Wharton Latino’s Founder Series

By: Samira Rafide

Photo Credits: Herrera, Maria. Founder Series Panel with Charles Yoo-Naut, Piero de Risco, and Pedro Vallenilla. 2026.

Our recent Founder Series gave students something rare, a real look into what it actually takes to build a company in Latin America. Not the perfectly polished version we see on LinkedIn, but the honest one which is full of risk, uncertainty, and moments of feeling completely alone.

Across all three founders, Charles Yoo-Naut (Rain), Piero de Risco (Pana), and Pedro Vallenilla (Cashea), there was a clear theme that entrepreneurship is not just about having a good idea. It is about resilience, taking big risks, and being comfortable with uncertainty.

Charles Yoo-Naut, a second time founder, emphasized how mental strength is one of the hardest parts of building a new company. He described entrepreneurship as a constant cycle of highs and lows and even called it “like an addiction” because of how intense it is. He explained that while experience helps you stay more grounded the second time, the journey can still feel isolating. His advice was simple, “keep showing up” and don’t lose momentum, because everything compounds over time.”

Piero de Risco, founder of Pana, brought a different but equally powerful perspective. As someone building financial infrastructure for immigrants, he highlighted how startups often feel like they are “dying” multiple times before they actually succeed. He said very directly that being a founder is “a very lonely job” where there is often no one you can fully talk to about what you are going through. At the same time, he emphasized mindset above everything else, explaining that you need to be “a little crazy” and constantly push yourself forward, even when things are uncertain.

Pedro Vallenilla, founder of Cashea, showed what it looks like to build with purpose. After failing multiple startups and going into debt, he reached a point where he almost quit entrepreneurship completely. But instead, he came back and built Cashea, a company that is now helping rebuild credit systems in Venezuela.

Today, Cashea processes a significant share of the country’s transactions and is rebuilding financial access for millions. His journey reflects a bigger trend in fintech which is building in difficult environments that forces founders to be creative. In Venezuela, where credit had almost disappeared, Cashea had to build a system from scratch proving that “when trust is created, trust is given back.”

What connects all these founders is not just success, it is the willingness to take risks when there is no guarantee of success. They all emphasized that entrepreneurship requires betting on yourself, even when others say no. In fact, hearing “no” is part of the process. It is constant, personal, and often discouraging.

But maybe the most important takeaway from this series is something simpler, entrepreneurship can be lonely. Even with co-founders, teams, or investors, the responsibility ultimately falls on you. And that can be isolating.

At the same time, these founders also showed that community matters. Whether it is family, partners, or even friends, having people around you makes the journey more sustainable and enjoyable.

the end, this Founder Series was not just about business. It was about mindset. It showed that building in Latin America, or anywhere really, is less about having the perfect plan and more about perseverance, adaptability, and courage.

Because behind every successful startup, there is not just an idea. There is a person who chose to take the risk anyway.