From founding the biggest company in Latin America to funding the next generation of tech founders

In 1999, Marcos Galperin and Hernan Kazah were fascinated by the ecommerce blitz that was lighting up Silicon Valley and wanted in. They didn’t want to buy goods on eBay. They wanted to become eBay. So they did! They built Mercado Libre (or “MeLi” for short), an online marketplace in Argentina that lets anyone buy and sell goods to one another, just like the online auction giant.

From the beginning, Endeavor was there to help. We selected the company to join our community back in 1999 and have helped accelerate its growth and impact ever since.

Mercado Libre became the first Endeavor company to have a US initial public offering (IPO) on the Nasdaq stock exchange in 2007, and 10 years later it became our first ever “decacorn,” a unicorn scaleup with a market cap of $10+ billion. Today, it has a market cap of $60+ billion and is recognized as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential Companies.

Their Multiplier Effect

Since joining our Endeavor community in 1999, Hernan and Marcos have thrown themselves into our mentorship program. They have accelerated Endeavor’s impact and we’ve accelerated theirs.

Marcos is an Endeavor Mentor, Endeavor Panelist, Endeavor Catalyst Investor, Endeavor Argentina Board Member, and Endeavor Outlier. He has mentored more than 20 entrepreneurs as they launched their own potential unicorns and his efforts as an angel investor and successful founder have altered the fabric of the Latin American business landscape. “It’s now fulfilling to watch younger entrepreneurs scale and give back,” he says.

Hernan is no less generous with his time. As the co-founder of venture capital firm Kaszek Ventures, he helps newcomers raise the capital they need to make their dreams come true. To date, Kaszek has raised more than $1 billion and nurtured no fewer than nine unicorns and 91 companies, making it one of Latin America’s most active VC firms.

Every unicorn drives economic growth, adds to a country’s infrastructure, and improves market penetration. Startups lead to more startups. There are now 90 startups with founders who were once employed at Mercado Libre, and that impact continues to grow. The founders have also individually invested in two dozen other companies.

Mercado Libre has achieved a level of success most companies will never match. It’s a true standout on the world stage. Its founders have chosen to pay it forward, and the multiplier effect of their mentorship and generosity will continue to enrich and empower the region in the years ahead.