Listen to Audiobook

Access the Spotify playlist

Access the YouTube playlist

Access the PDF version

Table of Contents

Prologue

Welcome to a very special momentum for me and for many of the visionaries and pioneers who laid the foundations of our current digital ecosystem—the pipelines that form the infrastructure and software enabling the tectonic layers that sustain us today, both for the seasoned e-commerce professionals and the new generations alike.

Celebrating a quarter-century of existence as an industry deserves a tribute to those who dared to dream and turn their visions into reality. As you will read in this living document, which brings together experiences, anecdotes, and precise data about the formation of the most iconic companies and startups in Ibero-America, not everyone who contributed to this was fully aware of what would unfold or what those attempts—some failed, others successful—would eventually become.

I like to say, “A visionary is just a madman who happens to get things right,” but the truth is, not everyone knew they were on the right path. Having a vision and leading the way—innovating with what is needed but doesn’t yet exist—turned us into “madmen.” It thrust us into the most tense moments of our history: betting everything on an idea, replicating what worked in other countries, trying to understand the business, founding a company, or simply watching it all unfold.

“Madmen,” but more sane than ever.

In this living book, we will journey through the “I am digital” of each visionary and pioneer, understanding that many ambitions had to wait for technology to advance or connectivity to arrive at just the right moment. We’ll see how they started their companies, which ones gained widespread recognition, and who worked invisibly behind the scenes.

You’ll notice that some of these pioneers aren’t fully connected to technology or online sales. As I often mention in the interviews I conducted with them, for some, the “apple fell on their heads,” sparking an unexpected quest when they thought their lives were heading in a completely different direction. Some were more economists than e-commerce experts, traditional agency marketers who had to grasp the arrival of the internet and make a hard pivot to stay in the game, athletes who identified a need and knew how to build the solution. These and hundreds of other stories piece together the puzzle of the past 25 years of Ibero-America’s digital ecosystem.

Here, I share just a small selection of the thousands of experiences I have to tell you, which we will gradually update. I encourage you to interact with this content, exploring it in all its formats—audio, text, and even through our augmented and generative artificial intelligence. If you have a story to share, I invite you to become part of the narrative. Remember, this is a living book, continuously evolving.

It’s up to us to ensure this story is properly told and learned. This is our opportunity to uncover how we got here, where it all began, and what ignites our digital essence—what continues to inspire us, year after year, to dream and realize that visionary world that has benefited industries and economies worldwide.

About How to Navigate This Collection of Living Books

Genesis of a Digital Future is a living book, a collection of different Momentums presented in the format of a living book. It is the first publication of its kind in editorial history, using all the technological resources currently available to us in one place. This allows you not only to read it in digital format by accessing the official website, but also to interact with its content and contribute your own story.

Aware that we are sharing much more than words and much more than a historical record, I have gathered a multidisciplinary team to design the living format, which allows you to navigate the past, present, and future of the digital ecosystem in Ibero-America. You can discover, learn, and contribute to its recognition through the following resources:

Enriched Reading: Thanks to the collaboration of over 150 experts who were interviewed and have kindly shared their experiences and knowledge, along with detailed documentary work, each of the living books that are part of the Genesis of a Digital Future collection is a window that allows you to explore the milestones, testimonies, and trends that have shaped digital commerce. You can start your journey with any living book you choose, with no obligation to follow a specific sequence. As this is a living format, some Momentums may still be in development; in such cases, I invite you to subscribe to receive notifications or contribute content to them.

By accessing the books in this collection, you get:

  • Complete content in multiple formats: text, video, audio, profile cards, and glossary.
  • Access to over 150 interviews with pioneers and leaders in digital commerce in Ibero-America, available in the elideres x25′ playlist on the official eCommerce Institute YouTube channel.
  • Listen anywhere: Each book includes an audiobook version with unique stories about the origin of the digital ecosystem in Ibero-America. The first audiobook is already available for you to listen to wherever you are, immersing yourself in the origins of the digital ecosystem in Ibero-America, narrated by some of the key figures in the field.
  • Interactivity and constant updates: Don’t limit yourself to reading—explore a world of multimedia content, including videos, profile cards, glossary, and more. This multimedia, multidimensional experience offers a complete and enriched perspective.
  • Dynamic reading experience supported by augmented artificial intelligence, adapting the experience to your preferences and needs.
  • Constantly updated content: Due to its living book format, the content is continuously updated to reflect changes and advances in the digital ecosystem, keeping you informed at all times.
  • Active participation: You too can be part of this narrative. Contribute your testimony, cases, anecdotes, or research to further enrich this content. Complete the online form and become part of the future of the digital ecosystem.

Contribute your testimony, cases, anecdotes, studies, or research, thereby enriching the shared knowledge about the genesis of the digital ecosystem. To do so, complete the form you will find at genesisfuturo.digital.

Enhance the experience with Augmented and Generative Artificial Intelligence: Do you have questions or want to delve deeper into a specific topic?

Highlighted features of the collection of living books: Genesis of a Digital Future

  • Collaborative and documented: Over 150 experts collaborated to provide a comprehensive view of the digital ecosystem in Ibero-America.
  • Innovative and technological: It uses generative and augmented artificial intelligence to offer an advanced and dynamic reading experience, tailored to the needs of the modern reader.
  • Multimedia and multidimensional: It integrates different content formats such as text, video, audio, profile cards, and glossary, providing an enriched reading experience.
  • Updatable and dynamic: As a living book, the content is constantly updated to reflect changes and advancements in the digital ecosystem.

 

Pioneers and visionaries of e-commerce in Ibero-America

In the momentum The Digital Takeoff of this collection Genesis of a Digital Future, we explore the beginnings of e-commerce in Ibero-America, from catalog sales to the first steps of web 1.0, through the influence of large department stores and global events. This historical foundation allows us to understand how e-commerce evolved in the region and prepares us to delve into the fundamental role played by the pioneers and visionaries of the industry, which over the years transformed into an ecosystem.

From the first attempts to digitize commerce in the 90s, through the bursting of the dot-com bubble, to the consolidation of a robust digital ecosystem, each stage has been marked by challenges and triumphs. The arrival of technologies such as broadband internet, mobile devices, and social networks, as well as massive events like Cyber Monday and Black Friday, have been key moments that have driven the growth of e-commerce in the region.

However, how could e-commerce have evolved without the meeting of man with technology and the development of processors and computers? For this reason, when I interviewed the visionaries and pioneers of the industry, I asked them about their two versions: their digital self, represented by the encounter with the first technology or device that sparked their interest; and their pioneer self, the one who, after exploring the tools, began their journey in one of the teams that motivated the start of this race, which years later simulates the orchestration of Formula 1.

Observe in this timeline how these visionaries emerged in traditional retail, until planting their concerns in the construction of what would later become the e-commerce industry:

You will notice that this timeline is marked by four groups of pioneers and visionaries, of which I would particularly like to highlight those who are not as visible today but have nonetheless made a tremendous contribution to this ecosystem simply by identifying a need and betting on it.

If I may generalize, solely for the purpose of finding an accurate definition, those within these groups share aspects with one another that allow us to understand what common interests helped them strengthen each other, even if it wasn’t intentional on their part.

Next, I share with you the four groups of pioneers and visionaries, the common characteristics they share, and the projects they carried out:

Precursor or “less visible”

The precursors of e-commerce in Ibero-America were the first to see the potential of the internet to transform traditional industries. They introduced fundamental innovations at a time when digital technology was still in its early stages of development. Their pioneering initiatives laid the foundations for the digital ecosystem, demonstrating that it was possible to digitize services that had previously been exclusively physical.

This group stood out for its ability to take risks in times of uncertainty, marking the beginning of e-commerce in the region. Among them, we find Wenceslao Casares, who was the first to provide internet to households in 1994, when it was only for businesses, and Constancio Larguía, both founders of Patagon, one of the first online banking platforms that revolutionized the financial sector in Ibero-America. We also encounter Roberto Vivo Chaneton and Roberto Cibrian Campoy, founders of El Sitio, one of the first internet portals in the region that played a fundamental role in popularizing the web.

It’s interesting to observe how some platforms were created to respond to a need. A good example of this is BuscaPé, which emerged when Rodrigo Borges was searching for a printer model on the internet and couldn’t find any information, price, or specifications for the product.

This led him, along with Romero Rodrigues Filho Ronaldo, Takahashi, and Mário Letelier, to create a solution for this need. With investments of R$100 per month to pay for hosting, system development, and design, the four founded BuscaPé in 1998, in the “garage startup” style. Romero took the leadership of the project from the start, acting as president, and led the company’s internationalization and expansion process, as well as its sale to Naspers in 2009.

The precursors of that era and of this caliber were able to see beyond the business and the platforms themselves, something that at the time could have been a limitation when projecting innovative advances with limited connectivity and a consumer not very motivated to shop online.

It’s incredible how, by exploring this period, we can discover so many stories like this and many projects that transformed into large companies. Some changed names and owners, but they originally started with a vision. Possibly, not everyone remembers these precursors, and that’s why I’m so excited that this book will be completed with the contributions of those who are reading it right now and telling themselves, “I have something to share.” I ask you to do so; this book is alive as long as you take this initiative and make it your own.

Foundational

On the other hand, the foundational group consists of visionaries who built the first large e-commerce platforms in Ibero-America. They not only identified business opportunities in the digital environment but also scaled their initiatives to reach millions of users. They used their deep understanding of the market and consumer needs to develop solutions that facilitated online transactions in a secure and efficient manner.

This group is distinguished by their ability to innovate in business models and their commitment to building robust infrastructures that support the growth of e-commerce. Here we can identify Marcos Galperín, co-founder of MercadoLibre, the largest e-commerce platform in Latin America; Alec Oxenford, founder of the iconic Deremate.com and co-founder of OLX, one of the most important classified platforms globally; Roberto Souviron, co-founder of Despegar.com, a leader in the online travel industry; and Diego Pando Soldati, Diego Favarolo, Diego Kancepolski, Pablo Larguia, and Santiago Pinto Escalier, co-founders of Bumeran, a job platform that aimed to modernize and simplify the job search and hiring process.

In 2003, Nicolás Tejerina acquired Bumeran for 1 euro and added it to Navent, the digital company with a presence in 9 countries, which also included sites such as Konzerta, Multitrabajos, Universobit, Zonajobs, Laborum, Adondevivir, Plusvalía, Compreoalquile, Imovelweb, Conlallave, Imovelweb Curitiba, Imovelpro, Inmuebles24, CRM inmobiliario, and Zonaprop. With this action, Tejerina not only stood out for his vision, accessing a great business opportunity, but also showcased the persistence and consistency that allowed him to continue the business under Navent’s umbrella, growing it to become the regional leader in its vertical.

Germán Quiroga, founder of Americanas.com and current board member of numerous retailers such as Centauro, Cobasi, and Falabella, was one of the first to recognize the potential of e-commerce in Brazil.

In the mid-90s, when the internet was still in its early stages, Quiroga was already creating e-commerce platforms. This attitude was a constant throughout his career; after finishing his studies, instead of joining a company, he decided to start his own business to “play” and test the knowledge he had acquired. He shared with Exame: “I thought it was more fun, although risky, to take a ‘little thing’ of my own and start playing.”

After this adventure, he was responsible for developing one of the first e-commerce websites for large companies, such as Pão de Açúcar and Volkswagen in 1994. He was instrumental in the creation and development of Americanas.com, transforming it from a traditional retail store into a leader in e-commerce.

Enablers

The enablers of e-commerce are those who took the foundations established by the foundational group and elevated them to a new level of sophistication and accessibility. This group is characterized by their focus on creating applications and services that not only facilitate but also enrich the user experience. They introduced solutions such as superapps and digital banks, which integrate multiple services into a single platform, offering unprecedented convenience. Additionally, these pioneers have been able to quickly adapt to new technologies and market trends, driving the mass adoption of digital services.

Here we find Simón Borrero, Sebastián Mejía, and Felipe Villamarín (Rappi), creators of one of the most influential superapps in the last mile market; Ariel Burschtin, Álvaro García, and Rubén Sosenke (PedidosYa), founders of one of the most successful food delivery platforms in the region; David Vélez, Cristina Junqueira, and Edward Wible (Nubank), founders of the digital bank that is revolutionizing the financial sector in Latin America; and Carlos García Ottati, Roger Laughlin, and Loreanne García (Kavak), innovators in the used car market with a business model adapted to Latin American needs.

Accelerators of the Ecosystem

The accelerators of the ecosystem are the leaders who have contributed to creating a favorable environment for the growth and innovation of e-commerce. This group includes those who have developed advanced technological platforms and support services that allow other businesses to thrive in the digital environment. Their focus on scalability, efficiency, and technological integration has allowed numerous startups and established companies to compete globally. Moreover, these accelerators have played a crucial role in educating and training new talent, as well as promoting policies and regulatory frameworks that support the development of e-commerce.

On one hand, we have Mariano Gomide de Faría, Geraldo Thomaz, Alexander Soncini, Rafael Forte, Gustavo Ríos, Marcelo Couto, Fabio Schimidt, Rafinha Campos, and myself, Marcos Pueyrredón (VTEX), leaders in digital commerce solutions and retailer transformation. On the other hand, Martín Migoya, Guibert Englebienne, Martín Umaran, and Néstor Nocetti (Globant), pioneers in the creation of technological solutions that have placed Latin America at the global forefront.

But to understand the influence of these pioneers, we must first recognize the technological context of the time and then delve into the resources that made these visionaries into “sanchopanzas” to face the winds and become part of the first e-commerce teams.

The evolution of computers and processors, and their impact on the development of e-commerce

My digital journey began with the discovery of the Spectrum 32K, one of the most popular home computers in Europe during the 1980s, manufactured by Sinclair Research. Without a screen or storage device, my Spectrum relied on its built-in cassette storage. I know that, like me, many pioneers of our current digital ecosystem explored these “little machines” without knowing what they would later accomplish with them, but driven by a thirst for knowledge similar to mine.

Some were playing, as Germán Quiroga once did, while others were trying to understand the world of codes behind the pixels. Regardless of our age, era, or the type of computer in front of us, we all experienced something similar: any free time was an opportunity to turn it on and play. There is no better training than the kind that awakens knowledge by capturing our interest, as happened with Joaquín Sosa, Co-Founder & CEO of Data4Sales:

Did his father know that this gift would be pivotal for his son’s professional development? Was he betting on giving him the tool that would help him become an industry visionary? Like any process, learning and adopting new knowledge took time for Joaquín Sosa and many others, such as Francisco de la Roza, whose first significant contact with technology was through a Commodore 64—also a gift from his father—that cost as much as a car at the time. This first computer ignited his passion for technology and introduced him to the world of BBS (Bulletin Board Systems) during his teenage years.

The truth is, the evolution of computers and processors—from the Sinclair ZX Spectrum to the Intel Pentium II in 1997—provided the technological foundation necessary for the development and growth of e-commerce.

Improvements in user interface, processing power, and connectivity made the internet a viable platform for commerce, transforming how consumers and businesses interact and transact. To better illustrate these points, I will outline three key periods: the pre-internet era, the rise of the internet, and the development of infrastructures. We will then explore how the pioneers and visionaries of e-commerce in Ibero-America leveraged these advancements.

The Pre-Internet Era and Early E-Commerce

Before the popularization of the internet, personal computers had already begun transforming how businesses and consumers interacted. The introduction of graphical operating systems such as the Apple Macintosh and Windows 3.0 made computers more accessible and user-friendly for the general public. This accessibility laid the groundwork for the future adoption of e-commerce.

For example, during this period, Sergio Candelo, founder of Snoop Consulting and a member of the Argentine Chamber of Software and IT Services Companies (CESSI), began exploring technology in 1997 by configuring fax and telephone systems on his personal computer. Far from the cloud and all that came with the internet, Candelo, along with his partner Gustavo Guaragna, founded a technology company in 2000. The company focused on developing software and implementing technological infrastructure products such as databases and application servers.

This reminds me of when I was the director of Latinvia in the late 1990s. It was a company dedicated to the development, integration, and operation of e-business solutions, with over 3,000 clients and 30,000 users of its various solutions. I recall starting with the idea of bringing digital infrastructure to different companies in the region. One of our greatest achievements was the creation of a packaged product, the “workbox,” which contained a CD with the software needed to set up an online store.

WorkBox SALE web solution, version 01. Edition of the year 2001.

WorkBox solutions set: Telework, Virtual Office, Sale Web or Online Store, AssistYa, among others. Edition of the year 2000

Although it may be hard to believe today, at that time, this was revolutionary. Delivering something tangible to clients—and on this, Sergio Candelo and I agreed during the interview—was a sales enabler that even persisted with the advent of the internet. Thanks to this system, many local companies were able to take their first steps into the digital world, laying the groundwork for what is now a robust e-commerce ecosystem in the region.

The Rise of the Internet and the Growth of E-Commerce

Jack Welch, the renowned American executive known for his role as CEO of General Electric (GE), stated that the Internet was the most significant event since the Industrial Revolution. In just five years, the Nasdaq stock index soared from under 1,000 points to over 5,000. In fact, 4 out of every 10 venture capital dollars were invested in digital businesses.

While the Internet was solidifying as “something in the making,” Geraldo Thomaz and Mariano Gomide, envisioning the future, repeated as a mantra: “If you want to be someone, you need to be part of something in the making.”

This was further propelled by the arrival of Windows 95 and the first widely popular web browser, Netscape Navigator. In 1994, the Internet became a viable platform for commerce. The evolution of processors, such as the Intel Pentium, allowed personal computers to better handle multitasking and data processing, essential aspects for the operation of e-commerce websites.

I must say that during the 1990s, connectivity was one of the main obstacles for companies wishing to operate internationally. Marcelo Galperín, Co-Founder & CEO of VirtualSeller.com and Co-Founder of MercadoLibre.com, recalls his experience as a systems manager in a multinational company: “My challenge was to connect the offices in Asia, Europe, and the United States in a centralized way. At the time, satellite connections were very expensive and unreliable, so I started exploring the use of the Internet, which was just beginning.” What Marcelo shares in this must-read interview is key to the subsequent development of a robust digital infrastructure.

Impact on Infrastructure Development

The development of more powerful and efficient processors, such as the Pentium Pro and the Pentium II series, enabled the creation of more robust and efficient servers. These servers were fundamental in handling the increasing online traffic and the demands of e-commerce transaction processing, contributing to the rise of companies like Amazon and eBay in the 1990s.

From this perspective, processor advancements have been crucial to the development of e-commerce. Since the arrival of the Intel Pentium II to today’s multi-core, high-efficiency processors, computers’ ability to handle large volumes of data and run complex applications has improved exponentially. This has allowed e-commerce platforms to process transactions faster, enhancing user experience with significantly reduced waiting times.

Likewise, this progress has also led to greater connectivity and accessibility. Modern processors, such as those from the Intel Core and AMD Ryzen series, have enabled the development of more powerful and efficient mobile and portable devices. These advances facilitate access to e-commerce platforms from anywhere and at any time, contributing to the growth of mobile commerce (m-commerce) and enabling consumers to make purchases more conveniently.

It is interesting to hear what Guillermo Varela, CEO of Mr Gen and current Vice President of the Uruguayan Chamber of Digital Economy, shares regarding the introduction of mobile devices to the e-commerce landscape. Reflecting on his career several years after entering the industry, he recognizes the iPhone as a catalyst for the sector:

It is also worth noting that the evolution of processors has been accompanied by advances in security and data protection.

Modern processors include advanced security features that safeguard online transactions against fraud and cyberattacks, which was essential to gaining consumer trust and fostering e-commerce growth.

These performance improvements also enabled the development of more sophisticated and engaging user interfaces. This paved the way for platforms capable of offering smoother and more personalized user experiences, with high-quality graphics and fast loading times, thereby improving customer satisfaction and increasing conversion rates and consumer loyalty.

Features such as augmented reality (AR), artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) have become more accessible and effective thanks to enhanced processing capabilities. These technologies have transformed how consumers interact with e-commerce platforms, offering personalized recommendations, intelligent chatbots, and immersive shopping experiences.

A turning point in late 1990s technological evolution was the invention of VPNs (Virtual Private Networks), which allowed businesses to manage corporate applications over the Internet securely. Galperín describes this advance as fundamental to the success of the Latin American giant: “For me, the invention of VPNs was a critical moment because it enabled corporate applications to run securely on the Internet. This was essential for Mercado Libre’s infrastructure.”

In essence, the evolution of computers and processors from 1997 to 2024 has been fundamental to the global development and growth of e-commerce. Improvements in performance, connectivity, security, and user experience have transformed how consumers shop online, propelling e-commerce to new heights and opening doors to future innovations.

Source: Genesis of a Digital Future (2024)

The Story of Pioneers and Visionaries

Alberto Calvo, “Beto” to his friends in this ecosystem, shared this photo with me, sparking a question that mirrors the classic origins dilemma: What came first, the consumer or commerce?

Jane Snowball making her first electronic purchase (BBC, 2013)

At 72 years old, Jane Snowball made the first online purchase in 1984. She bought margarine, eggs, and Corn Flakes from a Tesco supermarket using Videotex, an electronic commerce system that generated a basic item list through the television.

Although Videotex was already being used by businesses, especially in the tourism sector, it was an initiative by the authorities of the Gateshead community that promoted its use as the first online shopping system between businesses and consumers.

“What we really did was take a home television and turn it into a computer terminal,” explained Michael Aldrich in an interview with the BBC. Aldrich was none other than the creator of the technology.

Here arises the question that many years later would encompass the concerns of those who contributed to building this digital ecosystem. If, as he says, the system was already used in another industry, was it the consumer who redefined its usefulness?

As we saw earlier, the evolution of computers, processors, and mobile devices was undoubtedly a constant catalyst for online shopping. However, it wasn’t until it gained the consumer’s attention that the innovative idea became a business.

I delved deeper into this matter in my LinkedIn column “The Old and the New,” which is worth reading. The vision, innovation, and determination of those who took the first steps, when there wasn’t even an industry, laid the foundation for the development of e-commerce platforms, the adoption of new technologies, and the creation of regulatory and educational frameworks that facilitated the expansion of digital commerce.

The encounter between industry development and the consumer gradually occurred as both benefited, but reaching that match, at least in Ibero-America, required crossing an ocean of stories that today ignite in this living book to shed light on this part of history—the one of the pioneers and visionaries.

By exploring the experiences of some of them, we can understand how they incorporated knowledge into practice and became visionaries by seeing the potential of what lay ahead. You’ll notice that this exploration phase is very playful, and this is because they had to dedicate time to the game, trial and error, or, if you like, self-learning to figure out what could be done with the “little machines” that arrived in our hands.

Just as the Spectrum 32k sparked my curiosity, other pioneers like Alberto Ibarra, Director IT of C&A Mexico, began with physical servers and tape storage around the year 2000. However, in the great interview he granted me for this record, he clarified:

As technology evolved, these pioneers found more tools to test their capabilities, but also to integrate them into the ranks of e-commerce, which day by day became more defined as an industry within a period of boom, which would soon be tainted by the bursting of the bubble and the beginning of the era of obscurantism.

Right in that fraction of time, before 1999 and during the close of that period, some of the pioneers who were already part of the industry began to form the ranks of what would later become the Formula 1 of this digital ecosystem. Most of them were already mentioned at the beginning when I talked about the precursors, foundational, empowering, and accelerating figures of the digital ecosystem; however, I will bring up some examples that were highlighted during the interviews I conducted.

Roby Cibrián, Chairman & Founder and SVP Sales & Marketing at BrainDW, said when addressing this topic:

That same year, another visionary began his journey, also a pioneer and a driver in the Formula 1 of this industry: Eric Pérez Grovas, Co-Founder and General Partner at Wollef, joined MercadoLibre in Mexico.

“The first years were difficult, a period of obscurantism for the digital economy in Mexico. We didn’t have proper infrastructure, and many times we had to improvise solutions, like installing satellite antennas to get access to the internet. Despite these challenges, the creation of events like Hot Sale in Mexico marked a before and after, significantly boosting e-commerce in the country.

Considering the emergence of Mercado Libre on the scene, I want to mention the experience of Hernán Kazah, co-founder of the marketplace, who, through conviction and perseverance, was able to position himself competitively in the region.

Hernán Kazah’s first contact with the digital world was through a Spectrum Plus 64k, a more powerful version of the same computer I started with, but it still connected to a cassette to load programs. This first encounter with programming, during his high school years, marked the beginning of his journey. However, several years later, after starting at the multinational Procter & Gamble (P&G), he became familiar with the marketing area, managing brands and gaining experience in traditional business management.

Later, he had the opportunity to go to Stanford to pursue an MBA in 1997, right when Netscape and the internet were becoming popular. Being in the heart of Silicon Valley, he immersed himself in the world of technology and digital business. During this time, he joined a project with Marcos Galperin, who was also studying at Stanford. In 1999, they co-founded MercadoLibre.

The first office where Mercado Libre operated (La Nación, 2019)

The first days of MercadoLibre were very humble. They started in two garages in the basement of a building, which they closed off with drywall panels. As the company grew, they added more garages, but eventually, they were expelled from the building due to conditions considered unhealthy. This led them to establish their first official office.

Kazah spoke to me about this period with a mix of nostalgia and pride. A curious fact: he didn’t emphasize as much the innovative business model of Mercado Libre, but rather the execution, focus, discipline, consistency, and persistence. These attributes allowed the company to grow and consolidate in the market. Here is the key that most of the pioneers and visionaries used to navigate distrust, lack of investment, and other headwinds.

The success of MercadoLibre proved that it is possible to build world-class companies from the region. Kazah mentions that in the last 25 years, the impact of technology in Latin America has been impressive and that what is to come in the next 25 years will be even more transformative.

I am left with his story about his first steps, his digital self.

You will notice that that year, between the dot-com phenomenon and the fatal burst of the bubble, many businesses were lost, but at the same time, more things were learned that were previously unknown about this business; for example, how to avoid another boom and become a solid industry when something like that surprised us again. Who would have said it, it happened two decades later.

In the middle of the dot-com boom, in 1999, Marcelo Galperín remembers those first days with enthusiasm:

“In 1999, when Marcos called me to register the Mercado Libre domains, we already knew that the future was in e-commerce. It was a turning point for the mass adoption of the internet and the creation of a digital ecosystem.”

This period was key for the construction of the digital ecosystem that years later would revolutionize commerce in Latin America.

That same year, another industry visionary joined the nascent Mercado Libre. Osvaldo Giménez, who met Marcos Galperín and Hernán Kazah when they did their MBAs at Stanford, returned to Argentina from that experience convinced that he wanted to venture into technology.

“It was clear to me 25 years ago that the Internet was going to change the world, that there was going to be a before and after, that it was a pivot point,” he recalls about those beginnings.

With that certainty, he considered several ideas to launch an internet project, until he met Galperín and Kazah, and they convinced him to become Mercado Libre’s first country manager in Argentina. “It was a grandiose title because we were 20 people in a garage,” he confesses with a smile.

But the position perhaps contained the clarity of the vision that the regional e-commerce giant already had in those early days, as Giménez himself comments:

“We wanted to be a world-class company, valued at more than 1 trillion dollars, and a leader in technology and the internet revolution in Latin America. Being a world-class company was from the very beginning.”

For Osvaldo, who began experimenting with technology programming Basic with his Commodore 64 and with a Lotus course his mother sent him to when he was just 15 or 16 years old, his role as a “digital pilot” in Mercado Libre began, where he is now president of Fintech.

Going back to what I was telling you about Kazah, and long before he took Mercado Libre out of a garage, Guido Grinbaum was reading, during a flight he took with his father, a list of the best companies of the moment; among them was eBay. At that time, Guido worked at Pepsi (a company he joined with the goal of earning a salary and using almost 90% of it to pay off debts from his previous venture), and it was during this trip that he told his father: “I’m going to quit Pepsi and I’m going to make the eBay of Latin America.”

Guido Grinbaum is none other than the founder and co-founder of several companies, including DineroMail, DeRemate.com, Covedisa, Block Academy, and Dridco, the holding company that contained ZonaJobs, ZonaProp, DeMotores, and ZonaCitas.

Undoubtedly, that experience solidified his vision that e-commerce was the future, and that’s why, inspired by his experiences, he decided to venture into the world of e-commerce, founding DeRemate.com with his brother Sergio Grinbaum and Alex Oxenford, a company that quickly became one of the most important online auction platforms in the region, but which suffered from fierce competition and the need to create a robust technological infrastructure. Although he knew how to survive the dot-com bust, the arrival of Mercado Libre was overwhelming and found them without the ability to invest in sustainable growth.

Sergio Grinbaum, CEO of Think Thanks, began his digital career firmly, after experimenting with various ventures in industries as varied as shoe manufacturing, textiles, and grape plantations. These ventures provided him with a solid foundation in business management and development.

Sergio’s leap into e-commerce came when he joined DeRemate.com with his brother. He remembers this period as a hectic time full of learning, as they were creating an unprecedented new market in the region.

Cover of the online buy and sell site (Merodeador.com, 2008)

At Deremate.com, Grinbaum focused on operations and product offerings, working directly with sellers to create a solid and diverse product base. This work was fundamental to the initial success of the platform.

One of the most decisive moments in his career was the burst of the dot-com bubble in the early 2000s. This event marked a turning point for many tech companies, including Deremate.com, and forced a reevaluation of strategies and approaches in e-commerce.

But when talking about the vision of those who paved the way for the giants, what Gloria Canales, Chief Digital Officer at Coppel, shared with me was phenomenal.

“This started for me in 2004, when I moved to the United States, and in the U.S. it was very easy. […] Then I returned to Mexico in 2009 and realized I couldn’t shop online because there was no offering.”

As she tells it, Gloria Canales entered the digital world when she moved to the United States in 2004. At that time, she realized the advantages of e-commerce, as she could shop without leaving home, especially in adverse weather conditions. This experience was a revelation for her, highlighting the convenience and efficiency of the U.S. digital ecosystem.

However, when she returned to Mexico in 2009, she faced a very different reality. E-commerce was in its infancy, with limited offerings and poor services. Online stores often closed during the night and weekends, and returns could only be made in physical stores. This lack of development in the Mexican digital ecosystem motivated Gloria to see a great opportunity.

Together with David Geisen, Gloria decided to launch an online sales site in 2011, focusing on clothing and shoes, an industry with good margins and great potential. Dafiti was born in 2012, and although they faced initial skepticism, they managed to establish themselves in the Mexican market.

The curious thing here is that we are talking about many years after the dot-com bubble burst and that time of exploration. A decade after that moment and already formed as an industry, the great whirlwind of wind was consumer distrust.

After her success with Dafiti, Gloria joined Amazon in 2014, but we will dive deeper into this matter later when we talk about marketplaces.

Located in Mexico, one of the pioneers driving the wheel of online sales in this country was, without a doubt, Pierre-Claude Blaise, co-founder and CEO of the Asociación Mexicana de Venta Online (AMVO), a visionary of e-commerce who defines himself more as a “business architect” than as a digital pilot. His interest in architecture taught him to design and execute plans, which became a skill for his career.

In 2014, Blaise decided to make a radical shift in his career, leaving the corporate world to delve into e-commerce. This decision was driven by his curiosity to understand a part of the economy that at that time was very new and in full development.

He worked for a year in a leading fashion company in Mexico to understand how e-commerce worked. This period allowed him to discover a completely different world and learn how technology could integrate with traditional businesses.

One of the most significant moments in Blaise’s career was the creation of the Asociación Mexicana de Venta Online (AMVO) in 2014. At that time, e-commerce represented only 1% of the retail channel in Mexico. The AMVO was born with the vision of increasing this percentage and educating the market both at the consumer and business level.

“The vision of some pioneers was to say: This pie is very small. We have to work together to make the ecosystem grow. We’ll all keep winning.

Blaise emphasizes collaboration and the focus on measurable results as key factors for the success of the AMVO, which has been fundamental for the digital transformation in Mexico.

I must say that Blaise sees Latin America, and particularly Mexico, as having the potential to become a global hub for talent and digital products. He highlights the empathy, ambition, and cleverness of Latinos as characteristics that differentiate the region and position it favorably on the international stage.

At this point in this journey through the experiences of pioneers and visionaries, you may notice that, in most cases, their digital selves are the starting point for their pioneering selves. Even if their interests were linked to the world of sports or any other industry, in the end, the arrival of a device in their lives is what immerses them in a race with more opportunities than they could see.

But the great contradiction for these pioneers to evolve into visionaries was precisely that the moments when technology provided them with the tools they could use to mature the industry didn’t coincide. Seen this way, the maturation of the sector was much longer and asynchronous in relation to its evolution.

However, while the ‘90s closed with a threatening time bomb for the new online world, some industries were already sticking their noses into data analysis, realizing that to be visionaries, they had to see the invisible. Justo Aban’s transition from banking to e-commerce is a good portrait of this.

Aban began his journey into the digital world in the mid-90s when he worked for Citibank in Mexico in the Data Warehouse area. At that time, his job was to suggest promotions based on SQL queries, applying binary logic to help the commercial team. This was his first contact with data analysis and business-oriented technology.

His interest in e-commerce began to develop after reading the “Business 2.0” magazine, and inspired by articles about new technologies and business models, he decided to join a startup called MyAlfred in 1998. This project was a copy of a European price comparison model, where Aban had the opportunity to build the website and manage operations in several countries.

Source: Three copies of “Business 2.0” (Private archive of Justo Aban)

“A good friend left Citibank and went to a startup called MyAlfred. He invited me, and I jumped. I said, well, this is my vocation, I’m doing it because it fascinates me and I love it.”

During his time at MyAlfred, Aban worked tirelessly to build the site, managing operations in Mexico, Miami, and Argentina. This period was a tsunami of work, with long hours and few moments of rest, but it allowed him to learn and grow in the field of e-commerce.

After his experience at MyAlfred, Aban was hired by Palacio de Hierro to start and develop the digital content area. He spent ten years at this company, constantly learning and adapting to new technologies and methods of e-commerce.

For Aban, working in e-commerce has been a constant source of fun and learning. Despite the challenges and pressure, he considers that bringing together business, technology, and processes has been a multifaceted and rewarding experience.

“My work has been pure fun. Dedicating yourself to bringing together business, technology, processes… for me, it’s fun.”

And yes, e-commerce has always been a promising industry, but no one guaranteed it would be successful quickly and without effort. Everyone talks about sleepless nights, frustrated investments halfway through, and the battle to position the online business.

I thought about this when Lorena Díaz Quijano, Consultant and mentor in talent development and agile, digital leaders, spoke to me about her beginnings and her pioneering self in such a demanding and challenging field.

She recalls the intense competition between MercadoLibre and DeRemate, comparing it to the rivalry between soccer teams: “For those who don’t remember DeRemate, it was like talking about Barcelona and Real Madrid, Boca-River.” This competition led her to be one of the few people who worked at both companies, giving her a unique perspective on the market in those early years.

“I was the first to go to Mercado Libre after having been at DeRemate.”

Before this, her digital self emerged intuitively and progressively. From the beginning, she had a strong inclination toward technology and e-commerce, which later led her to join the Cámara Argentina de Comercio Electrónico (CACE) with a strong focus on developing studies on the sector to have concrete data and measure growth, thus contributing seriousness and credibility to it.

As a pioneer, Lorena was one of the first to invest in mass events like Cyber Monday in Argentina. Her ability to lead and coordinate these efforts made her a key figure in the evolution of e-commerce in the region.

Indeed, looking at the experiences of those leading the global industry was light and inspiration for the pioneers. On this, Osvaldo Giménez recalls how, from the birth of Mercado Libre, they had three main objectives: connecting sellers and buyers; facilitating payment on the platform; and making the shipping of products possible.

“This is how we started in 1999, and the second step we took in 2003, creating Mercado Pago.”

In 2000, eBay had bought PayPal for nearly 1.5 billion dollars; that new platform was making operations easier by enabling online payments. Therefore, for Osvaldo, the first major moment driving the industry, related to payment methods, was the foundation of Mercado Pago, the first digital wallet in Latin America.

“It meant having the rails so that buyers could pay sellers. You could be independent of credit cards, and there was a guarantee that the payment would be completed.”

From his perspective, two more crucial moments followed regarding payment methods. The second was regulatory actions—first in Brazil and Argentina, now extended to other countries—to allow third-party acquiring. “This allowed innovation,” he comments.

And the third peak point is the rise of mobile, with Android and iPhone.

“We had created something that worked well online. Mobile then allowed us that the addressable market was not just the online world, considering that e-commerce was less than 10% of retail in the region, but to reach the physical world, with POS and QR.”

Looking to the future, for Osvaldo Giménez, the entrepreneurial history of the digital ecosystem that has formed in Latin America fills him with enthusiasm.

“I believe we have a huge opportunity. I would like to see stronger mathematical education in primary and secondary schools, more people graduating as engineers from universities. The important thing is that all success stories are contributing to the narrative. If today you tell your parents that you’re going to start a business, the story is different from 25 years ago.”

On the other hand, it’s interesting to hear Laureano Turienzo, founder of the Asociación Española del Retail (AER) and current CEO of Retail New Trends, reflect on the origins of e-commerce, a topic covered in the living book; The Digital Takeoff. However, I want to highlight here his view as one of the pioneers who started his digital career in 1994 and identifies several phases within e-commerce globally that are also applicable to Ibero-America. One of the first phases was that of credibility, where consumer trust was a fundamental element for the mass adoption of e-commerce.

At the beginning, many consumers were skeptical about the security of online transactions. Turienzo emphasizes that the first major phase of e-commerce was getting people to trust that behind the screen of their computer, there was not a “pack of pirates.” This achievement allowed e-commerce to reach the global middle class.

He has been critical of certain traditional retail concepts, such as the in-store experience and omnichannel, advocating for a more unified vision of commerce where the consumer and data are the central elements. His approach has always been towards innovation and adaptation, analyzing how new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and augmented reality, are transforming the retail landscape.

A notable aspect of Turienzo’s philosophy is his focus on the humanization of commerce. He argues that separating the digital world from the physical one is absurd because, at the center of both, there are people making purchasing decisions. Customer service and the shopping experience are elements he considers essential for success in commerce, both digital and physical.

For his part, Dimas Gimeno Álvarez, former president of El Corte Inglés and current founder and president of WOW Concept, began his career in the world of retail and digitization by observing the transformations of the industry from within. Having worked in a traditional retail company with more than 80 years of operation, he witnessed how commerce began with small neighborhood stores and evolved into large department stores, hypermarkets, and shopping centers.

Gimeno points out that one of the biggest challenges for traditional retailers has been adapting to new forms of commerce that emerged with digitization. This adaptation process was slow, mainly because successful companies became complacent, with heavy structures and slow decision-making processes.

At the beginning, many traditional retailers dismissed the online format, which allowed companies like Amazon to gain ground quickly. This late view of digitization left many traditional retailers struggling to catch up.

“The digital world is not just another competitor, but a new channel that requires total integration with physical models to be effective.”

Gimeno emphasizes that the key to success in modern commerce lies in the convergence of digital and physical experiences. He points out that there will be no 100% digital or physical experiences that are relevant on their own; everything must converge to offer a comprehensive value proposition to the consumer.

And when we talk about omnichannel, Francisco de la Roza, General Manager of Supermercados Peruanos S.A., who began his journey in the digital world at an early age influenced by the technological environment in his home, was one of the first to visualize how physical companies were beginning to venture into the digital and omnichannel world.

In fact, his first steps in e-commerce were hand in hand with VTEX, a company with which he collaborated from around 2012, facing the challenges of adapting traditional operations to the new demands of e-commerce.

He highlights several factors that accelerated the growth of digital commerce in the region, including observing international trends and the pressure within the industry not to fall behind. Mass events and technological advances, such as the adoption of mobile devices, played an important role in this transformation. These changes not only facilitated access to digital commerce but also drove the evolution of logistics and customer experience.

Francisco sees his career as a journey full of learning and trials, where he highlights the importance of teamwork and the ability to adapt to the constant changes in the digital environment. Over the years, he has valued collaboration and the building of an ecosystem that is now on par with more developed markets.

But not all origins have been the same; while some have explored technological tools, others have done so through platforms. This is the case of Cristian Serrano, Co-Founder of Advantage Digital, who started his digital journey by chance. From a young age, he became interested in emerging technologies and began using digital tools like ICQ, MSN Messenger, and MySpace. These early experiences as a user introduced him to the digital world and sparked his curiosity about the possibilities this new medium offered.

Cristian’s true breakthrough in the digital field occurred when he was invited to work at a Brazilian agency, E-If Group, in São Paulo. This experience marked a turning point in his career, allowing him to better understand the digital ecosystem from a commercial and technical perspective. E-If Group, which had started as a physical agency, was already making significant efforts in the digital realm, including the first steps in social listening.

Cristian is recognized for his passion and commitment to the digital ecosystem, compared to a “viking” for his strength and bravery. His career is marked by constant adaptation and learning, standing out as a leader in the industry.

Ricardo Alonso, Co-Founder of The Blue Consulting & Partners and former Corporate CEO at Falabella.com, began his digital career significantly during his university years. After finishing his studies, he started working with a large Japanese technology company in 1997-1998. This experience was key to his understanding and fascination with what technology could accomplish.

With a solid foundation in technology, Ricardo and some friends decided to venture into creating a startup focused on online wedding planning services. Although the idea was innovative and had potential, the burst of the dot-com bubble in 2000 affected their plans, preventing them from securing the necessary funding.

Ricardo joined Falabella in the late 90s, initially interested in the marketing area. However, his path took a significant turn when he was selected to participate in a large project that involved collaboration with external consultants. This project allowed him to understand the retail ecosystem comprehensively, including operations, logistics, and technology.

Ricardo was a key figure in the implementation of the “click and collect” service in the region, an innovation that improved the shopping experience by integrating physical and digital channels. This service allowed customers to shop online and pick up their products in stores, offering significant convenience.

One of the biggest challenges he faced was consumer distrust in online transactions. To address this, he promoted the creation of a code of good practices in transactional security and self-regulation within the industry, helping establish standards that built trust in e-commerce.

He also pushed for the initiative to hold an event similar to Cyber Monday in October instead of November, which was crucial to avoid logistical collapses and benefit the e-commerce ecosystem in the region. This event became an important milestone, increasing the visibility of the online channel and the revenue of many companies.

He has been a pioneer in the evolution of e-commerce in Latin America, from his beginnings in a technology company to his transformative role at Falabella. His focus on innovation, security, and improving customer experience has left a significant mark on the digital commerce industry.

Christian Finkelstein, Commercial Director-Revenue Management at Arredo, received his professional training in London, where he completed a master’s degree in the early 2000s. During this period, he began to notice how digital technology was starting to solve everyday problems, from grocery shopping to dealing with utility providers and banks. These experiences helped him understand the practical potential of digital technologies in daily life.

One of the most significant moments in Christian’s career was his work at Arredo, a leading home textile company in Argentina and Uruguay. It was here that Christian played an important role in transitioning from a traditional business model to a digital one. This transition was not easy, especially in a category like home textiles, where customers preferred to touch the products before purchasing them.

Christian was also a pioneer in implementing strategies like “click and collect,” which allowed Arredo to effectively integrate its physical and digital channels. This strategy not only improved the customer experience but also helped increase online sales.

Christian emphasizes the importance of organizational culture and processes in the success of digital commerce. He points out that while technology is an enabler, the real challenges lie in the company’s processes and culture. Collaboration within the industry and continuous adaptation are key to facing future challenges in digital commerce.

Fabrizio Cascianelli, Head of Sales & Marketing at VTEX, began his career in the e-commerce industry in an unexpected way. His entry into the digital world came through his connection with Riverwood, one of VTEX’s investors.

Joaquín Lima, a managing partner at Riverwood in Brazil, told him about the search for someone to handle the commercial side and help with VTEX’s expansion. At the time, Fabrizio was working in a coworking space with friends in alternative investments, but the recent arrival of a child made him seek more stability, leading him to consider this new opportunity.

Fabrizio started working at VTEX at the end of 2016, just as the company was consolidating as an expanding SME. Initially, he thought his role would be more analytical, but soon he realized they needed someone to handle sales. This shift in direction, from numbers to relationships, was a significant adjustment in his career, but one he embraced with enthusiasm.

One of the decisive moments in Fabrizio’s career was his experience working at Morgan Stanley in 1998, where he followed internet companies. The IPO of eBay at the end of 1998 or early 1999 was particularly impactful for him, as it marked the transformation of eBay into the first major marketplace. This event influenced his view on e-commerce and the aggregation of offers from multiple sellers on a single platform.

At VTEX, Fabrizio has witnessed a rapid evolution in the company’s solutions and capabilities. From his first presentations to the most recent ones, he has seen how technology and strategies have advanced significantly, reflecting the growth and continuous adaptation in e-commerce.

From the pioneers and visionaries who discovered devices, codes, platforms, and even those who started building this industry already planted in a large company, transforming the given and trusting that there is always something beyond that horizon that marks the union between the ecosystem and the consumer, integrating them into the supply chain and breaking down to reassemble; all of them, who contributed to this book, mark a milestone in the genesis of the digital future. But they are not the only ones. I invite you to visit the multimedia dimension of this living book and keep exploring the digital ecosystem of Ibero-America. Many voices, experiences, and anecdotes are yet to be heard and seen.

Conclusion

In this living book titled Pioneers and Visionaries of E-commerce in Ibero-America, I proposed a journey through the evolution of e-commerce in Ibero-America, from its humble beginnings to becoming a fundamental pillar of the modern economy. The stories of the pioneers and visionaries we have explored are a testament to innovation, resilience, and the ability to adapt in a region that often faces unique challenges.

An interesting reflection that arises from these stories is the importance of long-term vision and adaptability in a constantly changing technological environment. The pioneers of e-commerce in Ibero-America not only saw the opportunities offered by new technologies but also had the audacity to pursue those opportunities, often in a context of uncertainty and resistance to change.

After reading these fragments of anecdotes, we should take away the lesson that success in the digital world is not achieved only with advanced technology but with a combination of vision, strategy, and above all, a deep understanding of consumer needs and behaviors. The ability to anticipate trends, learn from failures, and persist in the face of adversity has been a common denominator among these pioneers, who have something that many of you have heard me constantly say: consistency and perseverance, but above all, in many cases, an extra dose of discipline with a lot of passion for making the immediate possible, and the impossible, which takes a bit more time.

Looking toward the future, the digital ecosystem of Ibero-America is full of possibilities. The integration of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain, and augmented reality promises to further transform the way we buy and sell online. However, it is essential to remember that the true engine of progress is the people: the innovators, entrepreneurs, and consumers who together create, adapt, and adopt these technologies.

Ultimately, the lessons from these pioneers teach us that, while technology can be a great enabler, it is human passion, creativity, and determination that truly drive change. As we continue to navigate the dynamic world of e-commerce, we must stay focused on these qualities and how we can keep innovating to build a more inclusive, efficient, and exciting digital future for everyone.

This book is both a tribute to those who paved the way and a call to action for future generations of innovators in Ibero-America. The journey of the digital ecosystem celebrates a quarter-century of existence, but it is far from over, and the opportunities to continue transforming the digital economy are endless. By reflecting on the past and learning from these visionaries, we are better prepared to face the challenges of the future and continue building a prosperous and sustainable digital ecosystem.

Upcoming Titles

Genesis of a Digital Future is not simply a collection of living books; it is a living testament to the moments and contributions of the key pioneers who have shaped the digital ecosystem in Ibero-America. Through first-hand testimonies and in-depth research, this project records the 25 momentums that have marked the evolution of e-commerce from its inception to the present.

Each book is an invitation to navigate the ever-changing and evolving digital ocean, crossing the waves and the eTsunami that marked a before and after for the ecosystem, recognizing each of the steps taken by the visionaries and pioneers who shaped the e-commerce industry, and discovering the latest technological innovations.

The living book is a unique experience of learning and discovery that provides a comprehensive perspective on the past, present, and future of the digital ecosystem in our region.

Explore the upcoming titles of this collection Genesis of a Digital Future, which reveal the secrets, challenges, and triumphs behind the world of digital commerce in Ibero-America:

About the author


As a pioneer in the transformation of e-commerce in Ibero-America, I am proud to have contributed to the development and consolidation of the digital ecosystem in the region. Throughout my career, I have acquired specialized training with a strong management component and held various leadership positions in the industry, working tirelessly to develop and drive the growth of the ecosystem and innovation in digital commerce.

About his education:

  • Specialization in Electronic Business Management from the Universidad del Salvador USAL, with a dual degree from Georgetown University.
  • MBA with a focus on Digital Project Management from USAL and The State University of New York SUNY.
  • Certification in prestigious programs such as: Global Leading Businesses Program & the Global Management Excellence Program from Harvard Business School, and the Commerce Management Certification CMX & Commerce Architecture Certification CAC from the European Institute for Commerce Management EICOM.

About his current responsibilities, positions, and contributions:

  • Co-founder and Global Executive SVP of VTEX (NYSE: VTEX), a leader in the digital commerce transformation for retailers and brands in Latin America and globally.
  • Honorary President and member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Argentine Chamber of Electronic Commerce (CACE).
  • Founder, director, and president of the Latin American Institute of Electronic Commerce (eCommerce Institute).
  • Member of the Board of Directors of the Data & Marketing Association Chapter Argentina (DMA).
  • Member of the Board of Directors of Entrepreneur Organization Chapter Argentina (EOs).
  • Director and professor in the Master’s Degree in Strategic Digital Marketing and Internet Business Management at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA).
  • Professor in the MBA at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA).

With a solid educational foundation and extensive industry experience, I am committed to continuing to drive growth and innovation in digital commerce in Ibero-America.

The creation of this living book that brings together the history and stories reconstructing 25 years of transformations, from the origin of e-commerce, its online and digital model, is another initiative aimed at bringing the ecosystem together in a collaborative action that allows us to recognize the different momentums that brought us to today and that, in some way, this document helps to give visibility to the positive impact the digital ecosystem generates in the overall economy of each of our countries, the region, and the world, and to build a prosperous and sustainable digital future, where opportunities are accessible to all, always highlighting the potential that makes Ibero-America a global benchmark in the field of digital commerce.

About the team

This living book is the result of the effort and collaboration of a multidisciplinary and multifaceted team whose commitment is to take the experience of the digital ecosystem in Ibero-America to new heights. Meet the great dre@m te@m behind Genesis of a Digital Future.

Want to meet my Dream Team?

This living book is the result of the effort and collaboration of a multidisciplinary and multifaceted team whose commitment is to take the experience of the digital ecosystem in Ibero-America to new heights. Meet the great dre@m te@m behind Genesis of a Digital Future.


This team is a practical example of modern work, using available technologies intensively in collaboration to offer you a unique learning and discovery experience in the fascinating world of digital commerce in Ibero-America.

Each team member brings their expertise and passion in key areas ranging from design to content production, through the application of innovative technologies such as augmented artificial intelligence. Together, they are transforming the way we interact with knowledge and information in the digital world.

Technical sheets