From Scarcity to Scale: Building Startups in Latin America’s Earliest Stages

Jan 21, 2026

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Odille Sánchez leads the Tech and Scientific-Based Entrepreneurship Center of Excellence at Tecnológico de Monterrey, where she works with hundreds of early-stage founders across Latin America.

In this episode, she explains how mindset, methodology, and community are reshaping what it means to launch a startup in a region where early capital is scarce and institutional support is fragmented.

We also talk about:

Why resource orchestration — not acceleration — is what most founders need
How cultural attitudes toward risk impact founder behavior
What Latin American investors and institutions can learn from each other
Why commercialization is often the missing piece
How to help first-time founders develop a global mindset from day one

Whether you're supporting under-networked founders or trying to build in an emerging market, Odille offers a clear-eyed look at what it really takes to go from scarcity to scale.

RUNTIME 37:46 EPISODE BREAKDOWN

[2:10] Mission-Driven Work at Tecnológico de Monterrey

[5:20] Resource Orchestration, Not Acceleration

[6:45] " We work with a lot of profiles."

[8:47] Bridging The Cultural Gap Around Risk-Taking

[11:37] A Founder Success Story: Ricardo Baez + Safe Fruit

[14:06] What to Do When You Don’t Have a Network

[17:06] The Disconnect Between Capital and Opportunity

[20:42] How Latin American Founders Can Engage Global Angel Investors

[23:02] The Missing Skillset: Commercialization

[30:08] What Silicon Valley Advice Doesn’t Translate

[34:43] Odille’s Parting Advice for Outsiders

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Thanks for listening!

– Walter.