The Setup
Crack The Code teaches kids to code across Latin America. When I joined, the product was live in one country with a small team. The ambition was bigger: expand to new markets, grow revenue, and build a product organization that could sustain it all.
The Problem
Scaling an EdTech across LATAM means dealing with different payment systems, currencies, regulations, and parent expectations in every market. Peru doesn’t work like Colombia, and Colombia doesn’t work like Mexico. And you’re doing it without a big team or a big budget.
My Approach
Started with the team. You can’t scale a product without the people to build it. Ran 90+ candidate interviews to find the right 14 across product, engineering, and UX. For market expansion, I analyzed where organic demand was strongest, then validated payment infrastructure and regulatory requirements before committing to each country. Collaborated directly with the CEO during the $2.7M seed round, shaping the product narrative for investors.
What I Shipped
Three new market launches, each with its own payment gateway integration, localized onboarding, and adapted pricing. New product lines built on top of the core platform. Automated the manual processes that were eating the team’s time. The org I built (14 people across product, engineering, and UX) kept shipping long after I left.
The Results
2.5x year-over-year revenue growth. Expanded from one country to three. A team that kept shipping after I left, which is the real test of whether you built something sustainable or just held things together.
Looking Back
The hiring was harder than the product work. Finding people who could operate in a scrappy, fast-moving startup while maintaining craft took months. But every great hire compounded, they made the next hire better, the next product better, the next market launch smoother. If I did it again, I’d invest even more time in the first three hires.