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He had an idea, he sent an email to Manu Ginobili and now they are partners: they want to solve a problem that affects everyone

Having one of the most important athletes in the world as a partner is possible. Is that Manu Ginobili, the most relevant basketball player that Argentina exported, is developing his investment side and is attentive to opportunities to which to join.

Those who caught the attention of the crack of the sport were the Bahienses founders of ConsorcioAbierto, an online system for consortium administrations that allows centralizing accounting / administrative management and communication with neighbors, that lor they were present in their last round of investment. A $ 500,000 pre-seed series closed this year Ginobili joined in a personal capacity and in which the Sancor Seguros Group, Sacha Spitz, co-founder of Newtopia VC and Juan Pablo Lafosse, founder of Almundo.com and Newtopia VC also participated.

Ginobili recently announced that he has joined to the new fund Newtopia, an institution made up of other heavy names in the entrepreneurial world such as Mariano Mayer (former National Secretary of Entrepreneurs) or Patrick jutard (co-founder and CTO of unicorn wall). And his business side also included investments in startups such as fintech Ualá.

How Ginobili came to ConsorcioAbierto

ConsorcioAbierto was born in 2016 and already has a presence in more than 30 cities in Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia. With more than 700 administrations and 5000 consortiums, the company solves a historical problem that affects neighbors throughout the globe, with first-rate technology.

Albano Laiuppa, Director of ConsorcioAbierto and one of its founders, had read that Ginobili was interested in the world of technology and thought he could relate with the problem they were trying to solve. And he was not wrong, because through acquaintances in the Bahía Blanca native to both, got his email and wrote him a few lines: “I wanted to tell him what we were doing. They told me he was at an angel investor club in San Antonio and I thought he might be interested in what we were doing. He answered me with great interest for really having suffered from the problem. It had happened to him when he lived in Argentina, also in Italy and in the United States. He began to ask questions, from what is the business model to technology, the typical ones that any VC could do“, relates the cofounder.

This is how ConsorcioAbierto works.

“Since I left my parents’ house, I have lived in closed apartments or neighborhoods. The perception is that communication is never clear and efficient between administrators and neighbors. ConsorcioAbierto is changing that dynamic and makes that relationship more professional and transparent“Ginobili shared through a statement, adding:”They are a great team with a lot of focus on solving this massive and everyday problem “.

In that round trip they kept us connected and when the team advanced with a round they called him to join: “We spoke with him, with people about him, and obviously we were able to convince him that our approach was good”, he adds about the round that was intended to leverage the expansion of ConsorcioAbierto by new markets.

This year they are working on entering the Colombian market and looking with good eyes other countries such as Mexico and Chile, for which they hope to leave in 2022 to raise another round, although it is too early to speculate if Ginobili will bet on them again: “We will look for him to be there too. I think for now he is happy with what we do,” Laiuppa mentions.

More than an investor

At this stage of the projects, entrepreneurs are looking for much more than money. Among investors it is customary to contribute other assets such as contacts or mentoring, And, in this case, Ginobili works as a figure that inspires much more.

“We are looking for ‘smart money’. That is why we put together this pull of investors so complementary. Manu has a career of infinite door opening, of course taking good care of himself, he is very careful of his network. And we think we can leverage on that. And he also gives interesting talks about the development of the business and what is coming.“, admits Laiuppa and comments that with the athlete they share their vision of professionalism, excellence and commitment, which is a motivation for the whole team.

precisely, In a market as competitive for talent as that of technology, having a figure supporting the project is a plus: “Today is a total race for talent and I dare to tell you that today inspiration kills wallet. It is good, of course, to work in good conditions, but really when you are solving a problem that people identify and with the correct values, there is an identification that allows you to attract better talent “, Laiuppa mentions and assures that today the team, formed by 40 people divided between Bahía Blanca and Buenos Aires, is seeking to respond to the relationships between neighbors and consortiums, a round trip that people from all over the world have to deal with, even a star NBA player like Manu Ginobili.

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