Baudo Pineda

The future belongs to those who dare to build deep tech. And in Latin America, more of them are rising every day. According to the Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, our region’s deep tech ecosystem is now valued more at $8B, with over 340 active startups as of 2023. In recent years, VC investment in the sector has grown 44x. But at Draper Cygnus, this growth is a confirmation of our thesis. We’ve spent the last decade backing founders who chose the harder path. People building from science, not hype. From conviction, not consensus. Startups like Skyloom Global, Stämm, Splight, Lemon, and Novo Space. All driven by teams that are turning deep science into real-world solutions for energy, health, space, climate and beyond. Behind every case, there were founders who chose the non-obvious path. Who decided to build deep tech in an industry where access to capital, talent and validation wasn’t easy. And yet, they moved forward. Investing is about walking alongside those who turn science into impact. This is just the beginning. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned along the way, it’s this: conviction, when sustained over time, becomes your greatest differentiator 🚀 #DeepTech #VentureCapital #DraperCygnus

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🤝 Mattilda Secures USD 50M to Transform School Financing Across Latin America Thrilled to see mattilda.,  the leading SaaS-fintech platform for private schools in Latin America, announce a landmark USD 50 million debt facility from Lendable—a leading private credit fund focused on fintech and financial inclusion in emerging markets. This funding, alongside a recent USD 10M equity round from GSV, Dila Capital, and FinTech Collective, will fuel:  ✅ Product expansion ✅ International growth ✅ Strategic acquisitions Mattilda’s mission is bold: to empower schools serving low- and middle-income families with the financial tools and solutions they need to achieve financial resilience and long-term sustainability 🗣️ Key Voices: “This new capital allows us to expand our product suite, accelerate growth in existing markets, and explore strategic acquisitions…” — Juan Pablo Bravo, Co-founder & CFO, Mattilda “We are excited to partner with Mattilda… This facility reflects our confidence in their scalable, innovative financing solutions.” — Agustin De Luca, Associate Director LATAM, Lendable Link: https://lnkd.in/eSK3J-2G #Mattilda #Lendable #EdTechInnovation #SchoolFinancing #ImpactInvestment #LATAMStartups #FinancialInclusion #SaaSForSchools #PrivateSchoolsLATAM #EmergingMarkets #GrowthCapital

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Most LATAM founders believe VCs evaluate businesses purely on merit—revenue growth, profitability, team strength, market traction. While these factors matter, they're missing the fundamental driver behind every VC decision: VCs don't invest in good businesses. They invest in power law outcomes. For a $300M fund targeting a 3x return, that’s $900M+ in proceeds from just one or two deals. If they own 15% at exit, you’re looking at $6B+ valuations. This often explains why: A profitable niche business might get passed over for a scaling startup in a larger market Growth metrics sometimes weigh more heavily than current profitability Market size becomes a critical evaluation criterion The implications for LATAM founders: ✓ Frame your addressable market strategically. VCs often look for large market opportunities, though the specific size varies by fund and stage. ✓ Balance growth and unit economics. While rapid scaling matters, sustainable growth paths are increasingly valued. ✓ Understand portfolio construction. VCs typically expect a small number of investments to drive outsized returns. ✓ Evaluate funding fit. Different capital sources (angels, revenue-based financing, debt) may align better with your business model and growth trajectory. VCs aren’t being irrational—they’re doing their job. But as founders, you need to understand the game you're playing. Swipe right for more insights into our LATAM fundraising episode or comment “FUNDRAISING” and we’ll send you the full breakdown 🔗

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🔵 🚀 RAPPI: The Super App is a Great Primitive Agentic Business! A fascinating reflection from my recent conversation with Federico Suarez Rendon Suarez on "𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐈 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐖𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤" (link in the comments) 𝐑𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐩, 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. Think about it - users tell Rappi what they want, and it orchestrates multiple services to fulfill that request. Sound familiar? 🚀 Why This Matters - The Numbers: • $1.3B revenue in 2024 from orchestrating services • 35+ million users across 9 countries • Break-even achieved - proving this model works • TIME's 2024 Most Influential Companies - recognition of their pioneering approach 🔗 The Primitive Agentic Blueprint: Single Interface, Multiple Services: . Food delivery → Financial services (RappiPay) → Travel bookings . E-commerce → Healthcare → 10-minute delivery via Rappi Turbo .𝐑𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫: Their concierge service where users say "I need X" and Rappi figures out how to get it done "To Rappi" something has become a verb across LATAM! Perfect primitive agentic examples: • "Print these documents for me" → RappiFavor finds a print shop, prints, delivers • "I need groceries" → Rappi determines best store, shops, delivers in 10 minutes • "Get me anything" → The famous "Rappi Antojo" button lets users request literally anything 💡 The AI Agent Evolution: Imagine Rappi + LLMs: Understanding context at scale, predicting needs, and orchestrating services with genuine intelligence rather than just rule-based routing. 🎯 The Takeaway: Rappi's $5.25B valuation proves there's massive demand for agent-like experiences. They've shown the market appetite. Do super apps like Rappi have an edge in our Agentic future? #AIAgents #SuperApp #LatinAmerica #fintech #Innovation #Rappi #OpenBanking #Agentic

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