Selling a startup can bring pride and freedom, but also an emotional void for founders. In Chile, entrepreneurs like Daniela Lorca of Babytuto and Roberto Camhi of Mapcity share how they redefined their lives after the sale. Many choose mentoring and investments to continue contributing to the ecosystem.
The article explores the 'paradox of success' in entrepreneurship, where the 'exit' leaves founders like Daniela Lorca feeling an emotional void after years of intensity. Lorca founded Babytuto in 2013, an e-commerce for baby products with 35,000 items from 400 brands, sold to Walmart in December 2021. 'After leaving the company, I experienced a mix of pride, relief, and vertigo. I went from years in 'solve, execute, run, lead' mode to sudden absolute silence', confesses Lorca, who now enjoys tennis and knitting, plus mentoring and a radio program on entrepreneurship.
Cristián Tala sold Pago Fácil, his 2017 fintech for digital payments with 6,000 pyme clients and 1-2 million monthly transactions, for US$23 million to EVO Payments and BCI Pagos in 2021. 'After the sale, I had to learn to live again... I sleep more than when I was entrepreneurial, which is already a big achievement', says Tala, a recent father managing Ecosistema Startup and acting as an angel investor.
Roberto Camhi, founder of Mapcity in the dot-com era, saw his company acquired by Equifax: 60% in 2016 and the rest in 2019. 'Money is just an enabler to achieve those states of well-being, not happiness', he states, while investing in startups like easycancha and offering mentoring at Startup Chile.
Daniel Undurraga, co-founder of Cornershop sold to Uber in 2020, leads Fundación Phaway for education and technology in Latin America, with initiatives like unlimitED for Starlink antennas in rural schools. 'Today, 80% of adults graduate from school without understanding well what they read', he warns. These ex-founders avoid new operational startups, preferring support roles to close the 'virtuous circle' of the Chilean ecosystem.