Five big ideas from my The J Curve conversation with Marcelo França Corrêa, founder and CEO at Brazil's fintech infrastructure leader Celcoin 👇🏻 1️⃣ Three key decisions that propelled Celcoin to success: pivoting to b2b, integrating Pix and strategic M&As 🚀 Pivoting to B2B Infrastructure: Recognizing the limitations of a B2C model, Marcelo shifted Celcoin to focus on B2B payment infrastructure, enabling sustainable growth and leveraging their core strengths Integrating PIX: Instead of resisting the disruptive PIX system, Marcelo incorporated it into Celcoin’s offerings, safeguarding the business and fueling exponential growth Strategic M&A: Marcelo’s targeted acquisitions complemented Celcoin’s products, allowing rapid expansion while maintaining a strong company culture 2️⃣ Fundraising Tips: Start Early, Communicate, and Understand Expectations 💸 Build relationships early: Marcelo began investor engagement years ahead, establishing trust and credibility that paid off when funding was needed Consistent communication: regular updates on performance and milestones build investor confidence Understand stage-Specific expectations: tailor your approach to align with the distinct priorities of early and later-stage investors. For later-stage investors, emphasize key metrics, revenue quality, and scalability to demonstrate the stability and growth potential of your business 3️⃣ To build a scalable tech product, consider adopting a modular architecture 🛠️ Celcoin’s modular infrastructure allows flexibility, serving diverse clients efficiently without heavy customization, which is key to scaling 4️⃣ When growing via M&A: focus on strategic fit, prioritize product and cultural integration, and build a playbook for integration 🤝 Strategic fit: acquisitions should complement your existing capabilities and align with long-term goals Integration focus: success lies in integrating products and maintaining the acquired company’s culture to preserve innovation Create a playbook: A systematic approach to integration maximizes value and minimizes disruption. 5️⃣ The fintech infrastructure market in Brazil alone is worth at least $20 Billion and is poised to grow rapidly 🌐 The future of financial services in Brazil is being shaped by regulatory changes, digital payments, embedded finance, and open banking. For fintech infrastructure startups, this represents a vast and growing revenue opportunity. Startups that can build scalable, flexible infrastructure solutions will be well-positioned to lead in this rapidly evolving market Check out our newsletter for more takeaways from this conversation 🔗⬇️ #entrepreneurship #venturecapital #leadership #thejcurvepodcast
Bruno Martinelli
4mo
Marcelo nailed it with Celcoin's pivot to B2B and specially the early integration of PIX. And great companies are already built on top of Celcoin's offerings, like Magie
Marcelo is a brilliant mind at the forefront of our growth. It's amazing to see him talking about our journey! 🚀