Redwood Team

WE ARE

Enthusiastic individuals working for extraordinary companies

THE FOUNDERS

Ian Paul Otero Redwood Ventures

Managing Partner

IAN
PAUL OTERO

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Marco Villasenor Redwood Ventures

Managing Partner

MARCO ANTONIO
VILLASEÑOR

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Alejandro Gonzalez Redwood Ventures

Managing Partner

ALEJANDRO
GONZÁLEZ

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THE TEAM

Nydia Godoy Redwood Ventures

Fund Manager

NYDIA
GODOY

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Dealflow Manager

JUAN PEDRO
SÁNCHEZ

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Azul Pasos Redwood Ventures

Analyst

AZUL
PASOS

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Mauricio Mendoza Redwood Ventures

Analyst

MAURICIO
MENDOZA

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Adam Mccormack Redwood Ventures

Intern

ADAM
MCORMACK

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Maria Jose Arce Redwood Ventures

Legal Executive

MARÍA JOSÉ
ARCE

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Controller

MIREYA
LUNA

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Legal Officer

SANDRA
TEJEDA

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PR Specialist

KLOE
O'ROURKE

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THE ROCKSTAR ADVISORS

Independent Advisor

ARTURO JOSÉ
SAVAL PÉREZ

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Independent Advisor

MARÍA ARIZA
GARCÍA MIGOYA

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Lorena Sanchez Redwood Advisor

Independent Advisor

LORENA
SÁNCHEZ GARCÍA

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Diego Martinez Redwood

Independent Advisor

DIEGO MARTINEZ ARREGUI

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VC Advisor

DANIELA
CALLEJA

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Entrepeneur Advisor

ALEJANDRO
GUIZAR

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Entrepreneur Advisor

SEBASTIAN STRANIERI

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Gaston Gene Redwood

Entrepreneur Advisor

GASTON
GENE

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PR Specialist

KLOE
O'ROURKE

Her main focus is PR Management, working on strategy and execution of beneficial connections for the fund, our investors and the portfolio companies.

She is an experienced english translator & interpret. Skilled in Analytical Skills, Communication, International Relations and Management. She has a Bachelor's degree focused in Psychology from the Technological University of Mexico.

Entrepreneur Advisor

GASTON
GENE

Gastón is COO and Strategy Director for VU.

He is an experienced professional and entrepreneur with a trajectory of almost 20 years, distributed in strategy consulting, processes and technology in companies such as Accenture, IBM and Despegar, where he had global responsibility for the operations and strategic projects for the growth and subsequent IPO of the company.

He was in charge of the B2C and B2B2 business units at Iguana Fix, where he contributed to the growth of the company, to later be responsible for the Garbarino e-commerce channel.

Entrepreneur Advisor

SEBASTIAN
STRANIERI

Sebastián Stranieri is the CEO and founder of VU, a cybersecurity company with more than 130 million users, and star company of our first fund.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his passion for technology and computing began with the purchase of his first computer in 1989.

He was recognized as a top innovator by the MIT Technology Review (2013) and the Red Innova Challenge (2016). He was selected as one of the 30 FORBES Argentina Promises, and awarded as Entrepreneur of the Year by the Chamber of the Argentine Software Industry (CESSI) in the latest edition of the Sadosky Awards. Co-founder of ASEA and Argentine Chamber of Fintech. In 2018 he was selected as an Endeavor Uruguay Entrepreneur.

Independent Advisor

DIEGO
MARTINEZ

Specialist in Finance as well as M&A processes. Former VP of Salomon Smith Barney Investment Bank in New York.

In 2000, he co-founded GlobalFoodExchange.com. Fundraising $32 million dollars of venture capital and selling to IBM in March 2001. He also has been an angel investor in several startups.

Diego has a degree in Administration and Marketing from UP and a master's degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School

Maria Jose Arce Redwood Ventures

Legal executive

MARIA JOSE
ARCE

Maria José works as a legal executive at Redwood Ventures. She previously worked as a paralegal for Auren México.

She is a law student and has a diploma in philosophy and public policy with gender perspective.

Adam Mccormack Redwood Ventures

Intern

ADAM
McCORMACK

Adam is a student of International Business, Accounting and Business Management at Warwick Business School

Nydia Godoy Redwood Ventures

Fund Manager

Nydia Godoy

Nydia has been an entrepreneur for over 10 years, having co-founded Buscatumueble.com, Inventive Power, and Finanker. Named Entrepreneur of the Year by Expansión Magazine in 2014. She also has extensive experience as a startup consultant in finance, strategy and marketing.

She has a bachelor's degree in accounting and a master's degree in marketing and business management, as well as studies in project management and venture capital fund management.

Seed and Pre-Series A

Convertible Instruments

Recently created companies that are in the process of validating their business model and their product or service in LATAM, the average fundraise in these stages is less than one million dollars and is carried out mainly through convertible instruments.

Azul Pasos Redwood Ventures

Analyst

AZUL
PASOS

Responsible for the market and financial analysis of investment opportunities and Dealflow management. She previously was President and now Director of Treasury of the Local Board of Directors of the Mexican Institute of Finance Executives in its University chapter.

She is a student of Financial Administration and Systems at the University of Guadalajara. She has after-school certificates focused on corporate finance and financial markets.

Mauricio Mendoza Redwood Ventures

Analyst

MAURICIO
MENDOZA

Mauricio studied financial administration at ITESO and has experience in market research and analysis, process control and administrative operations.

Legal Officer

SANDRA
TEJEDA

Graduated in Law from the ITESO and Masters in Commercial and Business Law from the Universidad Panamericana. She has a diploma in Improvement of Management Competencies from the Center for Management Training and Improvement (ICAMI) and a diploma in updating in corporate matters by the National Association of Business Lawyers (ANADE), among other courses.

She has participated in numerous transactions and as an advisor to startups in legal matters.

Controller

MIREYA
LUNA

Bachelor in business administration with a Master’s degree in Marketing.  She serves as adviser at UMUNTU and ACSI Research. Served as the Director of Operations at CONCAMIN, where she focused on the administrative management of projects in the field of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She has more than 10 years of experience in administration, coordination and operation of institutional evaluation and diagnosis projects, impact of social programs, user satisfaction, relevance of educational programs, among others. She oversees the programs of Corporate Social Responsibility and Gender Equality.

VC and Financial Advisor

DANIELA
CALLEJA

Head of new issuers and entrepreneurs in the Mexican Institutional Stock Exchange (BIVA). Member of the board of several startups. Investor in the Mexican pre-seed fund 0BS.

She previously worked as fund manager in Redwood and also served as portfolio manager in Mountain Nazca and as Director of Tech Entrepreneurs for Endeavor Mexico.

She has a mayor in Economics by Universidad Anahuac and a minor in Private Equity management.

Agtech and Foodtech Advisor

CESAR
DE ANDA MOLINA

President and founder of the company Innova Alimentos. In 2010 he was elected vice president of the International Egg Commission, in 2013 he served as Chairman of the same organization and since 2015 he is president of the World Egg Organization. In addition, he is a member of the Advisory Council for Innovation, Growth and Sustainable Development (Coincydes); made up of business leaders in Jalisco.

He studied Administration and Finance at the Harvard Business School.

Entrepeneur Advisor

ALEJANDRO
GUIZAR

Serial entrepreneur, Founder and CEO of BILLPOCKET, fintech company that enable mobile payments for more than 45,000 merchants, and star company of our first fund.

Alejandro is algo a member of the board of Village Capital. Previously he founded other two startups: Snapp Studio and iMed.

He is an Industrial Engineer with specialization in international business from ITESM.

Entrepeneur Advisor

YTZIA
BELAUSTEGUIGOITIA

Co-Founder and CEO of TROQUER, the leading marketplace for second-hand fashion in Mexico and star company of our first fund. Prior to founding Troquer, she was Principal in the Mexican VC fund ALLVP and Chief of Staff in the Mexican stock exchange.

She is an Industrial Engineer with specialization in banking, corporate finance and securities law by the Universidad Iberoamericana. She holds an MBA by IPADE and a diploma of finance in the London School of Economics.

Lorena Sanchez Redwood Advisor

Independent Advisor

LORENA
SÁNCHEZ

Entrepreneur and Woman in Tech | Kellogg MBA | Engineer | Ex- Linio CCO & COO| Founder Institute Mexico Director | Rappi Global Head Paga con Rappi
Serial entrepreneur who has grown Internet and mobile companies in nine countries. Led commercial and operations teams at Linio (LatAm's largest online store sold to Falabella), created Envío Click a shipping comparison aggregator (Endeavor company) and created, operated and sold Urban Guilt and AlmaZen botanicals.Country director for Founder Institute in Mexico City and leading the Latin American Unicorn Rappi in a new fintech vertical Paga con Rappi.
Prior experience at L´Oréal New York and Natura in brand management and commercial operations and in Cemex as product manager for the RMC PMI in Europe.
Summa Cum Laude Chemical Engineering from ITESM Campus Monterrey, Kellogg MBA 2011 and Northwestern MEM 2011

Secondaries

Redwood Ventures Fund II considers within its investment strategy to acquire shares of funds or angel investors. This mechanism aims to generate liquidity in the investment ecosystem and seek opportunities to participate in more developed companies.

Secondaries

# Tickets: 4-6

Average Ticket Size: 2.5M

Venture Debt

Mezzanine funding / RBF / Mixed debt

It is common to see companies that are about to reach Series-A stage but need extra financing to keep improving their metrics and revenue in order to raise at convenient terms.

In LATAM there are very few financing options available for founders that need a fast, efficient and affordable product to reach their short-term goals without over-diluting themselves.

Venture Debt allows founders to continue growing their operations without an extra dilution; and to the fund it will provide shorter term returns and liquidity.

Build-up

# Tickets: 8-10

Average Ticket Size: 500K

Series A

Equity

Companies that begin to have significant participation in their market and have a structure that allows growth. They are companies that dedicate the resources of the round mainly to escalation efforts and development of the technological pipeline. The rounds will generally range from $ 1 million to $ 5 million.

Build-up

# Tickets: 4-6

Average Ticket Size: 1.650M

Follow-on

# Tickets: 3-5

Average Ticket Size: 2.200M

Seed and Pre-Series A

Convertible Instruments

Recently created companies that are in the process of validating their business model and their product or service in LATAM, the average fundraise in these stages is less than one million dollars and is carried out mainly through convertible instruments.

Build-up

# Tickets: 12-15

Average Ticket Size: 300K

Follow-on

# Tickets: 4-5

Average Ticket Size: 1.350M

PR and MKT Intern

ESTEFANIA
BARRERA

Bachelor in Administration and Marketing at the Universidad Panamericana. Experience in digital marketing and social media advertising.
She is in charge of creating marketing strategies and high impact content to help sourcing deal flow and finding new prospects and alliances for portfolio companies.

Dealflow Manager

JUAN PEDRO
SÁNCHEZ

Bachelor in Engineering and Masters in Finance, with specialization in investment banking and private equity, at Grenoble École de Management, in France. He also obtained a certificate in Corporate Finance at UBC Sauder School of Business, in Canada.
Before joining Redwood Ventures, he served as project manager in a real estate company and as treasurer of a 150-student humanitarian association in France which was elected 1st Student Association in France by ANEO.

Independent Advisor

SERGIO
GARCÍA DE ALBA

Former Secretary of the Economy. He is currently engaged in various business activities and investing in businesses in the medical industry, cybersecurity and biotechnology.
Entrepreneur in the restaurant industry, he has held various positions in the employer sector of Jalisco and has been Vice President of CONCAMIN, as well as Regional Vice President of AXTEL.
He was Secretary of Economic Promotion of Jalisco and SME Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy.
He has a Master's degree in Senior Business Management from the Pan-American Institute of Senior Business Management (IPADE), as well as Public Accounting studies from ITESO.

Independent Advisor

DIEGO
MARTINEZ

Specialist in Finance and M&A's. From 1996 to 2000 he was part of the Corporate Finance area for Latin America of the Salomon Smith Barney Investment Bank in New York where he was Vice President.
In 2000, he co-founded GlobalFoodExchange.com, a technology company that was later sold to IBM.
He has been an investor and advisor to various startups such as: Gusanito.com, PagaTodo, Medical Home, and more.
Diego has a degree in Administration and Marketing and a master's degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Technology Advisor

GUILLERMO
ORTEGA SIMÓN

COO and co-founder of iTexico Services. He has more than 23 years of experience in the Information Technology industry, being an entrepreneur in the area of software development services in both Mexico and the United States.
He is an electronic engineer from ITESO and has received several awards as an entrepreneur, among which are: EY Entrepreneur of the Year, INC 500, Jalisco Export Award, National Entrepreneur Award 2014 and 2017, among others.

Independent Advisor

MARÍA ARIZA
GARCÍA MIGOYA

CEO of BIVA, the Institutional Stock Exchange, which was established in 2013 with the aim of growing the Mexican stock market. Previously, María was CEO of the Mexican Association of Private Capital and Venture Capital (AMEXCAP). She worked on the investment team of NAFTA México Fund, LP, a private equity fund focused on investing in medium-sized Mexican companies with a cross-border component; as Director of the Project Office at Grupo Impulso; and as Strategic Planning Manager in the APEC Organizing Committee.

Independent Advisor

ARTURO JOSÉ
SAVAL PÉREZ

Managing Partner and Co-President of Nexxus Capital since 1998. He has more than 27 years of experience in the areas of private equity, investment banking and multiple banking; having participated in many private and public debt and equity placement operations, as well as in multiple projects regarding financial advice.
Before joining Nexxus Capital, he held various executive positions within Grupo Financiero Santander, Grupo Financiero GBM-Atlántico, Interacciones and Grupo Serfin

Alejandro Gonzalez Redwood Ventures

Managing Partner

ALEJANDRO
GONZÁLEZ

Alejandro Gonzalez is a Managing Partner at Redwood Ventures, where he focuses on portfolio and investment strategy, leveraging his experience as entrepreneur, investment banker and angel investor.

Alejandro has a degree in finance and administration with a specialty in banking and securities finance, as well as finance institution management and financial engineering. He has a Diploma in Justice from Harvard and is certified as an investment strategy advisor by the Mexican Investment Association and for trading derivatives by the Chicago Stock Exchange. He is the founder of Cosechando, an NGO that promotes entrepreneurship in young people and is an active promoter of educational and disability care NGOs.

Marco Villasenor Redwood Ventures

Managing Partner

MARCO ANTONIO
VILLASEÑOR

Marco is a pioneer in Venture Capital in western Mexico and seeks to nurture and boost the entrepreneurial ecosystem in LATAM with an array of initiatives.
He has extensive business and operations experience in the high-end electronics manufacturing industry with companies such as IBM, Molex and Jabil.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and an MBA from IPADE. He also has studies in corporate finance, venture capital and innovation from UC Berkeley.
He will always find ways to become available for a golf round or watch a good football game.

Ian Paul Otero Redwood Ventures

Managing Partner

IAN PAUL
OTERO

Ian is experienced in the design and execution of programs and projects related with innovation ecosystems, entrepreneurship, venture capital and merge & acquisitions.

In the past, he worked for several companies and government agencies leading teams related on this topics like PEMEX, Zapopan, Red Bean, Secretary of Economy between others.

Ian has a Bachelor degree in Law and a MBA from IPADE. He also has studies in entrepreneurship, innovation, and private capital at UC Berkeley and Harvard.