Mateo Jaramillo

Yo, have you heard of Mateo Jaramillo? The guy’s a straight-up legend in the Latin American startup scene. So, here’s the deal, Mateo’s been crushing it for a while now. He’s got this crazy background, starting out with industrial engineering and international business strategy, which basically means he’s always been into figuring out how stuff works and making it better.

He jumped into the startup world with some stealth projects, but where he really made waves was with Heru. He co-founded this fintech company back in YC S19, so, he’s one of those founders who jumped into the deep end early on. Heru’s all about giving gig economy workers in Latin America access to financial services and benefits, huge deal, right? Especially in regions where those services are kinda missing or crappy. Mateo was CEO from 2019 till 2024, so he’s been in the trenches, leading that charge and really understanding what it takes to build something meaningful from scratch.

What’s dope is that even after stepping down as CEO, he’s still involved as a board member. That says a lot about his passion and commitment. But he’s not just a fintech guy, before Heru, he’s had stints at Uber and Johnson & Johnson, which shows he’s got the hustle and the corporate chops. Plus, being selected as an Effort Entrepreneur in Colombia? That’s a big badge of honor, showing he’s recognized as someone who’s changing the game in Latin America.

And get this, he’s based in Mexico City now, which is like the hub for so much innovation in Latin America. Mateo’s all about pushing boundaries and bringing real impact, whether that’s through fintech or making the gig economy fairer. His process isn’t just about starting companies; it’s about solving real problems for real people, which is what makes him so stand-out.

Honestly, what I see in Mateo is someone who’s driven by a genuine desire to make a difference. His past shows he’s not afraid to jump into new stuff, learn fast, and lead teams through chaos, kind of like what it takes to succeed in startups. The guy’s no bullshit, just pure grind and vision. That’s why he’s a big deal, he’s not just riding the wave, he’s creating the wave.