Welcome to Tech Talents! In this newsletter, I share real-time key talent movements in the LatAm tech ecosystem, including founders entering and exiting stealth mode, executive-level movements in unicorns, and partner-level changes in local VC firms.
This edition of Tech Talents is brought to you by Cubo Itaú’s Second Time Founders program.
The Second Time Founders program by Cubo Itaú brings together a select group of experienced founders who are embarking on a new entrepreneurial journey. The initiative offers high-level monthly meetings with investors, C-level executives, and major corporations, as well as access to Cubo and qualified visibility within the ecosystem. Fill out the form below to express your interest in participating in the program’s selection process.
Here’s a quick look at what you’ll find in this week’s edition:
✍️ Stealth Stories: Ingrid Barth, Founder & CEO at PilotIn, on pros and cons of stealth, when to publicly announce your startup & more
👀 Talents to Watch: ex-COO at Rappi, ex-Diretora de Receita & Analytics at BHub
🤫 Talents Entering Stealth: ex-Head of Sales at Loft México, ex-Software Engineer at TRACTIAN & more
🦄 Unicorn Movements: Chief Risk Officer at Neon
👋 Tech Talents Match: Looking for a co-founder or to network? Click here to be connected with top talent that matches your criteria
Let’s dive in…
✍️ Stealth Stories
Sharing the learnings and experiences of founders who previously operated in stealth mode, to help new founders navigate the early stages of their entrepreneurial journey.
For our first Stealth Story, I sat down with Ingrid Barth, Founder & CEO of PilotIn, to talk about her experience operating in stealth mode. From why she chose to operate in stealth to how she prepared for and decided to publicly launch her startup, this short interview offers valuable insights for anyone considering becoming a founder or already working on a new project.
Ingrid, thanks for being part of the first Stealth Stories by Tech Talents. Could you start by telling us a bit about yourself and your background?
Sure! I like to start with a quick disclaimer — I have ADHD, specifically the hyperactive type, which explains a lot about my non-linear path. I need constant stimulation to stay mentally healthy, and that’s definitely reflected in my career.
I started out in finance — my first degree was in Economics, and I spent about ten years at JP Morgan after four years at Santander. During that time, I worked across multiple areas, always looking for new challenges. I even went back to school for a second degree in Civil Engineering (though I never built anything!).
My real turning point came during my MBA, when I first got exposed to Silicon Valley and the world of startups. My final project was what I now realize was a fintech — a platform that used algorithms to value artworks and help investors diversify their portfolios. That experience opened my eyes to innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship.
After leaving JP Morgan, I took a short sabbatical in Asia — didn’t quite find inner peace, but I did find my next step. I joined Neon in its very early days, when there were only about 40 people and no institutional funding yet. I was fascinated but also cautious about the regulatory side, which led me to connect with Bruno Balduccini and later to join an industry association focused on fintech regulation.
That involvement snowballed — I became a board director, then a representative for fintechs on Brazil’s Open Finance Council at the Central Bank. Around the same time, in 2018, I founded my first startup, Linker, which we eventually sold to Omie in November 2021 — on the same day my daughter was born!
After two years helping with the transition, I knew I wanted to build again. That’s how PilotIn was born — my second startup, this time combining everything I’ve learned about fintech, data, and now AI. Entrepreneurship truly completes me; it’s where I feel most aligned with my purpose.
Why did you decide to operate in Stealth Mode at the beginning of your new venture?
Honestly, at that stage, I didn’t yet know exactly what the company would become. I had some early ideas, but they were still very rough. Putting “Stealth Mode” on my profile was a way to signal that something was being built — to open conversations and curiosity — without feeling pressured to explain what it was before I was ready.
It gave me the freedom to explore, to talk to people, to test ideas, and to pivot without public expectations. And it worked incredibly well — once I updated my LinkedIn to say I was working on something new, dozens of VCs reached out, both in Brazil and abroad. I was honest with all of them: I didn’t yet have a concrete product or business model. But those early conversations helped me build relationships that are now over a year old, even before fundraising. When the time comes, these investors already know our story and evolution.
There’s been a lot of talk about “building in public” versus staying in stealth. How do you see that trade-off?
I don’t think there’s a right or wrong approach — it really depends on who you are as a founder and the stage you’re in. For me, staying in stealth made sense because I was still figuring things out and didn’t want the pressure of explaining something that wasn’t ready. It gave me space to think, test, and adjust before going public.
Building in public can be great when you already have structure — a product, a team, or a clear vision — but it can also trap you into constant storytelling before you even know what story you’re telling. Many founders follow trends because “that’s what everyone’s doing,” but I think you should always respect your own timing and personality.
I’ve been in fintech for many years, so I already had strong relationships and credibility. Whether my company’s name was public or not didn’t really change people’s willingness to talk. But if you’re new to the ecosystem, building in public might help create visibility and trust faster.
In short, both paths can work — just make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons, not because it’s fashionable. The key is to stay authentic and follow your intuition.
What advice would you give to founders considering going into stealth mode?
If you decide to go stealth, be ready — once you announce it, people will reach out. Investors, potential partners, even the press will want to know what you’re up to. So make sure you actually have the time and structure to talk to them.
For the CEO especially, this becomes almost a full-time job. You need to manage conversations with the market and investors carefully, even those who may not be a fit right now. It’s all about building relationships early.
My advice is to stay organized and intentional. Don’t go stealth just because it sounds mysterious or trendy — do it because it fits your strategy and your personality as a founder. And once you’re in, be ready to engage with whoever comes your way.
How and when did you decide to announce your startup publicly?
Honestly, it wasn’t planned. I was still in stealth when that controversy happened — you might remember when Tallis Gomes said women shouldn’t be CEOs. I wrote a LinkedIn post responding to it, not even aggressively, just sharing my perspective as a woman founder and CEO. That post exploded — thousands of likes, comments, and messages. Most people didn’t even realize it was also my way of signaling that I was coming out of stealth.
It created huge buzz, and the timing ended up being perfect. Everyone on the team left stealth on the same day, and we got a wave of attention — even though it had nothing to do with the actual topic of the post. It was a total coincidence, but it worked in our favor.
That said, I’m not a marketing genius — it was pure instinct. But I did learn that when you decide to go public, you need to be ready. Have at least some institutional materials — a deck, a simple site, something to share when investors reach out.
In our case, the real trigger was when we built our first product: a free financial manager on WhatsApp. We created it to collect consented financial data, which later allowed us to train our algorithms. Once we reached around a thousand users and had real traction, it made sense to have a brand and go public.
So my advice would be: don’t overthink the “perfect” launch date, just make sure you have something real to show and that you’re prepared for the attention that will come once you’re out of stealth.
And how would you describe PilotIn in one sentence?
PilotIn is an Open Finance data-intelligence platform that helps non-financial companies better understand and support their customers’ credit journeys.
You’re part of Cubo’s program for second-time founders. How has that experience been so far?
I’m loving it. It feels like the right moment for initiatives like this — the ecosystem is maturing, and we’re seeing a new wave of founders who’ve already built once and are now starting again. The challenges are completely different the second time around: faster decisions, sharper instincts, but also higher expectations.
For me, there’s also a sense of responsibility. I’m a woman and a second-time founder — still a rare combination in Brazil — and I really want to see more women in this space. Programs like this help us connect, learn from each other, and make it easier for more women to become repeat founders.
It’s not just about networking; it’s about building the next generation of experienced entrepreneurs in the ecosystem.
🎊 Startup Launches
Founders who have just publicly announced what they are working on.
Jumpad
Overview
Startup Description: Corporate intelligence management platform that enables the use of AI at an enterprise level, with governance, security and full data ownership.
Industry: AI
Team Size: 19
Time in Stealth: 11 months
Founder Profile
Maurício Chamati - CEO & Co-Founder at Jumpad
Previously featured as a Stealth Founder in Tech Talents #34
Founder Highlights: Serial Founder, Technical Founder, Masters, Top University, Ex-Corporate, Investor, Ex-Consultant, Unicorn Experience
Previous Experience: ex-CTO at Mercado Bitcoin, ex-Founder at Cadre Tecnologia, ex-Solutions Architect, LatAm at Brightstar, MBA in Project Management from FGV, BSc in Computer Science from Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho.
Headquarters: São Paulo, Brazil
Co-Founder: Danilo Barsotti (CTO)
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Oi Bill
Overview
Startup Description: AI assistant on WhatsApp that fix solopreneurs finances, starting with billing automation.
Industry: Fintech, AI
Team Size: 7
Time in Stealth: 4 months
Founder Profile
Pedro Branco - Co-Founder at Oi Bill
Previously featured as a Stealth Founder in Tech Talents #27
Founder Highlights: Serial Founder, Ex-Big Tech, Latitud Fellow, Ex-Corporate
Previous Experience: ex-Co-Founder at Via Van, ex-GM of Consumer Business at SumUp, ex-Head of Partnerships at Uber Eats UK&I, ex-Brazil Lead at Uber for Business, Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from ESPM.
Headquarters: São Paulo, Brazil
Co-Founder: Ederson Ferreira (CTO)
Ask for an Intro: Click here
👀 Talents to Watch
High-potential individuals likely to make significant career moves soon.
This section is exclusive to Pro subscribers — the go-to resource for top VCs, recruiters, and service providers who need to stay ahead of talent movements. Below is a snippet of the profiles we covered in the past two weeks.
To view the full profiles, try Tech Talents Pro free here.
Previous leader at a unicorn with no current full-time position
Founder Highlights: Top University, Ex-Corporate, Ex-Consultant, Unicorn Experience, Scaleup Experience, Logistics
Previous Experience: ex-COO at Rappi Brazil (Apr 2024 - Sep 2025), ex-Growth Manager at Scaleup (Jul 2022 - Sep 2022), Postgraduate Certificate in Marketing Management from Insper, Bachelor’s in Economics from PUC-Rio.
Headquarters: São Paulo, Brazil
Time in Current Position: N/A
Ex-leader at a scaleup with no current full-time position
Founder Highlights: Doctorate, Masters, Top University, Ex-Corporate, Ex-Consultant, Investor, Scaleup Experience, Real Estate
Previous Experience: Member at BR Angels, ex-Revenue & Analytics Director at BHub (Aug 2024 - Oct 2025), ex-General Manager at Scaleup, ex-Research Fellow at USP (Aug 2014 - Oct 2017), Executive MBA from IESE Business School, PhD in Economics from USP.
Headquarters: São Paulo, Brazil
Time in Current Position: N/A
🤫 Talents Entering Stealth
Talents with relevant experiences who have just entered stealth mode.
Alfonso Aguirre – Chief Executive Officer at Stealth Startup
Founder Highlights: Ex-Corporate, Ex-Consultant, Unicorn Experience
Previous Experience: ex-Sales Director at Ancana, ex-Head of Sales at Loft México, ex-Head of Expansion at TrueHome, Bachelor’s in Finance from Universidad Iberoamericana.
Headquarters: Mexico
Time in Current Position: 3 months
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Lucas Zampronha – Founder at Stealth Startup
Founder Highlights: Serial Founder, Masters, Top University, Ex-Corporate
Previous Experience: ex-Co-Founder at Catu Tecnologia, ex-Associate at MAPA Capital, ex-Analyst at Comerc Energia, MBA from INSEAD, Bachelor’s in Economics from Insper.
Headquarters: São Paulo, Brazil
Time in Current Position: 1 month
Ask for an Intro: Click here
Victor Gaia – Cooking at Stealth Startup
Founder Highlights: Technical Founder, Scaleup Experience
Previous Experience: ex-Software Engineer at TRACTIAN, ex-Software Engineer at Meu Pet Club, ex-Software Engineer at Salebox, Bachelor’s in Computer Science from Unit.
Headquarters: São Paulo, Brazil
Time in Current Position: 1 month
Ask for an Intro: Click here
+3 other Stealth Founders over the past two weeks with Tech Talents Pro
🦄 Unicorn Movements
Promotions, new hires, and other movements in local unicorns’ executive-level.
Ramon Martinez – Chief Risk Officer (CRO) at Neon
Previous Role: ex-General Manager - Secured Lending at Nubank
Previous Experience: ex-Operations Director - Investments at Nubank, ex-Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at BNP Paribas Personal Finance, ex-Director, Board of Directors at Banco Carrefour, MSc in Finance from London Business School, Bachelor’s in Business Administration from USP.
Headquarters: São Paulo, Brazil
Time in Current Position: 1 month
👋 Co-Founder Matching
Looking for an early or late-stage co-founder?
In case you missed it, I recently launched a co-founder matching platform focused on the Brazilian market. The platform is independent of any VC or accelerator, completely free (zero equity, zero cost), always active, and carefully curated based on experience and matching preferences.
👉 Click here to be connected with top talent that matches your criteria.
You can get started in three simple steps:
Define your preferences (technical, business, industry, timing, etc.).
Receive compatible profiles via email or on the web platform.
Send and accept connection requests with those who interest you most.
Here’s a quick demo video of the platform:
If you have any feedback or suggestions about Tech Talents LatAm, please share them with me through my LinkedIn.
Great interview with Ingrid, Pedro! Loved this new section here. Keep up with the great work!