Building in public

Did you know? 👀

Like most of you, we are also an early-stage startup :)

If you forgot about this, it's only because we are LOUD (just a bit), but as most founders and operators, we are well aware of the challenges of growing a company from scratch and reaching product-market fit. 🏋️

We also know that we have to be strategic, and take into account the economic scenario of 2023 (because it won't be a cakewalk, sry).

And what does this mean to us exactly?

• Analyze the market and our own unit economics.
• Review what initiatives worked and what didn't in 2022.
• Plan and ground our next steps by ONLY keeping what will get us closer to fulfilling our mission.

We want to enable an entire generation of builders by making it easier to start and grow their startups in Latin America. And we believe that showing our own scars as much as our medals are one of the many ways we can help founders right now.

🚀 So, ​in the spirit of #buildinginpublic, we'd like to invite you to our yearly All Hands next January 31st.

What's this? A time for us to share with our community what we have achieved so far, where we fell short last year, and what we have learned from all of this. 🙌

A must-see for all founders out there figuring out how to handle 2023 the best way that they can.

And check how your favorite final destination for LatAm startups is doing.

Should you build in public too?

We are not giving away the secret ingredient of the Krabby Patty by working in public, SpongeBob, relax. 🍔

Just the secret Cayman Sandwich receipt, duh.

Kidding. First, there is no secret formula (it's plankton.)

And second, we can't really say that the building-in-public cool way of working was created by us. It's something we borrowed from our friend Sahil Lavingia, CEO of Gumroad.

Some time ago, Sahil began reflecting on his company's growth publicly. Whether he was sharing on Twitter or writing his own articles, building in public helped him show the good and bad of being an entrepreneur and where and how he failed.

📌 For him, there are 3 benefits of opening up in public:

1. You can build relationships with many people at the same time. The initial approach is not 1:1 – it can grow by the reach your posts/articles/webinars have.
2. It's a way of automating your communication. Does anybody want to discuss with you a topic you already commented on? Send them the link to your article and you'll only elaborate on the follow-up questions they have. Efficiency, Mariana.
3. In the long term, you build a reputation for yourself. This leads to people reaching out to know your opinion and, possibly, to new opportunities. Sahil ended up becoming a top voice in his field simply by sharing his experiences.

These are 3 benefits for you, but also for your startup. You will have a community that values your ideas and resonates with your POV by the time you finally present your baby to the world.

Watch out, we're not saying you have to get on influencer mode – although you have it in you, we know. 🤳

It's more about sharing authentic experiences with your community – the good, the bad, and especially the superbad. It's less about likes and branded posts and more about teaching what happened to you so that those that follow your track are educated to not make the same mistake.

👉 So, should you be building in public or keep on hiding your cards close to your chest? Maybe our Public All Hands will show you if it's a good idea or a hell no! for you.

(Did we just explain in public why to work in public to interest you in coming to our public event? Maybe. At least we are publicly transparent, Patrick.)

💡Also interested in how Sahil Lavingia built his community under this concept? We got you!

A new pack

The 9th cohort of our Explore Fellowship began its program this week! Wuu! 🎉

We have just welcomed 92 new fellows to our community of brilliant, kick-ass, handsome Latino founders who dance salsa (or cumbia, or bachata, or samba, your pick.)

Are you having FOMO and want to join the next pack? You're still on time, my friend.

🚀 Applications to be selected for the 10th cohort are still open!

Discover the steps to apply

You have until February 24th!

Save the dates!

So much to do, so little time 🏃🏃🏃

Q&A Explore Fellowship with our co-founders Brian & Gina

📆 Today, January 26th.

Join us to learn all about the Explore Fellowship and how to stand out when applying for the next cohort.

Run and register here.

Public All Hands

📆 Tuesday, January 31st.

Come and see what we've achieved so far, what our mistakes have been, and what we have learned from all of this.

Register here.

Building for success since day 0 - Tech Talks by Latitud #1

📆 Monday, February 6th.

​🚨Engineers in the room 🚨 Cornershop co-founder & CTO Daniel Undurraga and Latitud Principal Software Engineer Jared Schaber will share learnings, challenges, and tools for you to go out and build good sh*t from day 0.

Learn more and register here.

Latitud Night with Nir Eyal: Mastering User Retention

📆 Monday, February 20th.

​Join us for an evening packed with insights on how to master user retention with Nir Eyal, bestselling author of "Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products" and "Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life."

Register here.

⛵ Hot News Ahoy!

🐙 Pulppo has a new tentacle

Pulppo, the prop-tech platform that empowers brokers by providing tools to boost their sales, has raised a US$5 million Seed round to grow its operations in Mexico and expand to other Latin American countries.

🙌 A fund for latinos

Dila Capital has just closed its fourth fund for US$15 million to invest in technology startups in Latin America.

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-> Every time one of your friends subscribes to our Newsletter, they benefit from building in public ✨ So ask them to subscribe!

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