La Frontera 🌵 Podcast, Episode 10 - Bridging the $1T Opportunity: Why Now Is the Time to Invest in LatAm

In this episode, we sit down with Luis Enriquez, co-founder and GP of Bridge Latam, to explore why now is the moment to invest in Latin America's booming tech scene. Luis breaks down the $1 trillion opportunity, the industries primed for disruption, and how Mexico's cultural nuances shape startup culture. We also dive into the challenges (and opportunities) of Series B liquidity, secondaries, and founder over-dilution—key issues shaping the future of venture in the region.

From his 13-year journey building Cultura Colectiva into one of Mexico's largest digital media platforms (30M+ users, 60M+ social followers) to co-founding Bridge Latam, Luis brings a refreshing founder-turned-investor perspective to Latin America's evolving startup ecosystem.

We were introduced to Luis by a former Bridge associate, Fran Garcia, who also runs an awesome podcast called “Levantando.” Shout out to Fran! We knew we had to talk to Luis for his unique perspective and innovative investor mindset, especially after reading his original, published commentary on the startup ecosystem in LatAm. This conversation didn’t disappoint — it’s full of invaluable intel and learnings for investors and founders alike.

Episode 10 Summary

• From Math Olympian to Media Mogul: Luis's journey from competing in International Math Olympics to building algorithms that predicted viral social media content—and scaling Cultura Colectiva to become the "Buzzfeed of Latin America."

• The $1 Trillion Opportunity: Breaking down why LatAm's tech market cap (2% of GDP) has massive room to grow toward global standards—and what that means for investors.

• Industries Ripe for Disruption: From telecommunications (where Mexico pays the highest data costs globally) to B2B financial credit and auto lending.

• Bridge Latam's Thesis: How copying the US VC model doesn't work in LatAm, and how Bridge’s innovative approach leads to consistent returns.

• Founder Dilution Crisis: Why LatAm founders are some of the most diluted in the world by Series A (above 15% average).

• Cultural Barriers to Growth: How Mexican culture's stigma around failure is evolving with the help of former founders like Luis himself.

Bridge Latam: A Fund by Founders, for Founders

Note: Since recording this interview, Bridge Latam has completed a merger with NAZCA VC. We will cover the specifics of this monumental partnership in an episode next month. For now, please check out this article for more information.

💰 Assets Under Management: $15M+ (Fund 1, launched 2021) Recently merged with Nazca to combine $300M+ in assets
📍 HQ: Mexico City with operations across Latin America
🎯 Stage Focus: Pre-seed and Seed
🌎 Geographic Focus: Mexico to Argentina, including Brazil
📊 Check Size: $200K–$500K initial, with follow-on capacity
🏆 Portfolio: 30+ investments across Fund 1 & Fund 2

🚀 Notable Investments:

• Aplazo lets users split any purchase into five biweekly payments with no credit card required.

• Aptuno streamlines the home rental process in LatAm with tech-enabled, end-to-end service for both tenants and landlords.

• Desteia uses specialized AI to automate cross-border trade, offering clean data, real-time freight tracking, and seamless customs handling.

• EFEX is building a better cross-border payment solution tailored to the needs of small and mid-sized businesses in Latin America.

• Elenas empowers women in LatAm to launch online businesses via a social commerce platform optimized for WhatsApp, Facebook, and more.

• Hackmetrix offers the first comprehensive cybersecurity and compliance SaaS platform built specifically for LatAm SMEs.

• Koywe provides a simple, reliable crypto on/off-ramp for LatAm businesses and users managing FX and blockchain transactions.

• Kukun blends boutique hotel charm with the flexibility of short-term rentals to deliver immersive stays in Mexico.

• Plenna is reimagining women’s healthcare in Mexico through tech-driven, personalized, and holistic health services.

Unique Model: Founder-led fund with unicorn founders as venture partners.

Exit Strategy: Focus on Series B secondary sales.

Learn more here: www.bridgelatam.com

🧠 From Math Olympiad to Missed Exit

Luis Enriquez didn’t set out to be a VC. He was a math prodigy who built algorithms before AI was cool—literally running social data through Excel to predict what would go viral. That hustle became Cultura Colectiva, a digital media company that skyrocketed to 60M followers and 30M monthly users.

Then came the first fork in the road.

Instead of cashing out, Luis took $5M in VC funding—at the same valuation. The company expanded into the U.S., but later hit major turbulence: a hacking incident, bad press, and a collapse in revenue that forced him to lay off 200 people.

That moment reshaped him. He lived the founder highs and very real lows. And it taught him two things:

1. The traditional VC model doesn’t always fit LatAm

2. Founders need other founders in their corner

So he teamed up with LatAm startup veterans to build Bridge Latam, one of the first institutional VC funds led by founders, for founders.

💰 The $1 Trillion Opportunity That Everyone's Missing

Luis' most compelling thesis centers on a stark data point: Latin America's tech companies represent only 2% of the region's GDP, compared to 70% in the US, 30% in China, and 20% in India.

The Math Behind the Opportunity:

LatAm GDP: ~$6 trillion

Current tech market cap: ~2% of GDP

Target: 15% of GDP (matching emerging market standards)

Potential value creation: $1 trillion

But what's driving this massive opportunity?

Three Key Factors: