Cobre, a startup of four coastal people that has landed on the Endeavor network

José Donato, Felipe Gedeon, José Vicente Gedeon and Alberto Cheyne founded Cobre.

Photo: Courtesy

Fast-growing company Cobre, having passed all entry requirements, has just joined the Endeavor network and joins a portfolio of 62 companies and 115 active entrepreneurs in the country and gets a ticket to participate in the community in which they operate. “access to a trusted local and global network where they learn from peers with shared values ​​and ambitions. Plus, an unparalleled network of mentors and partners,” including top-tier entrepreneurs who lead some of the most important organizations in the world.

“It’s been exciting to have important conversations with mentors and other entrepreneurs in the network, who selflessly give us feedback that allows us to deepen our long-term vision for Cobre,” said José Gedeon, CEO of Cobre. and one of the founders of the startup.

But what does this company do? It was in an interview for El Espectador that José Gedeon explained it from memory: “I wanted to have the idea that with an immediate, economical and hassle-free payment system, it is possible to connect millions of people and create a positive impact. , safely and contribute to the quality of life. I was a student at the University of Pennsylvania at the time. The original idea was to create a financial platform for everything people in Latin America who will reach them through the companies they work with. It was born as a thesis project. The first thing we created together with Felipe Gedeon was a kind of corporate banking “Core”. Very big words that, in short, mean that we build software that tracks how much a company has paid each person for each channel.”

Cobre is considered a “PayTech”, meaning a technology company that manages payments. “To date, it has raised US$31.2 million with the help of funds such as Kaszek, QED Investors, Atlantic and Canary. His contribution to the development of the payment infrastructure positions him as a key player in the promotion of the digital economy, the growth of business and in the development of an industry that must evolve to serve modern companies, traits of high-quality entrepreneurship. joint press release, where they reported this news.

Camila Salamanca, executive director of Endeavor Colombia, mentioned the company: “After overcoming a rigorous selection process to join the network, Cobre confirmed its potential for exponential growth, contributing to the creation of jobs and solutions. “Disruptive technologies that continue to simplify the treasury processes of companies.”

A US$1,000 million equity fund has already invested in Cobre, a Colombian startup

Gedeon assured that they created “Cobre because we believe that companies in Colombia have a huge potential to transform and influence different sectors, and we see in Endeavor a powerful network working towards the same mission. We believe that together we can create an even greater impact on entrepreneurs in the country and region. In addition, having the opportunity to represent entrepreneurs from other regions of Colombia, in our case from Cartagena.”

Who are the entrepreneurs behind the new network member? “Jose V. Gedeon (Co-Founder, CEO) and Felipe Gedeon (Co-Founder, CMO) are two of the four founders of Cobre. Growing up in Cartagena, they shared school and university. José, on the one hand, studied finance at The Wharton School, worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company and was the director of profitability at OYO Mexico. Felipe studied economics and art at the same university and began his career in startups at Celina, where he became global director of growth strategy before co-founding Cobre,” they detailed in a media release.

What do the companies that enter there get? “Endeavor has more than a decade of experience working with founders to raise capital around the world, creating unparalleled connections to support the fundraising efforts of Endeavor entrepreneurs.”

In an interview we already did with the founders of this company, we asked Gideon who inspired him? And this is what he answered us: “At the beginning of the pandemic, a few years after working on the Cobre business model, I read a book called Bad Economics, which helped me understand and articulate some things: * People who live with drastically less incomes (less than a dollar a day) are among the best risk assessors in the world (they are called “risk managers” in the book). a hedge fund barefoot”). Contrary to popular belief, their financial decision-making is quite difficult because they are more risk-averse. * For the fight against poverty to be truly effective, we must unlock financial leverage for the poor. * Collateral is the key to unlocking leverage. Ending poverty requires a large-scale way to financially support the people who need it most.”

Who is part of the Endeavor network? Among the famous brands are Rappi, Bold, Bodytech, Finsocial, Chiper, Campoalto, Enmedio, La Haus, Hoharu, Mesfix, Home Burgers, Fluvip, Messengers Urbanos, Poke, Platzi, Puntored, Siigo, Torre, ViveAgro, Ubits and Refinancing.

If you know stories of entrepreneurs and their businesses, email us at Edwin Bohórquez Aya (ebohorquez@elespectador.com) or Tatiana Gomez Fuentes (tgomez@elespectador.com). 👨🏻‍💻 🤓📚

If you’re looking for more stories about entrepreneurship, the creators are here. in Entrepreneurship and Leadership with Spectator.