Latest news with #LatAm
Fast Company
14-07-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
The first 90 days: Bringing order to startup chaos
Over more than a decade of working at early-stage startups and high-growth tech companies, I've seen how the same forces that drive early success can eventually get in the way of scaling. In the early days of a startup, speed is everything. Teams are small and nimble, decision-making is fluid, and early breakthroughs come from people who can move quickly and solve problems on the fly. At this stage, I've seen really small teams accomplish the impossible. When I first joined Uber in LatAm, I was part of a team of four that managed end-to-end operations in Peru, bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars in annualized bookings. In a startup's early days, the focus is often singular: growth and speed. Everyone focuses on capturing new users, building product-market fit, and scaling operations. But as companies mature, what worked during the zero-to-one phase starts to break down. Informal, ad hoc processes become bottlenecks. Growing headcount makes alignment harder. Eventually, leaders face a critical challenge: how do you introduce enough structure to support scale without sacrificing the speed and scrappiness that got you there? Through multiple scaling transitions, I've learned that building structured operating models isn't about creating process for process's sake. As priorities shift from pure growth to a more balanced focus on growth, profitability and customer experience, teams need a shared framework that helps everyone understand where the company is headed and how their work contributes to that goal. The first and most critical step is aligning on the company's overarching objectives. This may sound obvious, but it's surprisingly common for early-stage companies to operate without clearly defined priorities. Growth typically dominates at first, but as companies scale, priorities become more complex and start competing. If these shifting priorities aren't clearly communicated, teams may continue operating under old assumptions. Some may still optimize for growth at all costs, while others focus on cost-cutting or operational improvements. I saw this firsthand at Kyte. When we transitioned from a growth mindset to a profitability one, some early employees struggled to grasp the importance of building structure and efficiency after years of focusing on top-line growth. That's why, especially in the first 90 days as a new leader, it's essential to drive conversations to clarify the company's current focus. What are we optimizing for right now? How do we balance revenue growth, profitability, and customer satisfaction? What trade-offs are we willing to make? What investments are worth making today for long-term payoff? Once defined, these objectives become a north star that allows teams to prioritize accordingly. They also serve as anchor points for decision-making when trade-offs arise. Just as important, these objectives must be cascaded throughout the company. Every person should understand how their work contributes to achieving these goals. BUILD GOVERNANCE TO REDUCE COORDINATION OVERHEAD Once objectives are established, the next challenge is managing company-wide orchestration as headcount grows. Early on, coordination happens organically: people sit together, hop on quick calls, or resolve issues through Slack. But as teams grow past 30, 50, or 100 people, informal coordination becomes unsustainable. Interdependencies and cross-functional conversations multiply, and teams spend more time just trying to stay aligned. This is where governance comes in. Not as bureaucracy, but as a system that keeps people focused on the right conversations at the right time. Good governance creates structured spaces where teams can surface issues, unblock each other, track progress, and stay aligned. Without it, unstructured meetings proliferate, decisions stall, and execution suffers. In my experience, effective governance tends to include the following meetings: Weekly Business Reviews (WBRs): Weekly meeting to assess performance against key metrics, keeping everyone focused on top priorities. Monthly OKR Reviews: A meeting to track quarterly objectives, recalibrate priorities, and adjust resources as needed. Functional Syncs: Department-level or cross-functional meetings for tactical coordination on critical initiatives. Leadership Check-Ins: Regular executive meetings to stay aligned on key decisions and trade-offs. The goal is to replace reactive coordination with proactive alignment. Done well, governance creates fewer but more effective meetings that help teams move faster, not slower. RUTHLESSLY PRIORITIZE STRATEGIC INITIATIVES Even with clear objectives and governance in place, one of the biggest risks in high-growth companies is trying to do too much. In early-stage companies with limited resources, it's easy to launch many initiatives at once. Individually, each may seem worthwhile, but collectively they dilute focus and slow execution. Once core objectives are defined, leaders should ruthlessly prioritize the top initiatives that will drive the biggest impact. This often means deliberately delaying or deprioritizing worthwhile projects that don't directly support the company's most important goals. That may sound simple, but in practice it requires constant discipline. In the words of Jony Ive, Apple's former Chief Design Officer, 'What focus means is saying 'no' to something that you, with every bone in your body, think is a phenomenal idea […] but you say no to it because you're focusing on something else.' I've seen these tough choices play out firsthand. At Uber, it meant eventually slowing expansion, leaving markets, and deprioritizing bold bets to focus on profitability. At Kyte, it meant shelving certain product features and narrowing our customer focus to maximize ROI. These were difficult decisions, but freeing up capacity to focus on what mattered most allowed us to stay nimble and set up the business for long-term success. PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER High-growth startups are often built on speed and scrappiness, but sustainable growth requires structure. As companies mature, the absence of clear objectives, governance, and prioritization can quickly turn fast-moving companies into unfocused and inefficient ones. In my experience, new leaders who take the time in their first 90 days to (i) align on company objectives, (ii) build governance to reduce coordination friction, and (iii) ruthlessly prioritize initiatives are better positioned to help their teams scale efficiently without sacrificing agility. The result isn't bureaucracy, it's clarity and alignment. And that's what allows teams to execute efficiently, even as the business becomes more complex.
Business Wire
11-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Cobre Becomes the First Platform to Enable Real-Time Interbank B2B Payments in Colombia
BOGOTÁ, Colombia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cobre, the leading platform for real-time business payments in Latin America, unveiled today that starting in September, it will become the first participant in Colombia's financial system to enable instant interbank payments exclusively for businesses. LatAm fintech to unlock real-time B2B payments in Colombia. Share As a long-time advocate of financial digitalization in Colombia, Cobre will accelerate the adoption of the new interoperable real-time payment system for businesses under the Bre-B framework, transforming the way money moves across the country. This functionality will allow companies to use payment aliases (keys) to receive instant and interoperable transfers without altering their existing accounting flows or payment systems, eliminating operational friction and making it easier to adopt this new financial infrastructure. They will also be able to receive payments from corporate clients around the clock — 24/7, including weekends and holidays, which will significantly improve cash flow and accelerate accounting cycles. 'At Cobre, we believe innovation should go beyond the buzzword. That's why we've worked hard to bring real-time to enterprise payments in Colombia before anyone else. This benefits not only our clients, but also the country's entire financial modernization agenda,' said José Gedeón, CEO and co-founder of Cobre. Cobre plans to grant early access to its customers, a group that includes major retailers, fintechs, and logistics providers. 'This has been the result of months of joint work with various ecosystem partners. This is definitely another step in our mission to provide innovative, efficient financial tools for companies, ' Gedeón added. With this pioneering integration, Cobre reaffirms its leadership as the most agile, interoperable, and future-ready B2B payments platform in the region. About Cobre Cobre is the biggest platform developing technology for corporate payments in Latin America. Cobre has three solutions that allow companies to optimize their treasury or build new products for their clients: Cobre Connect, Local Payments (domestic business payments in real time), and Cross Border Payments (global business payments in real time). All are designed to integrate with a company's existing systems in order to create intelligent and interoperable financial ecosystems.
Associated Press
09-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Jorge del Villar: A Vision Rooted in Strategy
In an industry where trends shift at the speed of light and visibility is often mistaken for influence, Jorge del Villar stands out for exactly the opposite. His leadership is not built on noise, but on nuance. From Querétaro, Mexico, Jorge has earned the respect of his peers not just for what he says, but for how he thinks — and more importantly, how he acts. With more than two decades of experience in the world of advertising and strategic communication, Jorge del Villar has quietly but firmly positioned himself as one of the most respected minds in his field. In Querétaro, he is widely recognized as a leading expert in outdoor advertising and a reference for what it means to build thoughtful, results-driven campaigns in a market that demands both creativity and accountability. A graduate in Marketing from UCO Mondragón University, Jorge began his professional journey by identifying what others overlooked: businesses with great products or services often lacked the tools to effectively communicate with their audience. This early insight led him to create solutions that focused on visibility, strategy, and impact — principles that have guided him ever since. Today, Jorge is the mind behind Anunciarte, a well-established outdoor advertising company with a strong presence across the state of Querétaro. The company has become known for its comprehensive coverage through billboards and urban signage, offering strategic spaces that reach a wide spectrum of the population. But what sets Anunciarte apart is not just its media presence, but the strategic thinking behind each campaign, the way each message is placed, and the intention with which each space is used. While his work in outdoor media continues to set standards, Jorge's vision has evolved to include editorial communication. His latest project, Alternativa magazine, is proof of that. Launched as a bimonthly print and digital publication, Alternativa has already reached its seventh edition — and with it, remarkable success. In a media landscape saturated by speed and superficiality, the magazine has managed to offer something different: thoughtful content, curated voices, and a pulse on what matters most to readers today. Without ever claiming to be a journalist, Jorge has approached Alternativa with the same strategic clarity that defines all his work: identify a gap, build a platform with substance, and let the content speak for itself. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Readers from across sectors — business, culture, education, and social development — have found in Alternativa a space for ideas, reflection, and contemporary issues beyond the headlines. What makes Jorge del Villar's success particularly relevant is the way he balances business savvy with long-term vision. He doesn't rush. He doesn't follow trends blindly. And he doesn't confuse popularity with purpose. His decisions are measured, his steps are deliberate, and his goals always stretch beyond immediate impact. Colleagues describe him as a calm strategist — someone who leads through clarity rather than pressure. He listens more than he speaks, and when he speaks, people tend to lean in. Whether it's leading a campaign, guiding a team, or launching a new media platform, Jorge brings a mindset shaped by empathy, ethics, and experience. Young professionals who seek him out for mentorship often find that he doesn't offer shortcuts. Instead, he offers perspective. He teaches that real leadership requires patience, that not all projects will succeed, and that the value of relationships often outweighs the value of transactions. 'Stay focused on the purpose, not just the path,' he tells them. 'The path will shift. The purpose should stay firm.' That kind of clarity is rare — and it's part of what has allowed Jorge to sustain influence in such a competitive industry. He doesn't need to be everywhere to be relevant. He doesn't need to sell himself to be credible. His work does that for him. From outdoor advertising to editorial publishing, Jorge del Villar Fausto has found a way to build bridges — between brands and audiences, between content and community, between strategy and meaning. And he continues to do so from Querétaro, not just as a local leader, but as a figure whose values and approach resonate far beyond regional borders. In a world of fleeting fame and viral noise, Jorge's story reminds us that there's still space — and need — for leadership that's rooted in thoughtfulness, built on substance, and guided by integrity. Media Contact Company Name: OPUS Contact Person: Mauricio More Email: Send Email Country: Mexico Website: Source: Tree Connection
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tigres drop hints about Ángel Correa's arrival
Tigres drops hints about the arrival of their blockbuster signing. After announcing Edgar Iván 'Gacelo' López, it seemed that the Tigres fans would have to wait longer for the much-anticipated announcement of Ángel Correa. Advertisement However, on Tuesday night, the official Tigres account posted two videos that give clues about the announcement of the Argentine player. The first post is a video of goalkeeper Nahuel Guzmán talking on the phone with someone, telling them that they're already waiting for him with a barbecue and that he's going to enjoy the city. The second video shows a mate, a traditional Argentine drink, with the text "all set". Is the announcement coming? This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here. 📸 Harry How - 2025 Getty Images
Bloomberg
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Hospitalized Senator Tops Colombia Poll After Assassination Plot
Colombians rallied behind opposition presidential candidate Miguel Uribe after an attempt on his life last month, propelling him to the top of the country's political rankings. Support for Senator Uribe jumped 24 points to 57%, making him the most favorably viewed politician in the LatAm Pulse survey, conducted by AtlasIntel for Bloomberg News and released Tuesday. His mentor, former President Alvaro Uribe, to whom he is not related, ranked second.
