500 Global Unveils Batch 14 of Somos Lucha, As Investor Interest in Latin America Heats Up

Hot on the heels of 500 Luchadores III’s $17 million fund close, 500 Global is thrilled to share Batch 14 of our LatAm growth program. The 10 companies hail from Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, the U.S. and Ecuador–the first from that country to make it into our program. Transitioning to a fully remote program because of the pandemic has likely helped to attract more founders once again to our program from different corners of Latin America.

The 500 LatAm team in Mexico selected them out of more than 2,000 companies this past June. Knowing that time is of the essence for early stage founders, we challenged ourselves to speed up the approval process. Instead of a typical 15 weeks reply time, founders got a response from us in eight weeks.  

Over the past 10 years, 500 Global has, across all its funds, invested in 240 early stage companies in Latin America that have gone on to raise more than $1.5 billion. What we’ve observed is that founders are getting more sophisticated.

First, there are more success stories throughout Latin America. As of last month, venture capital investments reached $12 billion–more than the previous three years combined, according to PitchBook. This year, we saw two of our portfolio companies Clip and Konfio–both fintech–reach unicorn status. This is very encouraging to people who aspire to become entrepreneurs. 

Second, founders are accumulating experience. It is not unusual to find entrepreneurs who have worked at previous startups. 

Third, there are now many more avenues for networking and exposure–from communities and programs to bootcamps and mentorship. Founders are learning from each other. 

At 500, we’re thrilled to announce Batch 14 of Somos Lucha. The founders will be presenting their companies to investors at Demo Day on November 18th, 2021 from 11 am to 12 pm CT. To request an invitation, please apply here.

Bendo (Mexico): Mobile app that allows anyone to become an online store owner by providing free access to inventory, logistics, and tech.

Bitacora.io (Mexico): App that creates automatic reports for desk-less workers.

Bonum Coaching (Miami, Fl.):  Digital platform for personalized coaching that unleashes the development of leaders and businesses in Latin America.

MisFans (Mexico): Platform that helps creators build, grow and monetize their community.

Mujer Financiera (Argentina): Finance Education platform for women.

Picker (Ecuador): On-demand delivery Gateway for eCommerce.

Sioma (Colombia): The first tech ecosystem for tropical agriculture.

Wisepath (Mexico): Work-communication tool that helps companies to manage projects and grow.

Wombo Academy (Argentina): Monetization platform for gaming content creators.

Worknmates (Argentina): B2B Marketplace that helps companies implement hybrid or remote work efficiently.

¡Querido Batch 14, bienvenidos a la familia! #TodosSomosLucha

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