Tech Talents Brazil #9
Ex-CTO at Capim, ex-Partner at Conta Simples, ex-Founder at EmCasa are building something new, and much more.
Welcome to the ninth edition of Tech Talents Brazil!
In this newsletter, I share real-time key talent movements in the Brazilian tech ecosystem, including founders entering and exiting stealth mode, executive-level movements in unicorns, and partner-level changes in local VC firms.
Before we dive in, I wanted to briefly talk about startup graduation rates. In simple terms, graduation rates refer to the percentage of startups that successfully raise the next round of financing after securing a previous one. For example, a Seed to Series A graduation rate of 20% means that 20% of startups that raised a Seed round went on to successfully raise a Series A within a certain timeframe.
Data-Driven VC, a newsletter that I highly recommend, recently published a post on graduation rates in the US and Europe. I thought it would be interesting to compare that data with what we have in LAVCA’s most recent report. Here is the result:
While we are still behind these regions, the gap is smaller than I expected. Another way to look at these numbers is that for every 1,000 Seed startups in LatAm, 3.5 will make it to Series D or beyond, compared to 6.0 in the US or Europe.
This edition of Tech Talents is brought to you by BZCP.
Bronstein, Zilberberg, Chueiri & Potenza Advogados advises investors in their investment rounds and also in exit events and M&A, in addition to assisting startups from their creation through all stages of development, helping to solve complex legal matters.
🤫 Talents Entering Stealth
Talents with relevant experiences who have just entered stealth mode.
Alexandre Oki Takinami - CTO & Co-Founder at Stealth Startup
Founder Highlights: Serial Founder, Technical Founder, Top University, Endeavor Scale Up
Previous Experience: Ex-CTO at Capim, ex-Co-Founder & CPO at Swap, ex-Lead Software Engineer & Co-Founder at GuiaBolso, ex-Lead Developer at Rocket Internet GmbH, bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from USP.
Stealth Description: Working on something new at the intersection of Fintech, AI, and Healthcare.
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Headquarters: São Paulo
Time in Stealth: 1 month
Igor Oliveira - Co-Founder at Stealth Startup
Founder Highlights: Serial Founder, Previous Exit, “Soonicorn” Experience
Previous Experience: Ex-Partner & Executive at Conta Simples, ex-CEO & Co-Founder at Hackr Ads (acquired by Conta Simples), ex-Co-Founder & Executive Partner at Hackr.
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Headquarters: Belo Horizonte
Time in Stealth: 1 month
Leo A. Almeida - Founder at Stealth Startup
Founder Highlights: Serial Founder, Masters, Top University, Ex-Big Tech, Investor, Ex-Consultant
Previous Experience: Ex-CFO at Ontop, ex-CFO at Zubale, ex-Vice President of Finance at Teya (formerly SaltPay), ex-ExxonMobil, ex-Controller of International Operations at AgReserves, Inc., ex-Senior Auditor at EY. Darden MBA, University of Virginia; M.S. in Accountancy from University of Notre Dame; B.S. in Management (Finance) from Brigham Young University.
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Headquarters: São Paulo
Time in Stealth: 1 month
Gustavo Vaz - Building something new at Stealth Startup
Founder Highlights: Serial Founder, Masters, Top University, Investor, Ex-Big Tech, Unicorn Experience, Ex-Consultant
Previous Experience: Ex-Founder & CEO at EmCasa, ex-Chief Strategy Officer at Frontier Car Group (acquired by OLX), ex-Global COO at Easy Taxi, ex-Management Consultant at Gradus Consultoria de Gestão, ex-Business Development at BRMALLS. Harvard MBA.
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Headquarters: Brazil
Time in Stealth: 1 month
🦄 Unicorn Movements
Promotions, new hires, and other movements in local unicorns’ executive-level.
Rodrigo Magalhães
Current Role: CEO Latam (ex Brasil) at Unico
Previous Role: VP of Global Strategy at Unico
Previous Experience: Ex-Head of Equities at Itaú BBA, ex-Managing Director - Head of Brazil Distribution at Itaú BBA, ex-Director - Head of Local Sales at Itaú BBA, ex-Managing Director - Latin America Equity Sales at Credit Suisse, ex-Trader at Banco Garantia. Bachelor of Business Administration from FGV.
Headquarters: São Paulo
Time in New Role: 1 month
🎊 Founders Coming Out of Stealth
Founders who were in stealth mode and have just revealed what they are working on.
Speech Spinach
Overview
Startup Description: Speech Spanish is a platform where you can practice your presentations or talks and get a full report on what to improve, your strengths, and other useful stats.
Industry: Edtech, AI
Team Size: 1
Time in Stealth: 6 months
Founder Profile
Gustavo Loureiro dos Reis - Co-Founder & CTO at Speech Spinach
Founder Highlights: Serial Founder, Technical Founder, Top University
Previous Experience: Ex-Principal Product Manager at Buser Brasil, ex-Head of Product & Growth at teachme.to, ex-Growth Marketing Director at StoryTap, ex-Chief Growth Officer at Fluentics, ex-Game Producer/Developer at Backpacker, ITA Computer Engineering.
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Headquarters: São José dos Campos, São Paulo
ADRENA
Overview
Startup Description: The marketplace for those driven by adrenaline, starting with buying and selling new and used equipment in Brazil.
Announcement Post: click here
Industry: Sports, Marketplace
Team Size: 2
Time in Stealth: 18 months
Founder Profile
Rafael Dias - Founder at ADRENA
Founder Highlights: Ex-Consultant, Top University
Previous Experience: Ex-Head of Marketing at Qualicorp, ex-Marketing Manager at Itaú Unibanco, ex-Marketing Consultant at Itaú Unibanco, ex-Brand Strategy Consultant at Interbrand, ex-Strategy Executive at Ana Couto. Holds a Post-grad in Business Administration and Management from FGV and a Bachelor of Arts in Design and Visual Communications from FAAP.
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Headquarters: São Paulo
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