During the last few months I have had the opportunity to accompany 3 incredible startups within the Emprelatam Acceleration Cohort, a program that, rather than accelerating companies, accelerates decisions, uncomfortable conversations and real change.
Emprelatam is not just a program. It is a regional platform that has been accompanying and professionalizing Latin American startups, connecting them with mentors, ecosystem referents, capital, methodology and an active community of founders who are building real companies with global ambition.
During 10 weeks, In addition, founders from different industries meet with mentors and referents to work directly and without filters on their businesses, with access to real benefits of over USD 150,000 (including USD 25k on Google Cloud, USD 10k on AWS, among others), and closing with a DemoDay in front of the community, investors and partners.
But the most valuable thing is not in the perks. It's in the conversations.
My role as a mentor
I was invited to participate as a mentor in this batch to accompany startups in early stage and growth, contributing from my experience as an entrepreneur, founder and advisor, especially in moments where decisions are not obvious and the context is uncertain.
My objective from day one was clear: to provide the greatest possible value according to the real moment each startup was experiencing.
Not from theory. Not from the “everything is going to be fine”.
From experience, mistakes, successes, chaos and reality.
Every Friday, for a couple of hours in the morning, we would meet to discuss raw, hard and upfront on the real day-to-day problems: sales that don't come in, products that don't close, partners that aren't aligned, emotional burnout and lack of focus.
Yes, I also shared my own challenges. Because entrepreneurship is not about lecturing, it's about put everything on the table.
Accompanied startups
I was fortunate to work with amazing founders and startups with a lot of potential:
- Contactship AI Contact center platform with AI that centralizes calls, WhatsApp and email to improve customer service and contact. A team with a strong obsession for execution and for solving real communication problems in growing companies.
- LEAF SaaS platform that empowers companies in carbon and sustainability management, with a focus on real impact and scalability. A team with a global vision that understands that sustainability needs metrics, processes and business to scale.
- Kiddly Startup focused on AI solutions applied to childhood and education, with a team that dared to question assumptions, rethink its model and make difficult decisions in a short time.
Each at a different time, with different challenges, but with something in common: a real desire to grow and to listen to what needed to be heard.
The axes on which we focused
Beyond the business, we decided to work on very specific pillars:
- Sales
- Product
- Objectives
- Partners and couples, because many times entrepreneurship is with your partner, friend or associate, and that is also worked on.
Subjects we work on in depth
Some of the topics that ran through the sessions:
- How to measure for real: dashboards and key KPIs
- Definition of objectives using EOS and ROCKS, working a clear compass: what is important now, what is not, and what weekly rituals we use to sustain focus and execution.
- Real sales and traction, not PowerPoints
- CRM, funnel and business processes
- Clear roles and more efficient teams
- Validation of products and business models using BMC and Value Proposition Canvas, supported by Strategyzer methodologies to validate quickly and avoid months of wasted work.
- Prioritizing when everything seems urgent
- Finance: cashflow, runway and P&L. Understanding how much real time the company has to execute completely changes the way decisions are made.
- When to raise capital and when not to raise capital
- How to enjoy the process without burning out. Because no one climbs well from constant exhaustion
Why is this type of space important?
Why undertake is not easy.
And above all, is very lonely.
I always say that entrepreneurship is like being a juggler: you have a thousand things in the air, one thing always falls, you pick it up and continue. Emotions, frustrations, joys, doubts. A constant up and down.
Sharing, guiding and accompanying makes that path lighter.
And there is nothing more gratifying than watching actual results in a few weeks.
Concrete results (LEAF case)
In only 10 weeks, LEAF achieved:
- Implement EOS and define ROCKS 2026
- Weekly discipline of KPIs that improved performance
- Less friction in daily decisions
- New agreements in Argentina and Chile, and a partner in Berkeley representing LEAF in the USA.
- +60% of potential ARR pipeline growth
- Conversion x2 QoQ
Real results. Measurable. Defensible.
Feedback from founders
One thing we did in each session was simple but powerful:
at closing, each one put a number from 1 to 10 and a word to summarize the meeting.
When we looked at the most repeated words, a clear pattern emerged:
confidence, clarity, reality, make, sales, growth.
They did not talk about inspiration or motivation.
They talked about focus, execution and uncomfortable decisions.
To me, that's a clear sign that the conversations were where they needed to be.
Thanks to Emprelatam for creating these spaces, for the enormous effort behind them and for betting on founders who want to do things well.
Thank you to every entrepreneur who opened up to 100%, who was honest, who let himself be challenged and who chose to grow.
And thank you for reminding me why entrepreneurship and accompanying entrepreneurs is so worthwhile.
We continue. Always.