Julie Ruvolo

Julie Ruvolo Contributor Julie Ruvolo, a former writer for TechCrunch, is the head of editorial content for the Latin American Private Equity and Venture Capital Association. More posts by this contributor Global tech firms and investors are reshaping Latin America’s startup environment Why have some of Silicon Valley’s top investors started investing in Latin America?

Julie Ruvolo, a former writer for TechCrunch, is the head of editorial content for the Latin American Private Equity and Venture Capital Association.

The Latest from Julie Ruvolo

Global tech firms and investors are reshaping Latin America’s startup environment

Julie Ruvolo Contributor Julie Ruvolo, a former writer for TechCrunch, is the head of editorial content for the Latin American Private Equity and Venture Capital Association. More posts by this contri

Why have some of Silicon Valley’s top investors started investing in Latin America?

Julie Ruvolo Contributor Julie Ruvolo, a former writer for TechCrunch, is the head of editorial content for the Latin American Private Equity and Venture Capital Association. More posts by this contri

UPDATE: Brazilian Judge Shuts Down WhatsApp And Brazil’s Congress Wants To Shut Down The Social Web Next

A temporary WhatsApp shutdown is not even close to the craziest thing happening with the Brazilian internet right now. If Brazil’s conservative Congress gets its way, they’re going to take down th

The Fight Against Uber Is Getting Violent In Brazil

Uber has over 5,000 drivers and 500,000 users since launching in Brazil a year ago, and aggression by politicians and taxi drivers alike has been mounting in lockstep with its growth.

As Brazilian Economy Descends Into Crisis, Tech Is Growing Double Digits

Is For-Profit The Future Of Education In Brazil?

Entrance exam test prep, which can cost $500-$1000 a month, is largely limited to the elite class in Brazil, and only available in major cities, by comparison Descomplica charges about $3 a month --

Expanding In Latin America, Brazilian Anti-Virus Startup PSafe Raises $30M

PSafe, the leading antivirus player in Brazil, is announcing a $30M Series D to take its security and privacy app suite to the rest of Latin America.

New Startup Construct Tackles One Of Brazil’s Most Inefficient Industries

Construct co-founders Drew Beaurline and Patrick Albert are taking on one of the nation's most corrupt and bureaucratic industries – possibly a job only twenty-something foreigners with no particula

BelezaNaWeb Raises $30M To Bring Brazil’s Beauty Market Online

Brazil is the largest market in the world for beauty products behind the US and China, pushing $43 billion of cosmetics, perfume and personal care products to a population of almost two hundred millio

IFood Raises $50 Million From Movile And Just Eat For Food Delivery

Latin American mobile commerce powerhouse Movile and Just Eat, the global online take-out service, have announced a $50M investment in Brazil’s leading food delivery service, iFood. The raise brings

Brazil’s $26 Billion Eyewear Industry Moves Online With Lema21 And EÓtica Merger

The late April merger of, Lema21, an innovative private label startup, and eÓtica, an ecommerce site for prescription eyewear and contacts, is proof that Brazil's investors are taking a long view tow

Brazil’s Samba Ads Raises R$3 million To Take Premium Video Advertising Off YouTube

Editor’s note: Julie Ruvolo is a freelance writer and editor of RedLightR.io and RioChromatic.com.  Sao Paulo-based startup Samba Ads is announcing a R$3 million ($1 million) investment from a coal

In Latest Deals Brazilian Investor Kaszek Ventures Doubles Down On Women Entrepreneurs

Latin American investors Kaszek Ventures have kicked off 2015 with back-to-back investments in startups founded and run by Brazilian women -- Dress & Go, a luxury apparel rental site, and Love Mo

Brazil Becomes A New Front In The Battle Between Baidu And Qihoo

Chinese search giant Baidu no longer has their antivirus app offered on Google Play in Brazil after using illegal competitive tactics against Brazilian antivirus startup PSafe (backed by Baidu rival Q

Nubeliu Is Bringing The Private Cloud To Latin America

Private cloud enterprise solution Nubeliu has raised a seed round from Latin American powerhouse investors Kaszek Ventures in the “couple of millions,” according to a source close to the company.

Real Estate Joins Brazil’s Big Startup Industries

Add real estate to the industries that have captured the attention of venture investors in Brazil as real estate marketplace VivaReal closed a $41.3 million Series C with Spark Capital and Lead Edge C

Vistaprint Buys $25 Million Minority Stake In São Paulo-Based Printi

Global printing heavyweight Vistaprint has acquired a $25 million minority position in Brazilian web-printing startup Printi. This is Vistaprint’s first footprint in Latin America, after assuming ma

GuiaBolso Brings Mint-style Financial Management To Brazil

In August a new, homegrown entry raced onto Brazil’s top 10 most downloaded apps. It’s a list usually cluttered by American-made social media, music and gaming apps; but GuiaBolso, a Mint-style pe