Rea arrives as a visiting partner to the accelerator and will be operating from Mexico, a country that is key for them to implement their new regional plan.
Six months after its arrival in Mexico, Platanus Ventures announced a new member: Rogelio Rea, former CEO of the fintech Atrato, who is leaving his position at the startup and joining the accelerator as a visiting partner. Together with Joaquín Stephens, one of the founders of the Chilean firm, they will be operating in the country.
Although Platanus Ventures already had Mexican companies in its portfolio, Reo explained to Contxto that because Mexico is the largest Spanish-speaking market in Latin America, they are now looking to operate physically in the country.
Rogelio Rea fundó la fintech Atrato y ahora se suma a Platanus Ventures. (Foto: Rogelio Rea)
Rogelio’s profile was attractive to Platanus, as he knows the ecosystem. Paula Enei, co-founder of this accelerator, one of the most dynamic in the region, told Contxto that “what we imagined was that he would be a Latin American founder who had faced all the challenges that startups face. He also had the time and the desire to enter a program like Platanus Ventures”. She added that they needed someone who had strong experience outside of Chile.
The accelerator is putting a lot of effort into Mexico. The country is key for them to unfold their regional plan. “There are many more networks in the ecosystem, as well as awareness of creating startups and the impact they can generate. There is more capital and many people migrating to this country. In addition, it is a good bridge between Latin America and the US. You have to be there,” Enei explained.
For his part, Rea mentioned that his goals in his new role are to help startups become more successful and overcome the challenges they face. “I want to leverage my experience in the Mexican market,” he said.
Platanus Ventures began operating in Chile in 2020, a country where they have gained popularity. At that time they started financing four startups and the investment amount for each one was US$50 thousand.
Today, there are four generations and the last one already has 15 companies from different Latin American countries, each receiving US$100 thousand in funding. They also have 10 Mexican startups in their portfolio, operating in Mexico City and Guadalajara.
Enei and Rea announced that next November there will be a demo day for the fourth generation of Platanus Ventures and that they are about to open the call for batch 5, where the new investment ticket will be maintained.
Main image: Joaquin Stephens, Paula Enei, Rogelio Rea and Andrés Matte, Platanus Ventures partners.
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