HTwenty

Last week in Mexico City, we had the pleasure of joining GAIL’s second board meeting of the year - and what better way to wrap it up than by sharing a meal with the incredible team behind the company. 🍽 Thank you to founders Matthew Vega-Sanz and Michael Vega-Sanz for bringing everyone together. It’s always energizing to connect in person, reflect on the progress made, and talk about what’s ahead. Grateful to be on this journey with such thoughtful and driven partners. 📍Mexico City 👥 With: Mathew-Vega Sanz, Eric Ramos, Daniel Lloreda, Montserrat Calderón, John McAllister, Roly Vicaría, Michael Vega-Sanz, Andrés Hernández Fernández and Arnaldo Carrillo. #VentureCapital #Startups #LatAm #FounderFirst #CrossBorderInnovation

Despite all the AI hype, venture capital still lags behind 2021 levels—especially outside a few hot sectors. That doesn’t mean founders should hit pause. There are smart ways to fund growth without giving up equity: ✅ Revenue-based financing: Get capital now and repay it as a small percentage of future revenue. ✅ Factoring: Get paid upfront for unpaid invoices instead of waiting 30+ days. ✅ Cash-flow funding: If you're generating annual recurring revenue (ARR), use that predictability to invest ahead. You can even offer customers a discount to pay their full contract upfront, which will give you immediate cash to reinvest in your product and team. While you're focused on survival, refresh your pitch deck too. Venture capital isn’t off the table - it just might take longer to land. This season won’t last forever. But the resourcefulness you build now? That’s long-term fuel. #Startups #VentureCapital #Founders #Entrepreneurship #StartupFunding #AI

Gen AI is booming, but are you tracking the metrics that really matter to understand that growth? Everyone loves to talk about annual recurring revenue (ARR). It’s flashy and it gets attention. For example, Anthropic grew from $10M to $1.4B ARR in just two years, and Cursor, Bolt.new, and Codeium are already approaching $60M+. But in a space moving this fast, Net Dollar Retention (NDR) is the number that actually tells the story. NDR tracks how much your existing customers spend over time, after upgrades, downgrades, and churn. High NDR means customers are investing more. They’re staying longer. They’re building with you. 👉🏼 Ask yourself - Are your customers growing with you and sticking around? #GenAI #SaaS #VC #GrowthMetrics #NDR #ArtificialIntelligence #HTwentyCapital

When you're an entrepreneur, one of the most critical questions you’ll face is: What is the pain point that you are solving for your customers? ⠀ You should be able to answer it quickly and clearly. If you can’t succinctly explain the problem your startup is addressing, that’s a huge red flag for investors. 🚩 ⠀ Investors want to know that you’re laser-focused on solving a real, pressing issue. The clearer you are, the more confident they’ll be in your vision. ⠀ The best pitch? One that identifies the problem, outlines the solution, and demonstrates why yours is the team to solve it in as few words as possible. ⠀ #Entrepreneurship #Startups #VentureCapital #Pitching #BusinessStrategy #ProblemSolving

Eighty-four percent of global financial firms plan to increase their investment in Latin America over the next 12 to 24 months. Yet, nearly 60 percent cite market structure issues - fragmentation, processing errors, and lack of standardization - as significant barriers to entry. ✋🏼 ⠀ This paints a complex picture of LatAm investing: the region is rich with opportunity but presents operational and regulatory hurdles that demand significant resources to navigate. For some players, these challenges can be a serious deterrent. ⠀ But there are opportunities as well. Invest in the cross-border startups that are addressing inefficiencies in LatAm markets through technology and business innovation. 📱 ⠀ Startups focused on automating processes, improving straight-through processing, and streamlining compliance are laying the groundwork for a more connected, scalable LatAm market. These businesses help solve immediate pain points and also create pathways for long-term economic growth and investment. ⠀ Backing these innovators is where the real value lies for cross-border investing. ⠀ #LatAmInvesting #CrossBorderStartups #VentureCapital #VCs

We recently hosted an intimate dinner in Mexico City with some of our portfolio companies, their teams, and a few long-time collaborators and advisors. It was a special opportunity to reconnect, share stories, create new synergies and reflect on everything we’re building together across Latin America - and beyond. 🌎 We believe meaningful partnerships are often built over a shared meal. We're grateful to be surrounded by such a thoughtful, driven, and visionary community. Thanks to everyone who joined us for an unforgettable evening! CC: Alejandro Servín Eduardo Medeiros Cardoso Nicolas Toro Alex Santana Montserrat Calderón Bernardo Arrospide Frank Martin Daniel Lloreda Myriam Cosío Robles Haro van der Horst Andrés Hernández Fernández Emmanuel Alva. #VentureCapital #LatAmStartups #FounderFirst #CrossBorderInnovation #Startups #Innovation

What a week in Medellín! ✨ From panels to pitch rooms to private conversations - thank you to everyone who made Startco and VC Week such an energizing experience.  Highlights included: – Sharing insights with students at Escuela de Ingeniería de Antioquia on “From Operations to Venture Capital: What Investors Look For”. – Speed meetings with incredible startups from Chile, Colombia, and Argentina. – A breakfast hosted by Monashees with some of LATAM’s top VCs and ecosystem leaders. A very big thank you to Sebastian Cardenas for welcoming us into his home. – Hosting a founder & funder lunch with Amazon Web Services (AWS), BBVA Spark, and Ongoing to close out the week. – An incredibly valuable conversation with the co-founder of Akua, Carlos Mario Marín Arroyave, and his new Head of Business Development. Looking forward to the next step! 💥 We’re proud to keep showing up for the LATAM ecosystem - because the future is being built right here.  CC: Renzo Sesana, Jimena Cortés Roa  #VCWeek #Startco2025 #LATAMStartups #VentureCapital #ColombiaTech

TechCrunch recently released its list of 60 U.S. startups that became unicorns in 2024. But if history tells us anything, it's that many of these billion-dollar startups will struggle to justify their valuations in the coming years. High valuations don’t guarantee long-term success — only sustainable business models do. What actually matters? 👉🏼 Sustainable Growth – Build a business with real revenue and profitability, not just inflated numbers. 👉🏼 Market Fit – Solve real problems rather than chasing trends. 👉🏼 Operational Excellence – Avoid overexpansion and financial missteps by running lean and staying disciplined. A billion-dollar valuation is a milestone, but it's not a measure of success. The real challenge? Staying valuable long after the hype fades. #Startups #VentureCapital #Unicorns #BusinessGrowth #HTwentyCapital

What drives IPO success – or failure? An initial public offering (IPO) is when a private company sells shares to the public for the first time. It’s a huge milestone, but not every IPO leads to long-term success. The companies that thrive post-listing know: 📌 Revenue quality matters – Investors prefer predictable, recurring revenue over one-time sales. 📌 Sustainable profitability – Public markets reward sustainability, not just rapid growth. 📌 Market timing is everything – Even great companies can struggle if they go public at the wrong time. 📌 Key metrics matter – Gross margin, growth rate, customer retention, and cash flow are critical indicators. A high IPO valuation doesn’t mean much if the stock craters later. The real test is whether the company can deliver consistent results over time. #VentureCapital #IPO #Startups #HTwentyCapital

Felicitaciones to founders Manuel J Godoy and Bernardo Garcia and the entire Félix team on their $75M Series B raise!  We’ve believed in Félix from day one - backing their mission to transform how Latino communities send and receive money across borders. What started as a bold vision to simplify remittances through WhatsApp has now processed over $1B in transfers in just one year. That's the kind of impact we invest in. We’re proud to continue supporting founders like Manuel and Bernardo, who are redefining financial inclusion for millions across Latin America. Shout out to fellow investors: QED Investors, Monashees, Switch Ventures, Castle Island Ventures and General Catalyst.  The next chapter is just beginning. More via Bloomberg 👉🏼 https://lnkd.in/eJW8-zu5 #Fintech #LatAm #CrossBorderInnovation #FounderSuccess #FinancialInclusion #WhatsAppBanking