Alejandro Gálvez was an early Mexican angel investor and now is Managing Partner of 99 Startups, a venture capital firm that invests in Latin American pre-seed and seed stage companies.

After studying law, Alejandro’s first step into the tech world was learning to code. However, it was networking, angel investing in great founders, and attending events like YC Demo Day that took Alejandro from coding to creating his fund.

In this episode of Crossing Borders, Alejandro talks about his podcast Fundadores, the differences between angel investing and fund investing, starting small for long-term success, and 99 Startups’ investment thesis.

Starting as an angel investor in 2016 Mexico

2016 was a turning point in Alejandro’s life as it was the year he started investing in Latin American startups.

Although he started his career pre-technology investing in real estate, he moved into tech as an LP in funds like 500 startups, Investo and Magma. As he learned from fund managers and entrepreneurs, Alejandro used what he learned to start his own fund.

Listen to this episode to discover how Alejandro decided to create his fund after several years of angel investing.

The Compound Effect

Alejandro’s approach to life and 99 Startups’ investment thesis are similar: take small, smart steps for bigger returns in the long run.

Alejandro believes that you can master something over the long term by taking small steps and practicing daily. As he says, he likes to make long-term bets and build long-term things with long-term people.

Check out this episode of Crossing Borders to learn why 99 Startups’ thesis is to stay small and get bigger returns.

Outline of this episode:
[01:30 ] - About 99 Startups
[01:45 ] - Alejandro’s background
[02:45 ] - Investing in real estate
[03:43 ] - From tech enthusiast to angel investor
[06:00 ] - Networking
[07:18 ] - Angel investing versus fund investing
[08:54 ] - Why did Alejandro start a fund?
[10:20 ] - Alejandro’s podcast Fundadores
[11:12 ] - Biggest lessons from producing a podcast
[12:50 ] - 99 Startups’ thesis
[14:46 ] - Reaching out to 99 Startups
[15:14 ] - Advice to younger self
[15:53 ] - Book and documentary recommendations
[17:00 ] - What’s next for 99 Startups?

Resources & people mentioned:

Alejandro Gálvez
99 Startups
Podcast Fundadores
500 Startups
Investo
José Vielma
Santiago Zavala
Miguel McAllister
Kaszek
Andreseen Horowitz
Nowports
Book Atomic Habit
Documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi