We dropped out of Stanford after one semester. Our professor said we were making a mistake. Our bank account disagreed.
Pedro and I started our first company in Brazil at 14. We were too young to sign the incorporation papers. Our parents had to do it.
We went to Y Combinator with a VR idea. Two weeks in, we killed it and pivoted to corporate cards. YC said: you're insane. Then they backed us.
Banks wouldn't give credit cards to startups because they had no revenue. We said: we'll underwrite on cash balance and funding instead. That one insight built the whole company.
We walked away from SMBs entirely in 2022. Fired those customers. Everyone called it suicidal. But you can't be everything to everyone and win.
Two Brazilian immigrants, 22 years old, telling American banks we're going to take their corporate card business. Nobody took us seriously. That was our advantage.