Nido Ventures Seeks Early-Stage Companies with Great UX Products

The multiplier effect of the VC ecosystem in Latin America is becoming increasingly visible. We’ve been covering entrepreneurs who are funding new startups with their own resources; and now, some of them are joining forces.

Take Nido Ventures, a new investment fund whose partners are entrepreneurs, employees of startups and executives of consolidated companies.

Nido has five partners: María Gutiérrez, who has worked at Apple and Tesla; Ana Carolina Mexia, CPO at the fitness company Siclo; Emilio Rivero, who handled regulatory issues at Bitso; Renato Picard, co-founder and CEO of the mobility company Urbvan; and Javier de la Madrid, who runs GBM+, GBM’s investment platform.

The fund isn’t looking for companies in a particular industry. Its main criteria is startups that are having a great impact on industries through technology. “We have been witnesses to the transformative power that user-centric apps have to improve lives,” said De la Madrid in an interview with Contxto.

This is why he and his partners look for Latin American companies with a strong focus on user experience. Although it’s only been active for a short time, Nido’s portfolio already includes Cheaf, an app for restaurants to sell their surplus at a discount and avoid food waste, and Palenca, a payroll API to offer financial services to employees.

In terms of capital, it is a good time to create a startup in Latin America. Both regional and international funds are eager to continue investing in one of the most prolific regions in terms of unicorns and soonicorns.

Nido’s goal is to raise capital from third parties to have more funds to allocate to more companies. However, the fund offers more than capital, says De La Madrid. “At the stage in which we are investing, what the entrepreneur needs most is support. Financial support matters less; what it requires most is to feel supported by people who have already been through the same challenges.”

If the five partners have not gone through an experience similar to what the entrepreneur faces, then Nido offers its network. “It is important for us to complement the experience with that of other entrepreneurs who are part of Nido,” said the investor.

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