MEET THE FOUNDER OF 'A55'

Hugo Mathecowitsch, EDHEC Master in Management 2013

From his years at EDHEC, Hugo knew there was a future for him in Latin America’s new economy. But what? He finally hit the jackpot with his concept of a digital bank to help startup entrepreneurs accelerate their growth. Explains Hugo: “It’s an online hub with a cockpit that lets them drive the services they want: credit to fuel growth; insights into unit economics; digital banking; and invoicing solutions.” Like many a great idea, Hugo’s startup was sparked by a failure. He had already tried his hand at a consultancy to facilitate finance for startups in Latin America but couldn’t find debt on the market. So he decided to create the supply. Results are impressive. Over 50 companies financed, more than 100 clients on the platform, and €25M in loans with less than 4% late payments. The goal in his sights today is to become a reference across borders. He wants a55 to be THE digital bank in Brazil and Mexico for every type of SME looking for a growth partner. Hugo has found that the EDHEC alumni pond is a wide, deep resource that continues to nourish his success. “I have two shareholders, an institutional credit partner, and an individual creditor who are all EDHEC graduates.”

• Sep 2017: Set up business, welcomed business angels onboard
• Dec 2017: First loan provided to software firm Omiexperience
• Sep 2018: Launched a fund to invest in credit receivable securities
• Jan 2019: Tech team joined the company
• Apr 2020: Equity stake acquired by Santander InnoVentures