# Ricardo Josua

> Ricardo Josua is the co-founder and former CEO of Pismo, the Brazilian banking and payments infrastructure company acquired by Visa for $1 billion. Earlier, he co-founded Conductor and led it as CEO from 1999 to 2012. He became a Pismo adviser in April 2025, when Vishal Dalal took over as global CEO.

- **Role:** Co-founder and Advisor at Pismo
- **Organizations:** Pismo, Conductor, Garantia, Credit Suisse
- **Education:** Business Administration, FGV EAESP, São Paulo
- **Known for:** Co-founded Conductor and led the card-processing business as CEO from 1999 to 2012., Co-founded Pismo in 2016 and led it through international expansion and its acquisition by Visa., Pismo secured a $108 million Series B in 2021.

## Career timeline

- **1996** — Joins investment bank Garantia, subsequently acquired by Credit Suisse.
- **1997** — Finishes business school in Brazil.
- **1999** — Co-founds the business that became Conductor; serves as CEO until 2012.
- **2014** — Leaves Conductor; pursues structured-finance and education-technology ventures.
- **2016** — Co-founds Pismo with Daniela Binatti, Juliana Binatti Motta and Marcelo Parise.
- **2021** — Pismo raises a $108 million Series B backed by SoftBank, Amazon and Accel and accelerates international expansion.
- **2023-06** — Visa announces an agreement to acquire Pismo for $1 billion in cash.
- **2024-01** — Visa completes the acquisition on 16 January; Josua remains CEO.
- **2025-04** — Moves into an advisory role as Vishal Dalal becomes global CEO on 16 April.
- **2026-03** — Featured in Endeavor Brasil’s internationalisation project, whose video series launched on 26 March 2026.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Conductor and led the card-processing business as CEO from 1999 to 2012.
- Co-founded Pismo in 2016 and led it through international expansion and its acquisition by Visa.
- Pismo secured a $108 million Series B in 2021.
- Visa agreed to acquire Pismo for $1 billion in cash in June 2023 and completed the transaction in January 2024.

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Featured in Endeavor Brasil’s Do Brasil para o Mundo internationalisation project and accompanying video series.
- **2025-04** — Transitions from CEO to an advisory role at Pismo; Vishal Dalal becomes global CEO.
- **2024-01** — Visa completes its acquisition of Pismo; Josua continues as CEO at closing.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardojosua/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ricardo-josua
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21