500 LatAm

We know it’s time for LATAM. Opportunities are vast and wide; experienced operators are building more startups than ever before. As founders, we don’t primarily back projects, we back founders: Who How what We understand deep regional problems, and look for operators obsessed with them. We love investing in people captivated by a specific, targeted problem; who are willing to try a million ways of solving it. If we invest in you, it’s because we believe in you. We let founders succeed following their ideas, convictions and objectives. We hate micromanaging and a big brother attitude. We’re here for the long-ride. We are looking for very long partnerships. We will work together from the start line to the finish line. We execute extremely targeted interventions. We will come in when you need us, execute, and help fix any issue. We support companies in between this framework: Soft landing: Entering a new country in Latam? We can support you expanding operations. Investment: We are very experienced raising capital, and our VC network expands throughout regions. Network: Whoever you need to contact, we most probably have access to them. You’re an email away from the most experienced operators in the region.

We're your partner from 0 to 1 and beyond. US$200k towards your pre-seed We write a high-conviction first check, providing limited dilution and no competition with seed leads in LatAm and the US. Top founders and mentors Find hands-on tactical support and connections within a community of outlier founders and seasoned operators. Help raising your next round We'll connect you to the right and best investors and walk side by side on the path to successfully closing your Seed round.

Carao Ventures is an early-stage VC firm for small and medium sized markets in Latin America. We support entrepreneurs who have the technical skills and grit needed to disrupt industries. Where does Carao Ventures invest? Carao Ventures considers investments in every spanish-speaking country in Latin America. We have a particular interest in companies operating in Central America, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. What industries does Carao Ventures invest in? We view almost every industry in our region as uncompetitive and in severe need of an innovation overhaul, and we believe that early-stage venture funding for Latin America's talented entrepreneurs is a key component to addressing this. We invest with the goal of creating valuable and competitive companies across most industries. We do NOT invest in certain industries, including but not limited to weapons, alcohol, tobacco, and gambling. What stages does Carao Ventures invest in? Recognizing the shortcomings of nomenclature, Carao Ventures generally seeks to invest in companies that are in Pre-Seed, Seed, or Pre-Series A stages. There is more flexibility for companies run in the US by Latin American founders (reminder: these types of companies need to have a relevant portion of their operations based in Carao Ventures target geography). What does Carao Ventures tend to look for in the companies and teams it invests in? Other than geographical and business stage criteria, we favors companies with the following characteristics: Companies that are developing or making smart use of technologies or innovative business concepts that have the potential to transform the way a sizable industry or market operates, or to become a key driver within a whole new industry. Companies that have defined a value proposition that is scalable, have international market potential, and are preferably not capital intensive. Companies that have a value proposition derived from competitive advantages that are intrinsic to, or present in, LatAm (e.g. distinctive capabilities, a market gap, a specific sector’s recognition, access to a resource, etc.) Companies led by talented multi-disciplinary teams that are self-sufficient to the point that they can effectively design, produce, and sell their product or service; Companies that have not received multiple previous rounds of funding without reaching traction in the business. Companies that have favorable prospects for subsequent rounds of financing or future liquidity events, as well as a straightforward exit strategy. How much does Carao Ventures invest per ticket? Recognizing the shortcomings of nomenclature, ticket sizes for different investment rounds are generally as follows (all values in United States Dollars): Pre-seed: $25,000 to $100,000 Seed: $250,000 to $1,000,000 Pre-Series A/Series A: $500,000 to $1,750,000 What is the best way to contact Carao Ventures? We prefer you contact us via warm intros. We value the opinion of our relationships and a reference goes a long way. If you don’t have access to someone in our network, that is perfectly fine. You can apply through our contact form on this website and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. For questions related to press, partnerships, and other institutional enquiries, please send us an email to info@caraov.com. What can I expect for Carao Ventures investment process? The investment process is as follows: Step 1: Prospective startups apply through the website’s application form Step 2: Startups selected for an initial call will be contacted via e-mail Step 3: Startups are contacted within 2 weeks with an indication of next steps Step 4: Depending on the outcome of the previous step, startups enter deeper due diligence processes with Carao Ventures (e.g., additional interviews, questions, evaluations) Step 5: Depending on the outcome of the previous step, startups are presented to Carao Ventures Fund I’s Investment Committee that will ultimately determine whether or not a company will receive an investment. From start to finish, the investment evaluation process can take between 3 weeks to 3 months, with an expected average of 1.5 months. Does Carao Ventures sign NDAs? Carao Ventures does not sign NDAs unless the information being shared describes highly proprietary information relating to a novel technology that is core to a company’s competitive advantage and business strategy. Not signing NDAs is the norm in Venture Capital investing. For more information on why most VC investors do not sign NDAs, please refer to Brad Feld’s take on the matter here. Does Carao Ventures invest in competing companies? Carao considers competing companies on a case by case basis. We prefer when companies do not overlap in geographies, and always consider the opinion of our portfolio company founders before making a decision.

Joint fund between Seaya Ventures and Cathay Innovation looking for exceptional startups that will have a lasting, positive impact on Latin America. We aim to be the direct link for local, purpose-driven entrepreneurs to the worldwide resources needed to build and scale resilient businesses leading markets on the regional or global stage.

500 Global made its first investment in MENA in 2012. Back then, few U.S. venture investors made their way to the region, but we recognized its potential and after making more than 30 investments in the region, launched our first MENA-dedicated fund, Falcons I, in 2017. Since then, 500 has cemented its position as one of the most active early stage investors in the Middle East. We have almost fully deployed the Falcons I fund, investing in more than 175 innovative startups. Nearly 100 founders have gone through our accelerator programs and our investments have helped these founders create countless jobs, and aided in advancing the region’s agenda to diversify economies, capitalize on technology and encourage investment in entrepreneurship. Investing in MENA since 2012 500 Global has been investing in MENA founders since 2012. We review more deals than just about anyone, which gives us a comprehensive view of markets and trends worldwide. We bring startups to the next level. 500 Global started as an accelerator in the heart of Silicon Valley, and our MENA accelerator is a 14-week program tailored for startups from the MENA region.