Construindo abundância na América Latina com Hernan Kazah, fundador do Mercado Livre e da Kaszek
#aura #sundaydrops #auraporlucasabreu #hernankazah #mercadolivre #kaszekventures 🎙️ Special 1-YEAR Anniversary Episode of Sunday Drops! In this commemorative episode, we welcome none other than Hernan Kazah, co-founder of Mercado Libre and Kaszek, one of the most iconic figures in the Latin American tech ecosystem. To mark the channel's anniversary, we bring you a deep and unprecedented conversation with someone who lived through and shaped the birth of the internet on the continent. With behind-the-scenes stories, lessons learned from decades investing in giants like Nubank, and a sharp vision of the future of our ecosystem, Hernan delivers a true manual on how to build value in emerging markets. Key Insights: 🏗️ The journey of Mercado Libre, from garage to billions, and Hernan's role in building the largest tech company in the region. 📊 From Founder to VC: The behind-the-scenes story of Kaszek's creation and what changed when he left operations to invest in the next unicorns. 🇧🇷 Brazil's Time: Why Hernan is more optimistic than ever about the country and which sectors have the most potential today. 🧠 The Investor's Mind: What makes Hernan say "yes" to a founder? How does he view timing, product, and ambition in the first meeting? 🔥 Lessons from 20 Years in the Game: What still surprises Hernan in the market, and why he believes the best is yet to come. CHAPTERS: (0:00) Special Opening: 1 year of Sunday Drops (1:28) Who is Hernan Kazah? Founder of Mercado Libre and Kaszek, two giants (3:21) "I've always been very focused. I wanted to do something well. Very well." (5:00) The breakthrough at Stanford: “It was the perfect moment. The internet was exploding.” (6:56) On the internet, nobody had experience. (9:42) The birth of Mercado Libre and the product-market fit happening naturally. (11:39) “We launched in 12 countries in 6 months. It was scale or die.” (14:01) “We woke up and went to sleep thinking about Arremate. They shaped our culture.” (17:08) “You don't win just once. You have to win every World Cup.” (19:16) The 3 pillars of Mercado Libre's success: team, product, and long term. (20:51) “We focused on the engine, the competitors on the design. Our car moved.” (22:40) The dot-com bubble, the near collapse, and the funding round saved by a hair's breadth (24:12) IPO in 2007: the perfect timing that almost turned into a tragedy (26:51) The secretary who became a millionaire without knowing it because of a stock option (29:00) The founder-to-investor turnaround: "There was no one with this experience in the market." (31:10) "The biggest mistake a beginner investor makes is trying to save all startups." (33:38) The Nubank case (36:20) The obsession with exceptional founders: "More important than the idea." (38:15) "We look for people with irrational passion. That's what gets through crises." (41:00) Conviction + active listening: the rare balance of great founders (43:05) "We don't flatter. We genuinely help." (45:37) “Our role is to increase by 1% the chance of success of something almost impossible.” (48:20) Kaszek's current thesis: fintechs, climate, infrastructure, SaaS and healthtech (58:12) “We are living through the first 5% of the AI revolution.” (1:05:30) Final reflection: “The future will be built by those who are not afraid to let go of the past.” 🔗 Listen now on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6NwKS76... This episode is made possible thanks to our partners: 🌐 Salvy: The operator that is revolutionizing telephony for businesses. 👉 https://www.salvy.com.br/startups 🧳 Onfly: The ideal platform for managing corporate travel. 👉 https://www.onfly.com.br/ 💙 Follow us on social media: 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucasabreuu... 🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sundaydropspo... 📺 YouTube: @auraporlucasabreu 📰 Subscribe to our newsletter: 📩 abreu.substack.com 🔔 Subscribe to the channel and activate the bell so you don't miss the next episodes!
