La Frontera: Bridging Startups and VCs Across the Americas

The LatAm Climate Edge with Ben Zehr, Reciprocal

This week on La Frontera, we sit down with Ben Zehr, Co-Founder of Reciprocal, to explore one of the most underfunded opportunities in venture today: climate tech in Latin America. Despite representing ~8% of global GDP and holding ~40% of the world’s biodiversity, the region receives less than 0.5% of global climate venture capital. Ben breaks down why that gap exists, what investors are missing, and where the most compelling opportunities are emerging. We dive into Reciprocal’s “LatAm Climate Edge,” including natural capital, technical talent, and market readiness, as well as key investment theses across energy, agriculture, and materials. We also discuss how Reciprocal is building the connective tissue between founders, corporates, and global capital and why narrative, not just fundamentals, determines where money flows. Since recording, Reciprocal has grown to a team of seven and is now raising capital to invest directly into climate startups across the region. If you’re an investor, founder, or operator interested in climate or Latin America, this episode offers a clear lens into where the next wave of opportunity may come from.

Building and Scaling an AI Startup in LatAm with Nico Camhi, Vambe

How do you raise ~$20M and scale to ~$6M ARR in ~20 months as a first-time founder in Latin America? In this episode of La Frontera, we sit down with Nico Camhi, CEO and co-founder of Vambe, to break down the real playbook behind building and scaling an AI company in LatAm. We cover how Vambe uses AI agents to automate critical back-office workflows for B2C commercial teams, why execution and culture matter more than hype, and what it takes to raise capital through relationships as a first-time founder. Nico also shares lessons from building in Chile, expanding into Brazil, and designing AI systems that actually work across different Latin American cultures. This is a candid conversation about: * Building AI products for real operational problems * Raising capital and earning investor trust * Hiring for ownership, speed, and resilience * Why in-person teams still matter * Cultural nuance in AI prompting across LatAm * The unglamorous reality of entrepreneurship If you’re a founder, operator, or investor building in Latin America—or thinking about it—this episode is for you.

Fintech Storytelling, Building Credit & Credibility with Andrew Endicott, Gilgamesh Ventures

We sat down with Andrew Endicott [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewendicott/], GP at Gilgamesh Ventures and former co-founder and president of Petal—one of the earliest fintech companies to challenge traditional credit underwriting by using cash-flow data instead of credit scores. It’s one of those conversations that looks like a fintech episode on the surface, but ends up being something deeper: a discussion about how people make decisions inside complex systems, how founders earn trust over time, and why Latin America continues to produce some of the most compelling fintech businesses in the world. Andrew brings a rare mix of perspectives to the table. He’s a lawyer by training, a founder who built inside U.S. financial regulation, and now an investor who’s spent years developing pattern recognition across the U.S. and Latin America. He’s thoughtful without being academic, opinionated without being dogmatic—and refreshingly honest about what he doesn’t know. We talk about fintech complexity, regulatory tradeoffs, the capital cycle behind lending businesses, storytelling as companies scale, and the “light-bulb moment” that led to Gilgamesh’s LatAm thesis. We also wander into employee compensation, investor psychology, and why spending time away from screens might be one of the most underrated founder skills. If you’re a founder building in fintech—or an investor trying to understand why some teams win and others stall—this episode is pure gold.

Empowering Founders & Flipping the Fundraising Script with Marcial Gonzalez Fraga

We sat down with Marcial González Fraga, Founder of Oss, to explore how startup founders can raise capital on their own terms. From launching Mercado Libre’s fintech lending arm to co-founding a startup and leading 100+ investments at Latitud Ventures, Marcial has seen every side of the fundraising table. Now, as a self-described “fundraising sherpa,” he helps founders flip the power dynamic and run their raise with confidence and control. In this episode, we discuss: * How to think like a VC when fundraising * Why even the best founders need a coach * How to keep leverage in your hands during a raise * Marcial’s contrarian takes on follow-on capital and investor alignment * What it means to build a company and a life with purpose You can find show notes, deep dives, and other great content in our newsletter 👉 www.lafronterapodcast.com [http://www.lafronterapodcast.com/] Intro and outro music is Me Quema [https://soundcloud.com/thebsproject/me-quema?si=6dc83074b6664af6a5d62eae8348f56c&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing] by The Berger / Sanchez Project.

Inside VEMO’s $500M Bet on Clean Mobility in Latin America with Nico Estrada, VEMO

We sat down with Nico Estrada, CFO of VEMO, to dive into how this Mexican company is accelerating the electric mobility revolution across Latin America. Nico takes us through his journey from Colombia to Wall Street to Mexico City — and why he left investment banking to become VEMO’s first non-founder hire. We explore how VEMO rolled up multiple startups to build an integrated EV ecosystem that combines fleets, charging infrastructure, and fintech-style solutions, solving the chicken-and-egg problem of EV adoption in LatAm. Nico also shares how VEMO is driving financial inclusion through lease-to-own programs for ride-hailing drivers with Uber and DiDi, helping gig workers access cars, credit, and ownership. Finally, we discuss VEMO’s recent $250M fundraise, one of the largest in Latin America this year, what it means for scaling fleets and charging networks, and the lessons Nico has learned guiding a capital-intensive startup through hypergrowth. You can find show notes, deep dives, and other great content in our newsletter 👉 www.lafronterapodcast.com [www.lafronterapodcast.com] Intro and outro music is Me Quema by The Berger / Sanchez Project. Keywords: latam, startup, electro-mobility, climate tech, mexico, VEMO, BYD, DIDI, UBER, nico, estrada, Vision ridge, electric vehicles, charging network