Damián Catanzaro, Cafecito | Building a Career on the Internet and Starting Up With $100 [Ep. 76]

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The audio and video are in Spanish. These notes are a translation.

In recent years, we have seen an unprecedented increase in startup investment in Latin America. However, this context has brought an unintended consequence: the perception that it is very hard or impossible to build a startup without raising capital. Today we spoke with Damián Catanzaro, founder of Cafecito, who, without raising capital or building a team, started a startup that today has more than one million users.

Damián is the founder of Cafecito, a crowdfunding platform that connects content creators, NGOs, and projects with people who want to contribute to what they do.

If you like the podcast, the easiest way to help us is by leaving a review with ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. It takes less than 1 minute and helps us convince the hardest guests to land, such as David Vélez, CEO and founder of Nubank, whom we would love to interview.

Youtube Timestamps*

[1:20] - How Did Cafecito Start with $100?

  • How did Damián arrive in the fascinating world of startups?
  • What is Cafecito and how did the idea come about?
  • What was the process of creating Cafecito’s MVP, and at what point did Damián decide to quit his job to dedicate himself 100% to his project?
  • Damián constantly turns to Twitter as a tool for validating new ideas. How does he do it?
  • What factors explain Cafecito’s explosive growth over the last 2 years?
  • Was Cafecito inspired by foreign platforms? How did these platforms serve Damián as inspiration?
  • Why has Damián turned down acquisition offers for Cafecito?
  • What is the long-term vision for Cafecito?

[27:00] - How to Build a Career on the Internet

  • In what context did Damián’s interest in programming begin, and what were his first steps in learning to program?
  • For Damián, what differences are there between a startup and a software factory?
  • What are the most important lessons Damián has learned during his professional career?
  • What has Twitter’s role been in the growth of Cafecito and in Damián’s career?
  • What does Damián recommend to people who want to use their social networks as leverage to create projects, but who still do not have much reach or are just starting out?
  • If Damián’s life had a total reset and he had to start over with no money and no knowledge of technology, what would his learning roadmap be?

[46:19] - Tweet Round

  • Podcast recommended by Damián
  • Changes Damián would like to see in Latin America’s startup ecosystem
  • Founder Damián recommends interviewing

Episode Mentions

You can find Damián on Twitter and LinkedIn

Recommended podcast: Cripto para Boludos

Founder to interview: Mariano Di Pietrantonio, of Maker Growth

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