Introducing the 17 Endeavor Entrepreneurs Selected in Miami

This month, Endeavor selected 17 entrepreneurs leading 12 companies at our 101st International Selection Panel (ISP) held December 11-13, 2024 in Miami. The organization now supports 2,666 entrepreneurs leading 1,629 companies in 45+ countries around the world.

Each ISP is the culmination of a rigorous, multi-step selection journey to identify high-impact entrepreneurs from all over the world. We seek founders with the greatest growth potential and those who commit to reinvesting time and resources into their local entrepreneurial ecosystems to help build the next generation of entrepreneurs, sparking a Multiplier Effect. During the ISP, our panelists interviewed entrepreneurs about their businesses and evaluated their potential for high-impact growth. The panelists then discuss the candidates and vote on whether to select them to become Endeavor Entrepreneurs.

Panelists

Thank you to our outstanding group of panelists:

Nick Beim, Venrock (Endeavor Global Board Member); Emiliano Abramzon, Nearpod (Endeavor Entrepreneur, Endeavor Miami Board Member); Ernest Bachrach, Advent International (Endeavor Miami Board Chair); Fırat İşbecer, Commencis (Endeavor Entrepreneur, Endeavor Turkey Board Member); Ilan Benhaim, Veepee (Endeavor Morocco Board Member); Mac Schuessler, Evertec (Endeavor Puerto Rico Board Member); Melvyn Lubega, Go1 (Endeavor Entrepreneur, Endeavor South Africa Board Member); Sergio Fogel, dLocal (Endeavor Entrepreneur, Endeavor Uruguay Board Member); Tjaart Van Der Walt, TymeBank (Endeavor Entrepreneur, Endeavor South Africa Board Member); Danila De Stefano, Unobravo (Endeavor Entrepreneur); Dave Salvant, SQUIRE (Endeavor Entrepreneur); Devon Townsend, Cameo (Endeavor Entrepreneur); Florian Hagenbuch, Canary (Endeavor Entrepreneur); Roberto Dagoni, 2TM Group (Endeavor Entrepreneur); Francisco Alvarez-Demalde, Riverwood Capital (Endeavor Global Ambassador); Aaron Karczmer, former PayPal; Andy Tsao, SVB; Dan Green, Gunderson; Javier Villamizar, SoftBank; Lisa Shalett, former Goldman Sachs; Mauro Schnaidman, IGC Partners; Michele Levy, Melissa Shoes; Patrick McGinnis, The xQuotient.

Our New Entrepreneurs

Learn more about the entrepreneurs and the innovative companies they are building.

Buymed

Entrepreneur: Hoang Nguyen
Endeavor Office: Vietnam

What they do: Founded in 2018, Buymed is addressing the inefficiencies and fragmentation of Southeast Asia’s pharmaceutical industry, starting with Vietnam. Thuocsi is Buymed’s B2B marketplace connecting pharmaceutical suppliers to pharmacies and healthcare providers across Vietnam, with in-house last-mile and warehousing capabilities. Following the success of its platform, the company also launched Circa, a B2B2C e-pharmacy with an offline franchising model. Today, Buymed’s Thuocsi platform is the go-to B2B medicine sourcing solution for over 40,000 businesses, and its Circa e-pharmacy houses over 300 franchisee pharmacies across Vietnam.

Who they are: Hoang Nguyen began his career as a Strategy Consultant at Solidiance, focusing on healthcare investment projects across Asia for three years. He then spent two years working as a Healthcare Management Consultant in China before heading to the US to co-found his first venture. In 2016, he co-founded Dentalaborate in Los Angeles, building a profitable dental platform before returning to Southeast Asia in search of a more scalable business model. Returning to Vietnam in 2018, he co-founded Buymed, leveraging his healthcare industry expertise to address challenges in pharmaceutical distribution.

Cardo AI

Entrepreneur: Altin Kadareja
Endeavor Office: Italy

What they do: Founded in 2018, Cardo AI is an Italian software company that aims to reshape the structured finance market by enabling faster and more accurate decision-making. The company provides an integrated solution across software, data, and intelligence to solve the complexity of the asset-based finance market. Its features enable clients to analyze credit portfolios, automatically detect missing or incorrect data, seamlessly share data and portfolios, and automatically produce reporting documents to allow several other data-driven decisions. Since its founding, Cardo AI has grown to a team of 120+ employees who serve global clients across Europe and North America.

Who they are: Originally from Albania, Altin Kadareja is a seasoned professional in the financial services industry. He received his bachelor’s in business administration and a master’s in economics and management for innovation and technology from the Bocconi University of Milan. After graduating, Altin gained a decade of experience in the financial industry across firms including Allianz Bank, Nexen, Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, and Prometeia before joining Blackrock as VP in the Financial Market Advisory department. At Blackrock, he realized that an unnecessarily large amount of his teams’ work was done manually, mainly through Excel spreadsheets—inspiring the creation of Cardo AI.

Erco Energy

Entrepreneurs: Juan Camilo López and Juan Esteban Hincapié
Endeavor Office: Colombia

What they do: Erco Energy is one of Latin America’s leading digital energy companies—building, generating, and selling clean and affordable energy in the region. Erco offers a portfolio of solutions and services that impact the entire energy chain, including solar energy project development, solar energy generation, and commercialization. Erco generates energy through its own plants, which it also operates and maintains, ultimately enabling Erco to sell energy to end-users through Latin America’s first digital energy retailer. The company is creating a digital energy ecosystem that can change the way people and businesses produce and consume energy. Founded in 2012, Erco has grown to serve thousands of customers through its different offerings.

Who they are: Erco was founded by Colombian entrepreneurs Juan Camilo López and Juan Esteban Hincapié, driven by a passion for Latin America’s energy transition. While studying mechanical engineering at EAFIT University in Colombia, they discovered opportunities for innovation in Colombia’s solar energy sector. Upon graduation, they seized this market opportunity by co-founding Erco in 2012. Juan Camilo also holds a master’s degree in business management and Juan Esteban holds an engineering master’s degree in energy management and systems technology. They have co-founded three additional businesses together: one that sells solar panels infrastructure, another in the solar electricity space, and an investment fund. Today, both founders dedicate 100% of their time to Erco, while also being active in Colombia’s entrepreneurial and investment ecosystem.

Félix

Entrepreneurs: Manuel Godoy and Bernardo Garcia
Endeavor Office: Miami

What they do: Founded in 2021, Félix is a digital remittances company that makes it simple for users to send and receive cross-border payments instantly via WhatsApp. The company targets Latino immigrants in the US who are looking to send money to their families and friends in Latin America, a market that accounted for $155 billion in payment flows in 2023. By using stablecoins to facilitate the back-end payment flow, Félix can offer customers fast and cost-effective money transfers starting at $2.99 per transaction. The company most recently raised a $15.5 million Series A led by Castle Island Ventures in May 2024.

Who they are: Manuel Godoy and Bernardo Garcia met while pursuing their MBAs at Wharton. Manuel is an electrical engineer by training who previously launched Bitely, a platform aimed at digitalizing the food industry. Bernardo moved to the US to work at McKinsey & Co., but he found his passion building in the tech sector in roles at Uber and Waymo. The pair were inspired to build Félix by their own shared experiences facing financial challenges as immigrants.

Hyperproof

Entrepreneurs: Craig Unger
Endeavor Office: Miami

What they do: Founded in 2018, Hyperproof is a cloud-based SaaS platform that streamlines compliance and risk management for mid-market and large enterprises across the United States and Europe. Trusted by customers such as Zoom, Doordash, and Santander, Hyperproof simplifies audits, automates evidence collection, and integrates seamlessly with over 100 compliance frameworks, including GDPR and ISO.

Who they are: Craig Unger grew up in New York and graduated from Harvard University with a degree in applied mathematics and computer science. He spent 21 years at Microsoft leading projects including Microsoft Access, Excel Pivot Tables, and Microsoft Passport before becoming General Manager for Dynamics CRM. In 2013, he co-founded Azuqua, a low-code workflow and integration platform serving clients including General Electric and Netflix, which was later acquired by Okta for $50 million in 2018. His struggles with regulatory compliance at Microsoft and Azuqua, as well as the heightened public scrutiny following events like the Cambridge Analytica scandal underscored the need for better compliance solutions. Craig founded Hyperproof in 2018 after extensive research to simplify compliance challenges for businesses.

IDN

Entrepreneurs: Winston Utomo
Endeavor Office: Indonesia

What they do: Founded in 2014, IDN is Indonesia’s leading consumer technology company for Millennials and Gen Z, with four main business pillars: live streaming, creators economy, entertainment, and digital media. With over 70 million monthly active users, IDN empowers the nation’s younger generations to shape a more prosperous and inclusive future. IDN’s last fundraising round was in 2022, successfully closing a Series D investment to establish itself as one of Indonesia’s largest consumer technology companies.

Who they are: IDN was co-founded by brothers Winston Utomo and William Utomo. Growing up in Surabaya, Indonesia, the duo experienced firsthand the lack of local representation in the media, which later became a driving force behind their business. Both pursued undergraduate studies in business at the University of Southern California. Winston furthered his education by earning a master’s degree from Columbia University in New York. After graduating, Winston moved to Singapore to work for Google as a Senior Account Strategist. In 2014, the brothers returned to Indonesia to address the gap in digital content for Millennials and Gen Z, particularly outside Jakarta and launched IDN. Within IDN, Winston focuses on management, operations, finance, investment, people and culture. Meanwhile, William oversees revenue, product, engineering, commercial strategy, and new developments. Together, the Utomo brothers are well-respected figures in the business and technology industries across the region. In 2024, Winston Utomo and William Utomo were awarded the prestigious EY Entrepreneur of the Year, making them the youngest recipients in the history of the awards.

Entrepreneur spotlight – Why we’re excited:

What Winston and William have accomplished in a decade is nothing short of impressive—evolving IDN from a bite-sized news platform into a media conglomerate with 32 business divisions. IDN is transforming the way Millennials and Gen Z in Indonesia consume content, challenging the 12 legacy companies that control 90% of what Indonesians watch, listen to, and read. Their ability to secure exclusive, long-term advertising deals with global giants like Unilever, make strategic acquisitions to stay relevant with younger audiences, and maintain profitability is a testament to their vision.

We’ve been deeply impressed by the brothers’ humility and eagerness to keep learning, despite the remarkable success they’ve achieved at such a young age. We’re thrilled to support them as they write IDN’s next chapter and continue to shape the future of media in Indonesia and beyond.

Gitika Pahwa
Associate, Entrepreneur Selection

iMotorbike

Entrepreneur: Gil Carmo
Endeavor Office: Malaysia

What they do: Founded in 2016, iMotorbike is Southeast Asia’s leading e-commerce platform specializing in the pre-owned motorbike market. Operating both a retail and wholesale model, iMotorbike purchases, refurbishes, and resells motorbikes, providing sellers with hassle-free transactions and buyers with a fully managed process. Buyers benefit from features such as 170-point inspections, financing and insurance, and delivery, alongside a six-day money-back guarantee and a six-month warranty.

Who they are: Gil Carmo earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Lusófona University in Lisbon before beginning his career as a business consultant. He later established PortViet in Vietnam, focused on strengthening trade relations and assisting Portuguese businesses entering the Vietnamese market. Gil went on to lead sales and marketing at Saigon Interiors, scaling operations for clients like Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. He held leadership roles at Lazada and Shopback, where he expanded Shopback into Malaysia, the company’s first market outside Singapore. Recognizing the untapped potential in Southeast Asia’s pre-owned motorbike market, Gil left Shopback in 2016 to launch iMotorbike.

LEASY

Entrepreneurs: Gregorio Gilardini and Alejandro Garay
Endeavor Office: Peru

What they do: LEASY is a Peruvian vehicle financing company aiming to democratize access to vehicle ownership across Latin America, a region where over 70% of gig economy drivers rent their vehicles as opposed to owning them due to a lack of affordable financing options. Operating in Peru and Mexico, the company is capitalizing on the $150 billion+ Latin American vehicle financing opportunity. Since its founding in 2018, LEASY has enabled over 1,500 ride-hailing drivers to own their vehicles, providing customers with access to affordable financing plans, a user-friendly app where they can track their payments and manage their vehicle, and add-on services such as insurance, GPS, and 24/7 road support and customer service.

Who they are: LEASY is led by two European serial entrepreneurs who moved to Peru in the mid-2010s — Gregorio Gilardini and Alejandro Garay. Originally from Italy, Gregorio began his career in private banking before moving to Peru, where he has co-founded three entrepreneurial ventures: Gilen Inversiones (exited in 2018), LEASY, and Wynwood House (Endeavor Entrepreneur company). Alejandro moved to Peru upon graduating and started his career at Credicorp Capital, one of Peru’s leading investment banks. He later transitioned into management consulting at Activas Partners and McKinsey & Co. before beginning his entrepreneurial journey and co-founding LEASY and Wynwood House alongside Gregorio.

Lemon

Entrepreneur: Marcelo Cavazzoli
Endeavor Office: Argentina

What they do: Lemon is the largest consumer crypto wallet in Argentina. As a pioneering dual wallet, Lemon integrates traditional finance with the dynamic world of cryptocurrencies, allowing users to buy, sell, spend, and store crypto and fiat. It offers user-friendly blockchain-based services and products, including local currency fiat on/off ramps, digital asset custody, payment solutions, decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Since its inception, Lemon has grown to over three million users and issued over one million debit cards.

Who they are: Marcelo Cavazzoli is a self-taught programmer and serial entrepreneur. He began coding at the age of 12 using a Texas Instruments calculator and by 16 was building and monetizing websites. While attending university, he created ChelinTutorials, a YouTube channel focused on programming education. In 2013, Marcelo launched several ventures, including “WhatsUp Nearby,” a Tinder-like app, and Kaion Tale, a video game with over a million downloads. He also established Lemonatio, a software development company, and Venti, a platform for discovering and booking events. Marcelo’s interest in cryptocurrency began in 2013 when he purchased his first Bitcoin. Frustrated by the difficulty of convincing others to adopt crypto, he identified the need for a more user-friendly approach. Inspired by his participation in an Ethereum hackathon, he shifted his focus to the crypto space and founded Lemon in 2019.

OneSkin

Entrepreneurs: Carolina Reis Oliveira and Alessandra Zonari
Endeavor Office: Brazil

What they do: Founded in 2016, OneSkin is a science-based skincare company targeting the root cause of skin aging: senescent cells. Established by a team of female PhDs, the company spent over four years in research and development, testing over 900 peptides with its proprietary testing platform before discovering its proprietary peptide, OS-01—the only ingredient on the market scientifically proven to reverse the skin’s biological age. Since this discovery, the company has filed over 18 patents and scientific publications and is now focused on commercializing its scientific breakthrough through a variety of premium skincare products, including face, body, and eye creams, sold globally.

Who they are: Carolina Reis Oliveira (CEO) holds a master’s degree in biochemistry and immunology and a PhD in stem cell biology and tissue engineering from Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, completed in collaboration with Rutgers University. In 2014, she co-founded CellSeq in Brazil, where she worked on lab-grown human skin as an alternative to animal testing. In 2016, she founded OneSkin, building upon the work previously done at CellSeq. Alessandra Zonari (CSO) holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering, with a focus on skin regeneration, from UFMG, where her Ph.D. thesis was awarded “Best Thesis 2013.” She further advanced her research in skin regeneration during a three-year postdoctoral tenure at the University of Minho and the University of Coimbra (Portugal). In 2017, Alessandra relocated to San Francisco to join OneSkin as a co-founder and CSO. Leveraging her extensive expertise in skin regeneration, tissue engineering, and advanced screening technologies, she has been driving the development of groundbreaking innovations to reverse skin aging.

Entrepreneur spotlight – Why we’re excited:

OneSkin was born out of the vision of two Brazilian female PhDs, Carolina and Alessandra, who made the bold move from Minas Gerais to San Francisco, driven by their breakthrough research in skin longevity. While scientific research and staying at the forefront of skin longevity science remains at the heart of what they do, OneSkin is now in an exciting new phase—after more than four years of research and development, the team is laser-focused on scaling a global brand.  

From a research lab in Minas Gerais to the international stage, their journey is a testament to how diaspora founders are reshaping industries in even the most competitive, high-tech markets. We’re excited to see them continue to grow and redefine the future of skincare.

Carlos Romero Jantacomma
Senior Associate, Entrepreneur Selection

Solfium

Entrepreneur: Andrés Friedman
Endeavor Office: Uruguay

What they do: Solar power has the potential to accelerate the transition to renewable energy, but rates of solar penetration in Latin America remain low. Founded in 2020, Solfium is a tech-enabled solar provider that streamlines the process of solar energy adoption. Solfium serves as the single point of contact for its customers, coordinating with component manufacturers, installation companies, and financing partners to reduce friction for all stakeholders. To date, the company has installed over 25,000 kilowatts of solar capacity for industrial, commercial, and residential projects in Mexico through its innovative solution for corporates for whom they deploy, measure, and report the impact of solar projects across their entire value chain.

Who they are: Andrés Friedman was born and raised in Uruguay. He moved to Canada to study management and economics at McGill University. Although he initially planned to return to Uruguay, the country’s economic crisis in 2002 led him to stay in Canada and launch his career there. Before founding Solfium, Andrés spent 15+ years at Bombardier Aerospace, a company specializing in the design, manufacturing, and sale of business jets. While at Bombardier, Andrés held various roles in strategy, supply chain, operations, and program management across markets including Canada, Germany, China, and Mexico.

180 Seguros

Entrepreneurs: Mauro Levi D’Ancona and Franco Lamping
Endeavor Office: Brazil

What they do: Founded in 2020 in São Paulo, 180 Seguros is a B2B2C embedded insurance provider leveraging technology to democratize access to insurance. The company sells its products exclusively through partner distribution companies, allowing it to meet end-users directly within their purchasing journey. Through its technology-driven approach, 180 Seguros allows partners to integrate any of its insurance products such as home and life insurance, through a single API. The company has raised from notable global and local investors such as 8VC, Dragoneer, and Monashees.

Who they are: 180 Seguros was founded by Mauro Levi D’ancona (CEO) and Franco Lamping (CTO), both early Nubank employees. Mauro, with degrees from Brandeis University and Harvard, led Nubank’s capital-raising efforts, securing multiple equity rounds and Brazil’s first credit card securitization. Franco, a São Paulo University graduate, spent five years engineering Nubank’s rewards program and credit card architecture, also leading its first international engineering expansion. Drawing on their combined expertise, Mauro and Franco launched 180 Seguros in 2020 to transform Brazil’s insurance industry.

From transforming how Indonesians consume content to pushing the boundaries of skin longevity science, this month’s new companies embody the diverse, yet consistently high-impact businesses that continue to join Endeavor’s community.

Stay tuned for next month’s batch of high-impact entrepreneurs and change-makers.