In this episode:

Carlos Torres de la Cuba, Managing Partner of AMG Block, a seed stage venture capital firm headquartered in Mexico City focused on investing in the FinTech and blockchain sector in Mexico and Spanish-speaking Latin America, talks to Andres about his journey to starting his venture capital firm, the market and investment dynamics in the LatAm region, how technology can improve financial inclusion for the underbanked and underserved, and what characteristics he looks for in founders.

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Show notes

Personal background

3:21

Educational background

4:27

Transitioning from working with family to a career in banking

6:05

Lessons learned from working in banking

7:39

Diving into the startup and venture landscape

8:55

Working at a FinTech startup

9:50

Hard lessons learned in getting funded, but the beginning of a new opportunity

10:43

Starting a venture capital firm

11:10

Fintech laws and regulation in Mexico

11:36

Living abroad

12:47

Building relationships globally through the MBA program

13:27

The educational gap in FinTech and the VC asset class

15:02

Comparisons between SE Asia and Latin America

16:09

The VC landscape in Peru, Argentina, and Brazil

17:05

The VC landscape in Mexico; Case study in a unicorn born in Mexico/Kavak

17:34

Market dynamics across Mexico and Latin America

18:47

Differences in valuations

19:25

Message to entrepreneurs in Mexico seeking venture backing

20:14

Taking a more human approach to venture investing

20:47

A human approach to investing – going beyond the term sheet

21:11

Advice for founders

22:13

What we look for in founders

23:18

Looking beyond the team and screening investment opportunities

23:45

Business verticals AMG Block is excited about today

25:13

Disrupting the current system and fixing broken processes in banking  

27:46

Market expansion across LatAm and to the United States for local startups

29:18

Venture capital solving convenience issues (USA) versus fundamental problems (LatAm)  

30:23

Mexico is more than Los Cabos and Cancun

31:54

Rapid Fire Q&A – books, shows, tech tools, work-family dynamics

32:41

Lessons learned from the past year?

34:57

More information on Carlos Torres and AMG Block

37:08

Preview of Episode #2 – Antonio Luck and Adriana Suarez of MatterScale Ventures

37:39

Thank you and engaging with us on social media

38:00