# 500 LatAm

> 500 LatAm is the Latin American investment operation of 500 Global, backing early-stage technology companies with capital, founder support, and international networks. It reports more than 300 regional portfolio companies; its current public offer advertises $300,000 and access to Silicon Valley.

- **Founded:** 2012
- **Headquarters:** Mexico City, Mexico
- **Founders:** Santiago Zavala (Regional founding leader; Global Managing Partner), César Salazar (Mexican.VC co-founder and founding Mexico venture partner)
- **Products:** Early-stage investment and founder support, Somos Lucha, Descubre.vc, Release Before Ready, Founders’ Retreat
- **Notable:** Reports more than 300 regionally headquartered portfolio companies., Current application page reports more than US$34 million invested regionally., IDB Lab backed a fourth regional fund with a US$2 million commitment announced in 2025.

## Products & services

- **Early-stage investment and founder support** — Current offer advertises $300,000, strategic support, and a three-week Silicon Valley visit. The February 2024 offer specified 10% equity and 6-12 months of tailored support; current contractual terms require confirmation.
- **Somos Lucha** — Historical cohort investment program with mentoring and fundraising preparation; superseded by the 2024 approach.
- **Descubre.vc** — Latin American startup news aggregation and ecosystem directory. Official materials disagree between 2021 and 2022 on its launch year.
- **Release Before Ready** — Community building events focused on shipping early products; 10 regional hackathons reported for 2025.
- **Founders’ Retreat** — Invite-only gathering for the portfolio and wider investment community.

## Achievements

- Reports more than 300 regionally headquartered portfolio companies.
- Current application page reports more than US$34 million invested regionally.
- IDB Lab backed a fourth regional fund with a US$2 million commitment announced in 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Application page reviewed: advertises US$300,000, strategic support, and three weeks in San Francisco; its displayed July 31, 2026 deadline has passed.
- **2025-09** — IDB Lab announced its US$2 million Seed IV commitment, with roughly 40 early-stage investments envisaged.
- **2026-10** — Regional strategy page reports 10 Release Before Ready hackathons and 800+ participants in 2025.
- **2024-12** — Team newsletter reported initial Seed IV investments and confirmed departure from batch-based investing.

## Links

- Website: https://latam.500.co/latam
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/500-startups-latin-america/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/500latam
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@500latam
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/500latam/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/500StartupsLatAm
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@500latam

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/500-latam
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-08