billion Dollar Acquisition by VisaWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Daniela Binatti, co-founder and CTO at the Brazilian payments infrastructure company Pismo, which was recently acquired by Visa for $1 billion in cash. This conversation is very special as Pismo stands out as a globally successful tech company with roots in Brazil. Moreover, Daniela herself is an exceptional example of female leadership in technology, breaking barriers and setting new standards in a predominantly male-dominated field.
We talk about how leveraging advanced technology from sectors like social media and streaming could...2024-06-0456 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaAlexandre Zolko, Founder at $400M Customer Loyalty Platform CRM&Bonus: Build to Last, Not to SellWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Alexandre Zolko, founder and CEO at CRM&BONUS, Brazilian customer loyalty management platform that has just raised $80m in Series B led by Bond Capital with the participation from Valor Capital. This round valued the company at 2.2B Brazilian reais or over $400M dollars, more than doubling its Series A valuation. Bond Capital is the fund that was created by Mary Meeker, a former Kleiner Perkins partner, whose internet trends report is considered one of the most influential reports in the...2024-05-2147 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaAndre Florence and Gui Azevedo, founders at Brazil's largest health-tech startup Alice: The reality is a rollercoasterWelcome to season three of the J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America with me, Olga Maslikhova. My guests today are Andre Florence and Guilherme Azevedo, co-founders at Brazilian healthcare startup Alice backed by the likes of Softbank, ThornTree Capital Partners, Kaszek and Globo Ventures. Their latest Series C of $127m was the largest funding round raised by a healthtech in Latin America to date. Prior to co-founding Alice Andre was a CFO at Brazilian ride sharing company 99 and led it though the acquisition by Didi and Guilherme was a co-founder of a chain of healthcare clinics...2024-05-071h 27
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaThibaud Lecuyer, CEO at $2B Logistics Startup Loggi: Sustainability Is a DrugWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Thibaud Lecuyer, CEO at Loggi, Brazilian delivery company that has raised close to $500m over 6 rounds from the likes of Iporanga Ventures, Softbank, Monashees, GGV, CapSur Capital and Microsoft. Prior to that Thibaud was a co-founder at Brazilian online fashion retailer Dafiti.
Together we explore Thibaud’s transition from finance and J.P. Morgan in Europe into entrepreneurship in Brazil. We discuss his experience of launching and scaling Dafiti in the environment in which venture capital was scarce. We al...2024-04-3054 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaJoao Barbosa, Co-Founder at Corporate Wellness Platform Gympass: From Brazil to the World: The $2.4B Gympass StoryWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Joao Barbosa, co-founder at corporate wellness platform Gympass (now Wellhub), that has raised over $600M from the likes of EQT Growth, Softbank, General Atlantic and Valor Capital.
In today's episode we will discuss:
1. The global leap: key challenges of scaling in different markets
2. The art of the pivot: how to find a business model that fits?
3. Building a winning team: how to hire and fire at scale?2024-04-161h 02
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaVitor Torres, Founder and CEO at Accounting Platform Contabilizei: Pioneering the De-bureaucratization of Accounting in BrazilWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Vitor Torres, Endeavor entrepreneur and founder and CEO at Brazilian accounting platform Contabilizei, that has raised over $100m from the likes of SoftBank, Goldman Sachs, IFC, Kaszek and Endeavor Catalyst.
In today's episode we will discuss:
1. The cultural moat: how Contabilizei has built corporate culture into competitive edge?
2. Responsible innovations: how to disrupt a regulated industry?
3. The future of accounting: the very real impact of AI
4...2024-04-021h 08
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaMichele Levy, Fashion Entrepreneur Behind Melissa USA: How to Build and Sell Consumer BrandsWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Michele Levy, the private equity investor and banker turned fashion entrepreneur behind the successful growth of the Melissa shoe brand in the USA as well as the premium beauty brand Costa Brazil.
In today's episode we will discuss:
1. How to sell branded commodities?
2. The secret sauce to high-performing teams
3. Creative storytelling strategies for B2C businesses
4. How to find a good problem to solve?
5. Hunger, passion and purpose: how and why to empower women in business?
If you would like to get mo...2024-03-191h 18
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaGaston Irigoyen, Founder and CEO at Fintech Infrastructure Company Pomelo: Scale 10x Faster or Go HomeWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Gaston Irigoyen, founder and CEO at Argentinian fintech infrastructure company Pomelo that has recently raised $40m in Series B from the likes of Kaszek, monashees, Index Ventures, Insight Partners, Endeavor Catalyst and Section 32. The latest financing brings the startup’s total raised since inception to $103 million. Gaston is a third-time founder, with two previous exits and former CEO of Naranja X, one of Argentina’s largest neobanks.
In today's episode we will discuss:
1...2024-03-051h 20
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaDoug Storf, Founder and CEO at Payments Infrastructure Startup Swap: Your Funding Round Failed. Now What?Welcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Doug Storf, Endeavor entrepreneur and founder and CEO at Sao Paulo-based payment infrastructure company Swap that has raised ~$30M from the likes of Tiger Global, Endeavor, Global Founders Capital, ONEVC and Flourish Ventures.
Prior to starting Swap, Doug was Head of Corporate Strategy at 99, Brazil's first known tech unicorn that was acquired by Chinese Didi in 2018.
In today's episode we will discuss:
1. How to raise VC capital: from building a funnel to r...2024-02-201h 06
Entrepreneur Stories 4⃣ Inspiration262: From Single Mom Flipping Burgers to a Powerhouse in Venture Capital | Olga Maslikhova of The J CurveOlga Maslikhova is the founder and host of The J Curve, the podcast about Latin America tech ecosystem builders. Olga is also a successful tech investor. She aims to share insights and stories from the region's most influential entrepreneurs, investors, and experts. She also leverages her network and knowledge as a member of a global community of women investors, and as a mentor at Techstars, a leading accelerator program. Additionally, she holds an M.S. in Management degree from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a WSET Level 3 certification in wine.
This Episode is Sponsored B...2024-02-121h 18The Best Business Podcast262: From Single Mom Flipping Burgers to a Powerhouse in Venture Capital | Olga Maslikhova of The J CurveOlga Maslikhova is the founder and host of The J Curve, the podcast about Latin America tech ecosystem builders. Olga is also a successful tech investor. She aims to share insights and stories from the region's most influential entrepreneurs, investors, and experts. She also leverages her network and knowledge as a member of a global community of women investors, and as a mentor at Techstars, a leading accelerator program. Additionally, she holds an M.S. in Management degree from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a WSET Level 3 certification in wine.
This Episode is Sponsored B...2024-02-121h 18
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaMartin Migoya, Founder and CEO at Globant: The $10B Startup StoryWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Martin Migoya founder, CEO and Chairman of the Board at Globant, NYSE-traded IT and software development company focused on reinventing businesses through innovative technology solutions.
Globant powered digital transformation of the likes of FIFA, McDonald's, Nissan, and Novartis, and its most recent market cap is over $10B.
Martin is a member of young president's organization and a board member of Endeavor Argentina.
In today's episode we will discuss:
1. The future of...2024-02-061h 11
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaMarcelo Sampaio, CEO at SEC approved ETF Hashdex: Crypto Is the New InternetWelcome to Season 3 of The J Curve, a podcast about entrepreneurship in Latin America. My guest today is Marcelo Sampaio, founder and CEO at Hashdex, Brazilian crypto asset manager backed by the likes of Coinbase Ventures, SoftBank and Valor Capital.
Hashdex is the only LatAm spot bitcoin ETF among 11 ETFs recently cleared by the US Securities and Exchange Commission in the event that some called a watershed moment for crypto adoption.
Please note, that this is a two-part conversation. The first part follows our regular format in which we deconstruct Marcelo’s personal leadership and talk about th...2024-01-231h 34
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaThe J Curve 2023: The Year In ReviewIn this final episode of the year we are going through some growth metrics we've managed to achieve this year as well as taking a look back at top 10 most listened-to episodes of the year and sharing our favorite moments from each and every one of them.
If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, please subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Spotify or Apple. That is the best way to support the show.
Follow Olga on LinkedIn or Instagram Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve, Latin America's leading Engl...2023-12-2945 minThe J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaQ&A with Olga: Investment Philosophy, Escaping FOMO and Why It Is Time to Bet on Latin AmericaHi everyone and welcome to The J Curve. This time we have a very different format. In this episode, I answer the questions posed by the students of entrepreneurship class at Purdue University on entrepreneurship, early stage investing, tech in Latin America and so much more. We discuss:
1. How to stay on top of emerging tech trends?
2. What is preferred capital structure of the early stage startups?
3. What are the red flags for startup investors?
4. What are the big reasons to invest in Latin America?
5. What is the main difference between tech entrepreneurs in Brazil and US?
6. How to resist...2023-12-2138 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaGabriela Toribio, Wayra and Vivo Ventures: How To Succeed In Corporate Venture CapitalFor this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Gabriela Toribio, Managing Director at telco giant Telefonica’s Brazilian corporate venture capital arms Vivo Ventures and Wayra. Vivo Ventures and Wayra have invested in 30+ startups in Brazil including a low-code integration platform Digibee. Prior to joining Telefonica, Gabriela launched venture capital arms in Votorantim and Companhia Siderurgica Nacional, two large industrial corporations in Brazil.
In today's episode we will discuss:
1. Investor pick: what qualities do CVCs look for in founders?
2. Pay forward: how to build long lasting co...2023-12-1243 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaRoberto Dagnoni, the Executive Chairman and CEO of $2.1B crypto exchange Mercado Bitcoin: Blockchain Revolution, Investment Philosophy and The Art of DealmakingFor this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Roberto Dagnoni, an Endeavor Entrepreneur and the Executive Chairman and CEO at 2TM, a holding company of Mercado Bitcoin, the largest crypto exchange in Latin America that was valued at $2.1B after raising $200 million in Series B funding from the SoftBank Latin America Fund. Roberto has also invested in 60+ early stage startups including Brazilian digital bank Neon.
In today's episode we will discuss:
1. From financial services to loyalty programs: why the future is blockchain?
2. Blockchain the Brazilian wa...2023-11-281h 05
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaAlec Oxenford, Founder at DeRemate, OLX and letgo: Contemporary Art as a Purpose, Outside the Box Thinking and Top Reasons Why Startups Succeed and FailFor this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Alec Oxenford, serial entrepreneur, managing partner at Myelin VC, co-founder at online marketplace platforms OLX (acquired by Naspers after raising capital from the likes of Founders Fund, Bessemer Venture Partners and General Catalyst) and letgo (merged with OfferUp). Alec is an important Argentinian contemporary art collector.
In today's episode we will discuss:
1. Buying the dream: what venture capital and contemporary art have in common?
2. AI vs Artist: how technology can shape the future of art ?
3. Escape the box: ho...2023-11-131h 16
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaFabio Carrara, Founder at Renewable Energy Firm Solfacil: Winning in Commoditized Market, Singularity of Focus and What Went Wrong with Elon Musk's SolarCityFor this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Fabio Carrara, founder and CEO at Brazilian renewable energy firm Solfacil, that has raised over $130m from the likes of QED, Fifth Wall, Softbank, VEF and Valor Capital.
In today's episode we will discuss:
1. Window of opportunity: why market timing is everything?
2. The heat of the crowd: how to thrive in commoditized market?
3. Go slow to go fast: how to become an ecosystem player?
4. Solar space market in Brazil: market opportunity, key profit pools and obstacles to adoption.
...2023-10-301h 09
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaEduardo della Maggiora, founder at $1B insurtech Betterfly: Power of Purpose, Peak Performance and All In MindsetFor this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Eduardo della Maggiora, founder and CEO at LatAm's first social unicorn Betterfly, that hit $1b valuation after raising $125m in a Series C funding round led by Glade Brook Capital and joined by Greycroft, Mundi Ventures, Lightrock, QED Investors and DST Global Partners. The list of Betterfly's prior backers also includes the likes of Valor Capital, Endeavor Catalyst and the SoftBank Latin America Fund.
Eduardo has represented Chile in six occasions at the Ironman World Championships. He is a two-time world champion runner-up in his category at the Ironman 70.3...2023-10-1656 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaPatricia Moraes, Founder at Unbox Capital on Lessons from Luiza Trajano (Magazine Luiza), Leading By Putting People First And Why Brazilian Entrepreneurship Is A Story Of AdaptabilityFor this episode I am thrilled to welcome Patricia Moraes, Founder and Managing Partner at Unbox Capital, Sao Paulo-based venture capital firm that Patricia co-founded together with Luiza Trajano, Brazilian billionaire and the chairman of retailer Magazine Luiza. Unbox Capital portfolio includes the likes of Solinftec, Rock Content and Incognia.
Prior to starting Unbox Capital, Patricia spent over 22 years as a Managing Director at J.P. Morgan.
In today's episode we will discuss:
1. The story of adaptability: what makes Brazilian founders globally competitive?
2...2023-09-2853 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaLucas Vargas, CEO at Nomad on Pursuit of Happiness, Building Legacy and Lessons from Viva Real and Grupo ZapFor this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Lucas Vargas, CEO at Brazilian fintech Nomad, that has recently raised $61m in an investment round led by Tiger Global with participation from prior investors including Monashees, Stripes and Globo Ventures.
Prior to joining Nomad, Lucas was CEO at Viva Real which he led through the merger with Grupo ZAP and acquisition by OLX, the leading marketplace group in Brazil.
In today's episode we will discuss:
1. Raising growth capital during the market downturn: what to expect?
2023-09-141h 04
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaJulio Vasconcellos and Ana Martins / Atlantico on The Key Forces Shaping the Future of Latin America, Why LatAm Tech Ecosystem is Globally Competitive and How To Build Lasting PartnershipsFor this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Julio Vasconcellos, founding partner at Brazilian early stage venture capital firm Atlantico, founder at Canary, former Brazil country manager for Facebook and former entrepreneur-in-residence (EIR) at Benchmark. I am also thrilled to welcome Ana Clara Martins, partner at Atlantico and co-founder at Brazil at Silicon Valley, one of the largest annual conferences that connect entrepreneurs, executives and investors from Brazil with global tech community.
This is the special edition of The J Curve in which we go into the nitty gritty details of The 2023 A...2023-08-311h 00
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaVeronica Serra, Founder at Innova Capital on Lessons from Marcel Telles and Jorge Paulo Lemann, VC Investing (Mercado Libre, Movile-iFood, and More) and Why Effective Partnership Starts with TrustFor this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Veronica Serra, Founding Partner at Brazilian VC growth fund Innova Capital, whose current investments include Semantix AI and Clearsale. Veronica is a former board member and investor of Mercado Libre and Movile-iFood and current board member of Endeavor Global and Harvard Business School Latam Advisory Board.
In today's episode we will discuss:
1. Endeavor flywheel: insider's look into the global entrepreneurship powerhouse
2. From Movile to Mercado Libre: the common traits of exceptional founders
3. Smart beyond the money: how great VC i...2023-08-171h 00
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaDiego Barreto, CFO at iFood: How AI is Revolutionizing Food Delivery Market I Why Mentorship is the Fuel For Economic Growth and The Future of Gig Work in BrazilFor this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Diego Barreto, CFO & VP of Strategy at iFood, the largest food tech company in Latin America; author of the best seller “New Economy” ('Nova Economia') and mentor at Endeavor. Prior to that Diego was Director of Finance at Suzano, the largest paper and pulp company in Latin America.
In today's episode we will discuss:
1. Garage to riches: the secret sauce of iFood success
2. Brazilian gig economy: what are the trends that will shape its future?
3. Food delivery revolution: the impact of AI
4. Power of me...2023-08-1653 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaGabriela Gonçalves, Managing Partner at Namari Capital: Building Southeast Asia's Pioneer Ecommerce Platform at Lazada I The Perfect Storm For Venture Debt In Brazil And How To Embrace Life As a Challenge To PursueFor this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Gabriela Gonçalves, founder and managing partner at Namari Capital; managing partner at Brasil Venture Debt, whose portfolio includes the likes of Exact Sales (acquired by RD Station), Solfacil and Digibee. Prior to that Gabriela was a co-founder and managing director at Rocket Internet-backed Lazada (acquired by Alibaba).We hope to make in person recordings our new normal, so please do check out our new YouTube channel.In today's episode we will discuss: 1. Inside Rocket Internet: what is it like to wo...2023-07-2045 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaPedro Sirotsky Melzer, Founding Partner at Igah Ventures: Building a VC Firm for The Long-Run I The Most Important Traits of Successful Founders and Why Investment Discipline Outweighs Hypothetical UpsidesFor this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Pedro Sirotsky Melzer, partner at Patria Investments; founding partner at Igah Ventures, whose portfolio includes the likes of Infra Commerce, Unico, Avenue Securities, Hashdex, Conexa Saude, CRM&Bonus and more.We hope to make in person recordings our new normal, so please do check out our new YouTube channel.In today's episode we will discuss: 1. Deconstructing VC decision making framework: how does Igah evaluate startups?2. From Unico to Contabilizei: what do successful founders have in common?3. Gambling is not a thesis: wh...2023-06-2939 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaFersen Lambranho, Chairman of The Board of GP Investments: The Amazon is Brazilian Soul I The Most Important Things in Life and Why The Future Is Deep TechFor this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Fersen Lambranho, Brazilian entrepreneur and investor; chairman of the board of GP Investments and G2D Investments, member of the board of Centauro, Spice Private Equity and The Craftory. Fersen is also the former CEO of Lojas Americanas and the current board member of several non-profits including São Paulo Museum of Art. Additionally, he actively invests in deep tech initiatives in the USA, UK and Brazil through his family office Volpini Ventures. We hope to make in person recordings our new normal, so please do check ou...2023-06-1540 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaCassio Bobsin, Founder and CEO at Zenvia: From Garage to NASDAQ IPO I What Silicon Valley Bank Collapse Means For Tech Industry and How To Stay Relevant As A Leader From Zero To One To IPO And BeyondFor this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Cassio Bobsin, Endeavor entrepreneur and the founder and CEO at Zenvia. Zenvia is LatAm’s leading customer experience communications platform and the first Latam-based SaaS company to IPO on Nasdaq. Cassio is also the founder of WOW Accelerator, the largest independent startup accelerator in Brazil.We hope to make in person recordings our new normal, so please do check out our new YouTube channel.In today's episode we will discuss: 1. Cassio's Journey: Key Lessons from Bootstrapping Zenvia for 20 Years2. Maximizing startup gro...2023-06-0138 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaVander Corteze, Founder and CEO at Beep Saude on The Power of Mentorship, The Brutal Truth about Being A Founder, Core Elements of Winning Corporate Culture and Iterating Beep Saude's Way into Product-Market FitFor this in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Vander Corteze, founder and CEO at Brazil's leading at home healthcare company Beep Saude, backed by Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), Valor Capital Group, Banco Bradesco, DNA Capital and the founder of Nubank David Velez.Prior to that, Vander founded a Brazilian chain of occupational health clinics BR Med, and prior to that he served as an emergency doctor at a fire department in Rio de Janeiro.We hope to make in person recordings our new normal, so please do check out our new YouTube channel.2023-05-1844 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaGustavo Brigatto, Founder and Chief Editor of Startups on The Potential of AI in Journalism, Building Online Communities and Why Your Marketing Should Never Depend on Social Media AloneFor our third in studio episode I am thrilled to welcome Gustavo Brigatto, founder and chief editor of Startups Brazil, a media platform that covers tech and venture capital in Latin America and beyond. Before becoming a founder, Gustavo spent 15 years as a business journalist, 12 of which were at Valor Economico, the largest economics, finance and business newspaper in Brazil.We hope to make in person recordings our new normal so please do check out our new YouTube channel.In today's episode we will discuss: 1. Journalism meets AI: will ChatGPT and AI ever re...2023-05-0934 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaTalita Lacerda, CEO of Petlove on Amazon Leadership Principles, The Secrets of Successful Fundraising and How to Build a Brand That Customers LoveApril 27: For our second in studio episode, I am thrilled to welcome Talita Lacerda, CEO at Petlove, the largest pet e-commerce platform in Brazil and Latin America, that has raised over $225M+ from some of the best investors in Latin America including L Catterton, Riverwood Capital, SoftBank, Kaszek, Monashees, Globo Ventures, Porto Seguro and Tarpon. Petlove has recently announced its plan to go public within 2-3 years. We hope to make in person recordings our new normal so please do check out our new YouTube channel.In today's episode we will discuss: 1. What wa...2023-04-2732 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaJose Renato Hopf, founder of 4ALL and GetNet on The 3 Key Lessons from Building and Selling GetNet, The Secrets of High-Performing Private-Government Partnership and Bringing The South Summit to BrazilApril 18: For our first in person episode ever released I am thrilled to welcome Jose Renato Hopf, the serial entrepreneur and the founder of GetNet, which became one of the largest companies in Latin American was acquired by Santander in 2014 for just south of $500M. Jose Renato is also a founder of venture builder 4ALL and co-founder and president at South Summit Brazil, the leading tech summit in the South of Brazil that dragged over 22000 attendees, 900 speakers and over 3000 thousand startups just this year. We hope to make in person recordings our new normal so please do c...2023-04-1831 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaBernardo Milesy / GLOCAL on raising venture capital fund in Latin America, why now is the best time to invest in agrifoodtech sector and why impact investments is an attractive business opportunity,March 21: For this episode of the J Curve I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Bernardo Milesy, founder & managing partner at GLOCAL, the first certified B Corp agrifoodtech venture capital firm, whose portfolio includes the likes of Agrofy, Frizata and KilimoIn today's episode we will discuss: 1. Why impact investing is a lucrative business opportunity from venture capital standpoint? 2. Which agrifoodtech industries are ripe for unicorn production in Latin America?3. What does it take to raise an impact-focused VC firm in Latin America?4. What are the key pieces of advice Berna...2023-03-2133 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaGeorge Roche / Yara Growth Ventures on key factors to consider before raising venture capital, do's and don'ts of a startup pitch and why agtech sector struggles to attract VC investorsMarch 13: For this episode of the J Curve I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with George Roche, investment director at Yara Growth Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Yara International, the world's leading crop nutrition and agriculture company out of Norway with $11b market cap. Yara Growth Ventures portfolio includes the likes of SP Ventures, Agrolend and Agrofy. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. What is George's startup evaluation framework? 2. Why 'No, I won't invest' is the hardest answer for VCs?3. What's George's advice to entrepreneurs on whether or not they...2023-03-1339 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaCamilla Junqueira / Endeavor Brazil on searching for meaning, putting Brazil on the global innovation map and the ultimate traits of high impact entrepreneursFebruary 21: For this episode of the J Curve I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Camilla Junqueira, managing director at Endeavor Brazil, the leading global community of, by and for high impact entrepreneurs. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. What makes Endeavor so good at building community? What are the lessons that founders can learn from Endeavor's approach towards building community?? 2. What's next for Endeavor? Hint: it has everything to do with globalizing Brazilian entrepreneurship and increasing diversity within the network3. Who are the legendary founders in Brazil from Camilla's point of...2023-02-2136 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaAdolfo Roullion / Frizata on building enduring partnership, why startups need to foster a global mindset and why incumbent CPGs suck at innovatingFebruary 14: For this episode of the J Curve I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Adolfo Roullion, founder and CEO at Frizata, a direct-to-consumer vertically integrated frozen food tech company that has raised ~ $10M from the likes of the founder of Mercado Libre Marcos Galperin, SP Ventures and Norte. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. What are the building blocks of 25 year strong partnership between Adolfo and his co-founder Jose Robledo? 2. Why big food companies suck at innovating?3. What are Adolfo's 3 most important lessons learned from becoming a successful serial entrepreneur? ...2023-02-1437 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaVictor Santos / Liv Up on do-or-die mindset, challenges of building a D2C frozen food company in LatAm and the most important lessons of his entrepreneurial careerFebruary 2: For this episode of the J Curve I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Victor Santos, founder and CEO at Liv Up, a São Paulo-based D2C healthy frozen food company that has raised over $70M from the likes of Kaszek, ThornTree Capital Partners, Lofoten Capital and many more. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. What are the core skills required to manage complex businesses that combine tech and operations capabilities?2. What are the most important lessons of Victor's entrepreneurial career? Disclaimer: it has everything to do with managing expectations an...2023-02-0237 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaFrancisco Jardim / SP Ventures on the nuances of being a sector-specific investor, do's and don't of startup pitching and why agricultural sector in Brazil is ready for mass production of unicornsJanuary 24: For this episode of the J Curve I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Francisco Jardim, co-founder and general partner at SP Ventures, a São Paulo-based pioneer venture capital investor in agrifoodtech space in Latin America whose portfolio include the likes of Agrolend, Agrofy and Frizata and that's backed by corporate and industry giants like Yara Growth Ventures, Syngenta and Banco do Brasil. In today's episode we will discuss: 1. What are the ultimate traits that VCs look for in a founder? What makes an early stage startup VC fundable?2. What are do's...2023-01-2435 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaAlan Glezer / Agrolend on revolutionizing agricultural finance, current fundraising environment in tech and common mistakes that fintechs makeJanuary 17: For the first episode of the J Curve in 2023 I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Alan Glezer, co-founder and CFO at Agrolend that has recently raised over $27M in Series B led by Lightrock and joined by Yara Growth Ventures, SP Ventures and Valor Capital Group. In today's episode we will learn: 1. Profitability vs growth. What should founders focus on during adverse market environment?2. What are the focus areas in agriculture Alan is excited about?3. What is Agrolend go-to-market playbook? How to leverage partnerships for new customers acquisition? 4. What are ma...2023-01-1735 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaThe J Curve 2022: Year in ReviewIn this final episode of the year we are taking a look back at top 10 most listened episodes of the year and sharing our favorite insights from each and every one of them.If you would like to get more insight from LatAm's leading tech founders and investors, subscribe to our newsletter on our website https://www.thejcurve.comand follow us on Spotify or Apple. The J Curve on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejcurvepodcast/Olga is an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, mentor at Techstars and founder at The J Curve...2022-12-3033 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaMarcos Salama / Inventa on his key learnings from scaling Rappi's grocery business, focusing on growth, building multicultural organization at Inventa andDecember 12: For the final episode of the J Curve in 2022 I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Marcos Salama, founder and CEO at Inventa, Brazil's leading digital marketplace for small retailers and suppliers in Latin America that has raised over $80m in venture capital from the likes of Greylock, a16z, Founders Fund, Tiger Global, monashees, One VC and MAYA.In today's episode we will learn: 1. What are the unique challenges of building and scaling a B2B marketplace solution in Latin America?2. How did the product-market fit look like for Inventa?3. W...2022-12-1229 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaGuilherme Weigert / Conexa Saude on pioneering product-led growth in telemedicine, scaling Conexa from 20 to ~600 employees and the future of health in BrazilNovember 21: For this episode of the J Curve I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Guilherme Weigert, founder and CEO at Conexa Saude, Brazil's leading telemedicine and digital health platform that manages over 20M lives and that has recently raised ~$40M Series C from the likes of General Atlantic, Goldman Sachs and Igah Ventures.In today's episode we will learn: 1. When, why and how to pivot a healthcare business: Conexa's experience2. What were the most challenging aspects of managing Conexa's rapid growth during Covid-19? Spoiler alert: it had everything to do with hiring. 3. How...2022-11-2135 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaEduardo Carone / Atlas Governance on philosophy of happiness, building a truly diverse organization and what it actually takes to succeed in business and lifeNovember 7: For this episode of the J Curve I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Eduardo Carone, founder and CEO at Atlas Governance, Brazil's leading software platform for corporate governance management that has recently raised $5M Series A from the likes of Volpe Capital and DSK Capital.In today's episode we will learn: 1. What's subjectivism and how to apply that philosophy to business?2. What are the biggest mistakes startups make as they build enterprise sales?3. What does it take to build a diverse organization? How do you test for ethics and values as yo...2022-11-0738 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaMarcelo Lombardo / Omie on leadership, scaling trust and why Silicon Valley go-to-market playbook doesn't always workOctober 31: For this episode of the J Curve I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Marcelo Lombardo, founder and CEO at Omie, a São Paulo based ERP platform that has raised over $138M from the likes of SoftBank, Tencent, Riverwood Capital, Dynamo, Velt, Bogari Capital, Hix Capital, Brasil Capital and Astella. In today's episode we will learn: 1. Why is it so hard to build partnerships as a core sales channel? What was the impact of switching from digital ads to partnering with accountants on Omie's unit economics?2. How to build, retain and scale trus...2022-10-3135 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaRodrigo Tognini / Conta Simples on hitting the product-market fit, key lessons from pivoting and scaling a constraint-rich mentalityOctober 17: For this episode of the J Curve I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Rodrigo Tognini, a founder and CEO at Conta Simples, a São Paulo based financial platform for SMBs that has recently raised $24M Series A from Tinder founders Justin Mateen's JAM Fund, Valor Capital, Base10 Partners, Y Combinator and Big Bets.In today's episode we will learn: 1. How do you define a product market fit? What are the actual signs of it?2. How to think about market segmentation when launching fintech for SMBs?3. What are the potential consequences of...2022-10-1727 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaDaniel Ibri / Mindset Ventures on building bridges between global tech markets, bootstrapping Fund I and why now is the best time to invest in startupsOctober 3: For this episode of the J Curve I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Daniel Ibri, a founder and General Partner at Mindset Ventures, an early stage Sao Paulo based VC firm that invests in B2B startups in Israel and the United States, that just did the first closing of their brand new $100M Fund IV and whose portfolio includes tech unicorns Brex and Turing.In today's episode we will learn: 1. How to build a high performing portfolio on competitive markets like Israel and the US?2. What's Daniel's biggest investment mistake and wh...2022-10-0331 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaBenjamin Gleason / Kamino on fundraising in adverse market environment, unit economics mentality and entrepreneurship in BrazilSeptember 14: For this episode of the JCurve I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Benjamin Gleason, founder and Head of Strategy & Corporate Development at Kamino, Sao Paulo-based end-to-end financial hub for high growth businesses in Latin America that has recently raised over $6M in pre-seed capital from Inspired Capital, Global Founders Capital, Fontes, Picus Capital and Flourish. In today's episode we will learn: 1. What are Benjamin's key learnings of building Guiabolso and how the experience is different with Kamino?2. What are the fintech trends in Brazil Benjamin is excited about?3. What's Benjamin's advice to...2022-09-1333 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaParker Treacy / Cobli on key learnings from bootstrapping First Help Financial, building an efficient sales organization and why the pace of learning is founder's competitive advantageAugust 31: For this episode of the JCurve I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Parker Treacy, founder and CEO at Cobli, Brazilian telematics and fleet management platform that has recently raised $35M Series B from the likes of Softbank, Fifth Wall, Qualcomm Ventures and Valor Capital. Prior to that, Parker founded First Help Financial now one of the largest independent auto finance companies in the United States.In today's episode we will learn: 1. What are Parker's key learnings of starting First Help Financial fresh out of college?2. How to build a high performing s...2022-08-3130 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaGuilherme Azevedo / Alice on building a healthcare company amidst global pandemic, entrepreneurial drive and changing human behaviorAugust 22: For this episode of The JCurve I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Guilherme Azevedo, founder and Head of Health at Brazilian healthcare company Alice that has recently raised $127M Series C from the likes of SoftBank, Kaszek and Globo Ventures. Prior to that Guilherme co-founded another health company Dr. Consulta and Brazil's largest tilapia fish farm GeneSeas.In today's episode we will learn: 1. What are the critical elements of building a founding team?2. What are the key challenges of disrupting a health care system in Brazil?3. What's the hardest aspect of...2022-08-2223 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaAntoine Colaço / Valor Capital on the state of the global tech market, industries to watch in Brazil and biggest mistakes founders makeMonday, August 8: For this episode of The JCurve I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Antoine Colaço, a managing partner at Valor Capital, the leading US / Brazil cross-border multi-stage VC firm, whose portfolio includes over 15 tech unicorns including the likes of Gympass, CargoX, Olist and Loft. Prior to that, Antoine spend 9 years in Google, launching operations for various divisions of the company in India, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina.In today's episode we will learn:1. What are the key advantages of being a cross-border VC and why so few funds in LatAm are doing t...2022-08-0830 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaGuilherme Assis / Gorila on surviving a recession, entrepreneurial mistakes and crypto's potential to change the way people interactFriday, July 22: For this episode of the J Curve I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Guilherme Assis, founder at Sao-Paulo based Iporanga Ventures whose portfolio includes the likes of Buser, Loggi, Olist and investment platform Gorila in which Guilherme is also a founder and CEO. Most recently Gorila raised over $20M in Series B from Ribbit, Apis and Monashees. In today's episode we will learn:1) What were Guilherme's key learnings of building and scaling Gorilla across different market cycles?2) What are some of the unique challenges of company building in Latin America?2022-07-2224 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaAna Zucato / Noh on taking risk, building diverse organization from scratch and unique challenges of launching consumer fintech products in BrazilTuesday, July 5: For this episode of the J Curve I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Ana Zucato, founder and CEO ar Noh, a Brazilian fintech operating in shared finance space that has recently raised $3M seed funding from the Ikes of Kindred Ventures, Positive Ventures, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone and The Twenty Minute VC by Harry Stebbings. Prior to founding Noh, Ana worked at Intuit, Truora and GuiaBolso.In today's episode we will learn:1) What are the unique challenges of launching consumer-focused fintech products in Brazil?2) What are three things founders sh...2022-07-0533 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaJorge Vargas Neto and Vanessa Muglia / BHub on key learnings of building and selling Zen Finance and Biva, challenges of doing business in Latin America and why 'janitor work' is a massive business opportunityTuesday, May 31: For this episode of The J Curve I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Jorge Vargas Neto and Vanessa Muglia, co-founders at BHub a Brazilian startup that offers full back-office SaaS for small and medium businesses in Latin America, that has recently raised $20m in Series A from the lines of Monashees, Valor Capital and QED Investors. Prior to BHub, Jorge co-founded Zen Finance that was sold to Rappi and Biva that was acquired by PágSeguro. Vanessa was a co-founder at Civi, an app that makes cities safer by providing security-related information and no...2022-05-3131 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaGuilherme Bonifácio and Diego Libanio / Merce do Bairro on building businesses for micro SMBs, partnership, values and the biggest mistakes founders make when fundraisingMonday, May 16: For this episode of The J Curve I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Guilherme Bonifácio and Diego Libanio, founders at Merce do Bairro, a Brazilian marketplace that manages the entire purchasing and delivery process for micro groceries that has recently raised $10 million series A from the likes of Flourish Ventures (The Omidyar Group‘s investment fund), Global Founders Capital (GFC), Domo, MAYA, and Alexia Ventures Prior to Merce do Bairro, Diego and Guilherme co-founded alcohol beverage delivery platform Zé Delivery and one of the first Brazilian tech unicorns iFood respectively....2022-05-1631 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaGuilherme Freire / Dolado on biggest lessons of his entrepreneurial career, triathlon, financial discipline and valuesMonday, May 2: For this episode of The J Curve I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Guilherme Freire, co-founder and CEO at Dolado, a Brazilian startup that digitizes small retailers in peripheral areas and small cities that has recently raised $10 million Series A from the likes of Valor Capital Group, Flourish (The Omidyar Group‘s investment fund), Global Founders Capital (GFC), IDB Lab, and Endeavor.Prior to Dolado, Guilherme co-founded LIVO Eyewear and Grow Mobility. In today's episode we will learn:1) What being passionate triathlete taught Guilherme about business?2) Wha...2022-05-0241 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaLaura Constantini / Astella on lessons from fundraising in volatile market, mentorship and passion for early-stage investingWednesday, April 13: For the final episode of The J Curve's LatAm Power Women in Tech Series I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Laura Constantini, co-founder and managing partner at Astella, Sao Paulo-based early stage venture capital firm with over $100M assets under management and over 50 companies invested including the likes of Omie and RD Station. Laura is the industry O.G., the pioneer among women investing in venture capital in Latin America. Laura is a co-host at "Astella around the world" show, where she interviews global VCs, LPs and thought leaders. Prior to starting Astella, Laura...2022-04-1336 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaMariana Donangelo / Kaszek on what it takes to be successful in venture capital, traits of great founders and conviction around Latin AmericaFriday, March 25: For this episode I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Mariana Donangelo, partner at KaszeK, Latin America's leading venture capital firm founded by MercadoLibre co-founder Hernan Kazah and its former CFO Nicolas Szekasy. KaszeK has recently raised $1B across two funds and since 2011 has backed over 90 companies including tech unicorns Nubank, Creditas, QuintoAndar, Gympass, Loggi and Kavak. Prior to KaszeK Mariana led growth at Invoice2Go and worked in Accel where she was heavily involved with Accel's initiatives in Brazil and Latin America. And finally, Mariana is a successful angel investor who backed some of th...2022-03-2531 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaMonica Saggioro / MAYA Capital on hands-on approach, price and process discipline and democratizing an access to entrepreneurship in LatAmThursday, March 17: For this episode, I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Monica Saggioro, co-founder at MAYA Capital, Latin American early stage venture capital firm, whose portfolio includes the likes of Alice, EmCasa, Gupy, Kovi, Merama, NotCo and many more. Prior to MAYA Capital, Monica was Head of Operations for RBI Latin America where she managed the operations of 1,800 Burger King restaurants across 30 countries in Latin America and prior to that Monica was Strategic Planning and Product Manager at Whirpool.In today's episode we will learn:1) What does it take to raise money fr...2022-03-1733 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaCourtney McColgan / Runa HR on key lessons of scaling Cabify, unique challenges of building business in LatAm and why venture capital is not for everyoneTuesday, February 22: For this episode, I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Courtney McColgan, a serial entrepreneur and the founder and CEO at Runa HR, one of the leading payroll software providers for SMBs in Spanish speaking Latin America. Prior to starting Runa, Courtney was the CMO of Cabify, a taxi application for Latin America, where she grew the company from 3 cities and $20M valuation to 130 cities across 12 countries and a $1.5B valuation. Previously, she also worked in venture capital and finance at Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Morgenthaler and Morgan Stanley.In today's episode we will lea...2022-02-2236 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaGina Gotthilf / Latitud on failures, building remote-first company and the future of tech ecosystem in LatAmThursday, February 10: For this episode, I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Gina Gotthilf, co-founder at Latitud, a platform helping build the next generation of iconic tech startups in Latin America through a dedicated fellowship and fund.In today's episode we will learn:1) What was it like to build Latitud amidst Covid-19 pandemic? And what is the value Latitud brings to the tech ecosystem in Latin America? 2) What are the unique problems Latin America faces today that could become premises for scalable tech businesses tomorrow? 3) What are some of the growth hack...2022-02-1035 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaMilena Oliveira / Volpe Capital on biggest challenges of venture capital industry in LatAm, evolution of legal environment and must-knows for first time foundersTuesday, February 1: For this episode, I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Milena Oliveira, founding partner at Volpe Capital, a brand new Sao Paulo-based early and growth VC firm with $100M AUM and the likes of Softbank, BTG. and Banco Inter affiliates among anchor investors.In today's episode we will learn:1) How did the legal environment in Brazil evolve over the course of the last several years?2) What is the biggest challenge Latin American venture capital industry will face in the next few years? 3) What are some important pieces of advice Mi...2022-02-0120 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaBianca Martinelli / Alexia Ventures on the biggest lessons from Endeavor, importance of mentorship and distinctive qualities of LatAm foundersFriday, January 21: For this episode, I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Bianca Martinelli, partner at Alexia Ventures, Sao Paulo-based early stage VC that invests in SaaS, data & analytics and AI that has recently raised $80M from some of the best entrepreneurs in the region and whose portfolio includes the likes of Merce do Bairro and Hashdex.In today's episode we will learn:1) What is the ultimate value a VC with global operational background can bring to Latin American table?2) What are the distinctive qualities of entrepreneurs doing business in Brazil and L...2022-01-2025 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaManoela Mitchell / Pipo Saude on diversity as a critical driver of employee retention, biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make when fundraising and building business in LatAmFriday: For this episode, I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Manoela Mitchell, co-founder and CEO at Pipo Saude, Brazilian operator of health benefits platform, whose corporate customers include Brazilian Unicorns MadeiraMadeira and Buser and that has recently raised $20M Series A from the likes of Thrive Capital, Monashees, Kaszek, Atlantico and Nubank's co-founder David Velez.In today's episode we will learn:1) What is the impact of diversity on high growth tech company performance and employee retention?2) What are the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make when fundraising? What is the valuation trap?3) Wh...2021-12-1731 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaIzabel Gallera / Canary on using data to support investment decisions, ultimate traits of the best founders and LatAm market evolutionFriday: For this episode, I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Izabel Gallera, partner at Canary, one of the leading early stage venture capital firms in Latin America, that has recently raised $100M Fund III and whose portfolio includes the likes of Loft, Buser and Alice. In today's episode we will learn:1) What are the ultimate turn offs when Izabel talks to the founders? What are the key mistakes Latin America entrepreneurs make when talk to VCs in the region?2) Who is 'the best founder' from Canary's perspective and what is the fra...2021-12-1031 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaRafael Clo / Azos on disrupting $49b insurance industry, role of financial discipline and building products for scaleTuesday: For this episode, I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Rafael Clo, co-founder and CEO at Azos, Sao-Paulo-based tech startup democratizing life insurance in Brazil, that is backed by some of the best investors in Latin America including Naspers, KaszeK and MAYA. In today's episode we will learn:1) How Rafael turned his negative personal experience with life insurance provider into a venture-backed high growth tech business aimed to disrupt $49b industry in Brazil?2) How to design tech products for scale and compounding competitive advantage?3) What are the ways to 'democratize' en...2021-11-0934 min
The J Curve with Olga MaslikhovaMichael Kapps / Vitalk on impact-driven entrepreneurship, culture of experimentation and building tech business in BrazilThursday: For the very first episode, I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Michael Kapps, the founder and CEO at Vitalk, Sao-Paulo, Brazil based digital health startup that aims to make mental healthcare accessible for the underserved population in Brazil. Vitalk has recently raised Series A from the likes of Vox Capital, Valor Capital, Green Rock and Goodwater Capital.In today's episode we will learn:1) How Michael made his way in the world of impact-driven entrepreneurship by first becoming a cowboy and learning Portuguese on a ranch?2) How to optimize organization for...2021-10-2848 min
10KOlga Maslikhova | Ольга МаслиховаOlga Maslikhova is an experienced early-stage investor in software and services. She has been a co-founder and general partner at Phystech Ventures, a cross-border, early-stage venture capital firm since 2013. Under her leadership, Phystech Ventures has secured over $70 million under management and built a portfolio of 25 companies across North America, Southeast Asia, and Western Europe. As an angel investor, Olga focuses on super early in diverse founders, females and immigrants from emerging markets with strong survival instincts, thick skin, and unstoppable desire to address massive societal needs here and now because she understands these categories of founders better and can...2021-06-171h 55