Investor Profile: Salkantay Ventures - Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

Based in Lima, Peru, Salkantay Ventures was founded in 2012 and is one of the pioneering institutional venture firms in a country whose venture ecosystem was still forming when it started. Its official site states a simple ambition: to invest in the best teams leveraging technology in Latin America.

Thesis

The thesis is that high-impact technology entrepreneurs in Spanish-speaking Latin America are underserved by institutional capital, and that backing them early creates both financial returns and social progress. Salkantay Ventures looks for founders solving the region's most pressing problems, from smart cities spanning logistics, e-commerce and proptech, to critical products and services in fintech, edtech and healthtech, the digitisation of small and medium-sized enterprises through business-to-business software, and the future of work. Impact is part of the investment case, with a measurement system developed with support from the Swiss Entrepreneurship Program.

Sectors and stages

Salkantay Ventures invests in early-stage and scaling companies across Spanish-speaking Latin America, with Peru as its home base. Its official site lists 23 portfolio companies. Deal databases describe most entries as Seed and Series A. Founders should therefore arrive with a product in market and early traction, rather than an idea alone.

Fund size and cheque size

The fund's first venture vehicle, the Salkantay Exponential Fund, launched in January 2020 with a target of $25 million, as reported by the Swiss Entrepreneurship Program; the final closed size was not confirmed in the sources read, so that figure should be treated as a reported target, not a confirmed final close. Two commitments behind it are documented: IDB Lab committed $4.5 million in 2021, its first-ever investment in a Peruvian venture fund, and COFIDE's Fund of Funds committed $4 million later that year. A standard per-company cheque size was not publicly stated in the sources read, so founders should ask for the current range directly.

Notable portfolio

Portfolio companies featured on the firm's official site include Equip, an end-to-end platform for purchasing construction materials in Peru; Mercately, an integrated customer-relationship platform for multi-channel engagement; and Manzana Verde, a Peruvian foodtech app offering economical, diverse and nutritious meal plans with home delivery. Databases also list Prestamype and uDocz in Peru, Leal and Aptuno in Colombia, and minu in Mexico.

Partners and programmes

The firm was founded by Martín Aspillaga and Guillermo Miró Quesada, who transitioned Salkantay Partners from private equity to venture capital in 2018, joined by partner Luis Arbulú. Laura Maydón joined the investment committee in 2021, and Lucia Montalvo is vice president of investments. Supporters shown on its site include Capria, IDB Lab, COFIDE and Bancoldex. Salkantay Ventures does not advertise a standard accelerator cohort or credit bundle in the sources read; its ProInnovate grant funded the fund's own pre-operational stage, not a founder programme.

How to apply for funding

No open application form was found in the sources read, so the real route is to approach the firm through its official site, salkantay.vc, with a pitch that fits its stated mandate: a Spanish-speaking Latin American company, an early or scaling stage, and technology solving a concrete regional gap. Founders should name the sector thesis they fit, show early traction, and confirm whether the firm is currently investing from a new vehicle.