Category: Community

Why immigrants are essential to Peru’s startup community

Immigrants are a key driver for Peru’s startup community. Founders from other countries bring fresh ideas and valuable connections.  Matias Maciel, an Argentine, moved to Peru to take on a regional role at Western Union’s finance team. Now, Matias is CFO and co-founder of Rextie, startup that helps users find the best FX rates and exchange money. Continue reading “Why immigrants are essential to Peru’s startup community”

Peru Venture Capital Conference 2018

This year the Peru Venture Capital Conference will take place on September 11th. The theme is “Invest in the future” – a great way to think about supporting startup communities and  backing founders in the Peru ecosystem.

The conference will have a group speakers, including Jason Portnoy, formerly of PayPal and Palantir.

Last year, Chris Heivly of Techstars was the keynote speaker and his message that day, and work in our ecosystem since then, continue to leave an enduring impact.

UTEC is playing a leading role in organizing the event locally, along with the support of IDB, FOMIN, COFIDE and Startup Peru.

I encourage you to sign up here now and attend. Events like this help our startup community to grow and connect with founders and investors outside of Peru.

500 Startups LatAm – Batch 9 Applications

500 Startups LatAm has an application process open for its next batch. Founders can apply here by May 20th.  The program invests $60,000 in startups that go through a 16-week program designed to drive startup growth and make connections to top investors. Continue reading “500 Startups LatAm – Batch 9 Applications”

Lima’s startup ecosystem

I really enjoyed reading this recent article on Lima’s startup ecosystem. It is a comprehensive take on the progress and status of our startup community. I like how it highlights the role of various actors: WAYRA, Startup Peru, PECAP, all working together and each contributing in their own way. I also like how it correctly identifies serial entrepreneurs as a key driver of the ecosystem. Continue reading “Lima’s startup ecosystem”

Foro Xcala (Lima, Peru)

Esta semana en Lima la Universidad del Pacifico va a ser host al Foro Xcala el evento anual en Latinoamerica sobre inversión ángel. En nuestro ecosistema en Lima la inversión ángel es un actor cada vez mas importante, ya que tenemos muy buenos emprendedores abriendo rondas de capital semilla. Aún tenemos mucho por aprender y hacer para sofisticarnos y invertir de una forma prudente. El apoyo de organizaciones como Xcala ha sido clave en el desarrollo de redes de inversión ángel en Lima. En el sitio web PECAP, pueden encontrar algunos de las redes activas en Lima. Espero que puedan asistir el foro y nos vemos ahí.