Global Startups is launching its Ambassador Initiative today, with the first four Ambassadors now representing Mexico, Brazil, Peru-Chile, and Central America.
Every company that enters a new market gets there because someone made an introduction first. Often it is a conversation at the right event. Sometimes it is a name passed along by someone trusted. Either way, that is where market entry actually starts, long before a pitch deck or a term sheet exists.
Global Startups works with technology companies at different stages. Some are early-stage founders raising their first capital in Canada. Others are more established companies from outside the province, or outside the country, looking to enter the Canadian market. This second group faces a different challenge: they need to build trust in a place where they have no history and no existing network yet.
Ambassadors solve that problem. Each one is an established, well-connected professional in their own region. They are already trusted by the associations, chambers of commerce, and business communities around them. Importantly, they are not employees, and they are not paid representatives. Instead, they volunteer their time and their network because they see value in connecting their region to Canadian technology and innovation.
Ambassadors share information about Global Startups programs with their local networks. From there, they identify companies that may be a fit, and represent the Global Startups ecosystem informally, based on what they learn through the program. In return, they get access to monthly sessions on Canadian technology and sector trends. Over time, they also become part of a growing international network of people doing the same work in other countries.
Ambassador for Mexico, is based in León, Guanajuato. He is Owner of SISU ENDEAVOR, helping companies and institutions turn ideas into products and services through technology, and founder of Fundación TOOLS, which works to expand access to education and skills development for young people. He has prior program experience through Global Startups, Seneca College’s HELIX Accelerator, and VentureLab.
Ambassador for Brazil, is based in São José dos Campos. She is Ecosystem Growth Partner at FalaBoss, and previously led international business development at PIT, a technology park supporting more than 450 startups and small and medium enterprises, where she built the park’s soft landing and internationalization programs for foreign companies entering Brazil.
Ambassador for Latin America, is based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is CEO of Overseas Frontiers Inc, an international education agency connecting students across Latin America, including Brazil, with Canadian colleges and universities.
Ambassador for Central America, is based in the Kitchener-Waterloo region of Ontario with roots in Honduras. He is Vice President of Business Development and Commercialization at INVERCA, a family-run industrial belting company serving Central America and the Caribbean, and co-founder of BeltecHub Group in Canada. He also sits on the Education and Technical Committee of NIBA, the belting industry’s North American association.
This is the first group of Ambassadors, not the last. As the network grows, so does the number of regions with a direct, trusted connection into Canadian technology and innovation programs.
If you are a founder or a business in Central America, Brazil, Peru, Chile, or Mexico, this is a direct line to Global Startups through someone in your own community.
Fill out the following form to download the white paper!
Fill out the following form to download the white paper!
Get quick answers on sales, investment, or market entry.
Fill out the following form to download the white paper!
Fill out the following form to download the white paper!