You can grow fast and still miss the point
I built the wrong product, I learned from it, and I’ve been building differently ever since
Hey there,
I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to build something meaningful.
Last week, a podcast I recorded went live—big thanks to Loren and the Career Blast in a Half team for having me on. We talked about the origins of Lupa: that time when I raised money, hired engineers, and launched an AI recruiting platform… only to realize we had built the wrong thing.
It looked good on paper. But the people we were finding weren't the right fit.
That experience shook me. Not because we failed, but because we succeeded at the wrong thing. We optimized for processes, not people. We moved fast, but in the wrong direction.
Since then, I’ve spent a lot of time working with teams who want to get this right. Founders hiring across borders. Operators building trust in new markets. Leaders trying to grow without losing the plot.
This week’s stories hit the same nerve.
It’s easy to chase momentum. But momentum without alignment is chaos.
So that’s where my head’s been. Grateful to the people who’ve helped me build better since.
Let’s get into it.
🌐 News Shortlist
1. Mexico just outraised Brazil in fintech funding
Recap: Mexico overtook Brazil in fintech VC funding for the first time in over a decade, raising $437M in Q2 2025. There are now over 1,100 fintech startups in the country, nearly 70% of them using AI. Digital payments are expected to handle two-thirds of e-commerce and nearly half of in-store purchases by 2030. But over 18 million Mexican adults are still unbanked. That’s the real opportunity.
This isn’t just a fintech headline. It’s part of a bigger shift.
Mexico isn’t just raising more. It’s building more.
It passed China as the United States’ number one trading partner. Ships more auto parts than Japan. Exports aerospace components to over 50 countries. More engineers graduate each year than in the UK, France, and Germany combined.
And that’s before we talk about the canal project in the south, or the rise of Mexico City as a regional capital for tech, talent, and everything in between.
The funding surge is just one signal. What matters is whether founders use that capital to build systems that actually work. For real people. In real conditions.
Advice:
Don’t build for hype. Build for trust.
The 18 million unbanked adults in Mexico aren’t just a growth market. They’re a test. If your product earns their trust, it’ll scale anywhere.
Mexico isn’t having a moment. It’s laying the groundwork for the next ten years. Don’t sleep on it.
2. Swedish startup Lovable hits $100M ARR just 8 months post-launch
Recap: Swedish startup Lovable reached $100 million in ARR just eight months post-launch, making it one of the fastest-growing SaaS companies in history. The company, founded by former Spotify and Klarna execs, helps teams automate customer success and retention with AI. What’s wild is how they got there: no big marketing push, just a product that works, spreads, and sticks. They now serve over 8,000 businesses in 60 countries.
Lovable’s growth is crazy. But what stands out isn’t just the revenue or the founders backgrounds. It’s that the product took off without ads or hype. People just liked it and started using it.
It helps people move fast. You don’t have to be a developer to build something. You get an idea, and you can ship it.
What I’m watching now is the community. This isn’t just a European story. In Latin America, a ton of devs and no-code builders have jumped in early.
You see it in programs like Lab10 by Truora, where builders are already experimenting with real AI use cases. You see it in Spanish-language tutorials, in Telegram groups, in the kinds of side projects that turn into startups.
My team’s started using Lovable too. And we’re not alone.
You don’t need a huge company to go global anymore. Sometimes a good product and a motivated community is all it takes.
Advice:
Speed is power, but community is what keeps it alive. If you’re building something new, don’t just ask who your users are. Ask who’s excited to teach others how to use it. That’s where compounding starts.
3. Columbia vs. Columbia: The Lawsuit
Recap: Portland-based Columbia Sportswear sued Columbia University in federal court on July 23, alleging trademark infringement, breach of contract, and unfair competition. The heart of the dispute: the university has been selling apparel labeled only “Columbia”, without required university insignia, violating a 2023 agreement. Columbia Sportswear argues this causes consumer confusion, especially when some items even co-brand with competitors like Nike. The company is seeking a stop-sale order, a recall of unsold inventory, and damages including potential treble penalties.
We live in a world where most people still can’t spell “Colombia” the country. Now we’ve got two American institutions fighting over who owns “Columbia” in bold.
This may look like a legal fight over logos. But for leaders, it’s a clear lesson in what brand signals mean, and who gets to own them.
You’re either building your identity or you’re letting others borrow it. If you don’t define your brand signal clearly, someone else will shape it. Columbia Sportswear spent 80 years turning “Columbia” into an icon of outdoors gear. Columbia University forgot to clarify who they are.
The agreement in 2023 was simple: you can say “Columbia,” but only if you add your crest, your “University,” your founding year. The idea was coexistence. Instead, the university rolled out caps and shirts that said only “Columbia.” Consumers can’t see the difference. And confusion costs goodwill.
The lawsuit shows how even time-tested leaders need to guard their identity. The college may view this as cool student merch. But for the brand, it’s about staying unmistakable.
Advice:
Brand is what people think when you’re not explaining it.
If your identity depends on context or good faith, it’s probably not defensible.
Startups love to move fast and figure it out later. But brand confusion isn’t just messy, it’s expensive. Define your signal early and make it unmistakable.
🔎 Remote Jobs Shortlist
These are the new openings my clients have this week.
Even if you’re not hiring, it’s worth seeing what roles great companies are opening and what that says about where things are headed. Check out the full list here.
1. Head of Revenue
This ecommerce infrastructure startup already leads fulfillment in Mexico. Now they’re looking for someone to lead revenue—and eventually run the whole country operation.
You’ll start with customer success. Then take over acquisition. And if you perform, you’ll step into the Country Manager role within 12 months.
You’ve probably sold SaaS or logistics solutions to enterprise clients. You know how to close with operators, manage a team, and grow fast without breaking things.
If you’ve led revenue at a startup and want real ownership, this is your shot.
💵 $8,000 - $10,000 USD/month
📍Mexico City
2. AI Engineer
This healthtech startup is building the AI Doctor for Latin America. They’re looking for an AI Engineer who can move fast, ship messy, and turn fuzzy ideas into working products. You’ll be working with FastAPI, LangChain, CrewAI, and building on top of large models with real users in the loop.
It’s not a research role. It’s a builder role. You’ll go from prompt to production in 24 hours, and you’ll help create the AI layer that powers clinical decision support.
If you’ve got startup instincts, Python/LangChain experience, and a bias for action—this is one of the most exciting early-stage AI opportunities in Latin America.
💵 $5,000 - $7,000 USD/month
📍Brazil or Colombia
3. Senior DevOps Engineer
This fintech infra startup is building a low-code platform for U.S. banks and financial institutions—and they’re looking for a DevOps lead to own infrastructure from the ground up.
You’ll run the full AWS setup, improve observability, and keep things fast, stable, and scalable. The founders want someone who ships with ownership, thinks in systems, and doesn't need a playbook to improve one.
It’s not a contractor role. You’ll be part of the core team, collaborating closely with engineering and leadership. If you’ve worked in high-stakes infra, know how to optimize developer workflows, and want to build something that matters, this is the one.
💵$6,000 - $7,000 USD/month
📍Latin America
That’s it for this week.
Always curious what you’re seeing out there—what’s working, what’s not, what’s got you thinking.
And if you listened to the episode, I’d love to hear your take.
Until next time,
Joseph Burns
CEO & Founder, Lupa