Hey there!

This month, we’re taking a look beyond our usual borders and diving into the fintech landscape in Latin America.

I had the chance to sit down with Veronica Crisafulli, CEO & Founder of MO, and her insights were too good not to share.

Veronica (affectionally known as Vero) is not only a fintech leader but also a mom, and a woman who is using her platform to drive change for the better. Her work is a reminder that impact and inclusion aren’t just buzzwords. They’re choices we make in how we build.

MO is rethinking the way everyday people in LATAM access financial products, with inclusion, accessibility, and trust at the center. Vero and I talked about how fintechs can scale responsibly in emerging markets, what it really means to localize GTM, and why collaboration is key to moving the industry forward.

A few gems from our convo:

• Local context isn’t a "nice to have", it’s a must. Just translating your product doesn’t count.

• Trust is earned slowly, especially in markets where financial exclusion has been the norm.

• The partnerships that matter most are the ones built on shared values, not just shared metrics.

Check out the full interview below for the deep dive.

Fintech, Motherhood, and the Fight for Credit Inclusion

When I sat down with Veronica Crisafulli, CEO & Founder of MO, I knew we were going to talk fintech. But what I didn’t expect was how deeply her story would connect so many themes I care about: inclusion, motherhood, ambition, and the grit it takes to build something that truly matters.

Vero is originally from Italy but has spent the last 10 years living in Colombia. Her background spans consulting gigs across South Africa, the Czech Republic, Spain, and the UK, before eventually working with MasterCard where she built the strategy for the first digital bank in Colombia. With that global lens, she saw something clearly: credit access was broken. Especially for women. Especially in emerging markets.

Her goal? Build the infrastructure for financial institutions to finally serve the people they’ve historically ignored. 

After years of building strategy for others, she took the leap into entrepreneurship in 2017. The early days of MO weren’t easy. A co-founder split. Shifts in focus. Learning in real time. But in 2021, Vero made a call that changed everything, to focus entirely on being the credit management platform of the future.

MO’s mission is to help financial institutions of all sizes issue credit in a modern, flexible, and cost-effective way. The real dream? A world where a woman selling empanadas on the street can get a loan the same way a tech worker can. MO is working with many financial institutions across Latin America. A focus on the US market is in her line of sight, but not in the near term. 

But it isn’t just the tech that makes MO special. It’s the way Vero leads.

We talked about what it’s like being a founder and a mother. Vero has two little ones under the age of three. She’s also running a fast-growing fintech company.

She broke down the three things that help her navigate the chaos:

1. Structure everything. If it’s not in the calendar, it doesn’t happen.

2. Rely on your network. Whether it’s your team, your investors, your family, or your best friend for a glass of wine on Thursday night, your support system matters.

3. Be present. When she’s with her kids, she’s with them. No phone. No laptop. Just connection. 

We also got real about burnout. Vero shared how after the birth of her second child, she reached a breaking point. Her mom called and said, “I’ve never seen you this tired.” That’s when she started blocking time for the gym, for meals, for meditation.

Still, she’s raised funding, grown the team, and signed major clients. She’s proof that leadership looks different than the old model, and it works.

MO is not just a credit platform. It’s a bet on a more inclusive financial future.

And Vero? She’s not just a founder. She’s a mom, a builder, and a woman rewriting the rules of what fintech leadership looks like.

If you’re curious about the LATAM fintech scene, MO, or thinking about expanding globally, Vero’s perspective is one you want in your back pocket.

Practical GTM Strategies: Pipeline Starts With Clarity

Let’s talk pipeline. If you don’t know exactly who your product is for, your messaging will be vague, your outreach will fall flat, and your team will burn cycles on the wrong leads.

Here’s what I tell founders:

• Get specific about your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). One clear ICP beats five fuzzy ones.

• Reverse-engineer your sales process. How does someone actually buy your product? Map that.

• Don’t just generate leads, generate conversations. Cold outreach should sound like curiosity, not a pitch.

Your pipeline is not just a numbers game. It is a focus game.

Sales & Marketing Tips: Want More Leads? Be More Human.

Social media is your front door (no flashy office space required!). I’ve seen early-stage fintechs fill their pipeline through consistent, genuine engagement on LinkedIn and other social media platforms.

Here’s what works:

• Comment more than you post. Join conversations already happening in your space.

• Share what you’re learning in real time, not just wins, but also the messy middle.

• Be helpful without being salesy. People remember value, not velocity.

• Consistency is required (3-5 posts per week). Don’t drop off the earth for weeks or months at a time and expect results.

• Stop worrying about what people will think. Develop strong content pillars and start posting!

If you’re building in public or selling to a niche audience, your voice matters more than your ad budget.

Partnerships & Collab Corner: Maven x FedFis

Big news on the partnership front: Maven Advisory has teamed up with FedFis to help early-stage fintechs get the insights they need to approach financial institutions with confidence. 

FedFis brings the data. I bring the GTM strategy. Together, we’re helping fintech founders identify better-fit FI partners, understand how they buy, and craft messaging that resonates and gets noticed.

If you’re a founder trying to break into the FI world, this collaboration might be exactly what you need.

 What’s Next?

• Tell Me What You Think: I’d love your feedback and comments. Hit “reply” and share your thoughts.

• Next Issue: Spotlighting an exciting new startup.

• In Every Issue: Practical GTM Strategies, Sales & Marketing Tips, and Partnership/Collaboration Updates 

That’s it for this issue of Maven Mindset. If you’ve been searching for a strategic partner who’s not afraid to cut the fluff, look no further.

If this resonates with you, let’s chat! And if it was helpful, remember to share! ✌🏼🩷

Until next time,

Angi 

P.S. Hope is not a strategy.