Evelyn Gómez is the Program Manager for UTEC Ventures. We recently got together in Lima, Peru, to discuss the startup and venture capital scene in Peru, along with her role at UTEC. The interview has been edited for clarity.

Sure, the word has a negative connotation, but being part of a mafia is generally good for technology and startups. In startup land, a “mafia” is a group of early employees from a previously successful tech company who spin out to start other independently successful companies. Not only do members…

Famed venture capitalist and author Brad Feld once mentioned in his book “Startup Communities” that it takes about twenty years for a vibrant startup community to develop in a city. These evolutions don’t just happen out of nowhere and need intentional efforts from influential stakeholders in private and public industries…

On a recent podcast I hosted with Cristobal Perdomo of Jaguar Ventures, we got on the topic of exit opportunities for startups in LATAM (you can listen to the episode here). …

Last week, the Philippines government, specifically the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), announced a new USD 5M fund to support local startup establishment and expansion. The news is part of a continuing initiative that started with the country’s Innovative Startup Act. …

In February, South Africa’s Treasury announced in its 2021 budget statement that it would not be renewing the country’s 12J investment tax incentive even though the clause has helped the startup ecosystem in South Africa grow quickly over the last few years. The Treasury has stated that the initiative hasn’t…

Earlier this month, the military in Myanmar staged a coup against the National League for Democracy (NLD) party. You can read more background on the situation here. The short of it is this: after over 60 years of alternating between military and civilian leadership and decades of sanctions used to…

This month, MAGNiTT released a report covering the 2020 funding for the MENA (Middle East & North Africa) region. For context, MAGNiTT is the largest online community for startups across the MENA region. The firm is based out of Dubai and creates monthly research reports for subscribers to track industry…

Last month, Google and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) released a joint report titled e-Conomy Africa 2020 focused on Africa’s booming internet economy and some of the emerging trends driving it. …