Ricardo Weder grew up in a time when little was said about entrepreneurship, but that has not been a barrier for the founder of the online supermarket Jüsto to be one of the Mexicans who has experienced first-hand the disruption that technological advances have caused. in different industries, beyond the adoption of the internet.
The Tecnológico de Monterrey graduate has a successful track record in companies that gave impetus to the development of the digital economy and that is why he has become a prominent player within the ecosystem of technological entrepreneurship in Latin America.
“The technological acceleration that we are experiencing and the impact it has on the economy and society is impressive (…) There are many problems that we currently have in the country that can be addressed from technological development to help society,” he shares.
Weder left his seat as president of Cabify, a private transport company by mobile application, to undertake with Jüsto, the online supermarket that has managed to capitalize with investment rounds (92 million has risen so far), a business model that it intends to extend to other Latin American countries.
Although there is no magic formula to have a successful venture or startup, Weder says that there are factors that make a difference: having a clear purpose and wanting to solve a problem, generate value and make it part of the company’s purpose and choose the suitable talent. “When there is still no capital or there are no resources, you have to look for areas of opportunity, surround yourself with mentors, with people who can help. It is a constant learning, ”he says.
Communication with users is another of the pillars that must be taken care of, especially when an enterprise is in an initial stage. This allows you to have a vision about their experience in order to give them added value.
Even with the advances, Weder recognizes that there is much to improve and to strengthen startups and the digital ecosystem it is necessary to support talent and encourage young people so that they are more frequently interested in the different technological branches and to achieve this objective is It is necessary to create links between academia and public institutions.
“It is very important to try to understand how we can use these new technologies in a positive way. It is certainly very interesting to see how the ecosystem has changed in the last five years. I am very happy as in Latin America and in Mexico, specifically, our development system is beginning to mature ”, he declares.
Leader of the WEF
Ricardo Weder, started his career in Rocket Internet, Easy Taxy and Cabify. In the latter company he had different positions until the global presidency and one of the most outstanding challenges was to lead the expansion in Latin America and, in Mexico, define with the authorities the rules for this sector, in which there are also companies such as Uber and Didi.
In addition to work, Weder is a technology advisor for organizations like Coparmex and some private companies. He is an angel investor in seed capital in technology ventures and is a mentor at Endeavor.
In 2019, Weder launched the first fully online supermarket in the country: Jüsto, a startup with which it has managed to raise $ 92 million while getting ready to be “the preferred supermarket in Latin America in 2030”. To meet this goal, the enterprise will launch projects to strengthen its position in the region with the use of Artificial Intelligence to analyze data and thereby improve logistics in last-mile deliveries, make operations more efficient, cut costs to obtain better prices for consumers, reduce waste and have a better planning between supply and demand.
“What has always fascinated me is entrepreneurship. Cabify was a great adventure for me: great lessons, many mistakes, great friends, in short, a great adventure, but I was very clear that it was a cycle for me. And that the next step was to start a business in Mexico, trying to contribute to the local ecosystem and try to bet on the local economy and show that there is a lot of talent in Mexico and that we can compete with large companies. So I was a bit in a comfort zone and I decided that the time was right, “he says.
The climate was favorable and Jüsto is one of the companies that not only managed to overcome the crisis due to COVID-19, but also obtained 330% growth in the number of orders and users in March of last year, when the authorities declared the start confinement to mitigate coronavirus infections.
Weder was recently chosen by the World Economic Forum as one of the Young Global Leader, a program in which for the next five years he will share his experience with 111 other leaders, including human rights defenders and business and government leaders. .
“Entrepreneurs have an important responsibility to contribute to the economic activation of Mexico. It is important that we continue to develop our technological capabilities, because most of the industries of the future are based on science, technology and mathematics. And I think it’s important that we start to develop talent but also the right ecosystem so that they can flourish, ”he says.
