90% of LatAm's Best Founders Never Meet a U.S. VC. We're Here to Change That.

There's a number we can't stop thinking about.

"Ninety percent of Latin American startups with global potential never get a real meeting with a U.S. VC," says Matías Barbero, founder and CEO of 401. "Not because they lack a product — because they lack context. That gap is exactly what we solve."

That sentence is the whole reason 401 exists.

Latin America isn't short on talent. Venture capital in the region grew 14.3% in 2025, and investors are writing bigger checks for founders who can show traction and a sustainable model. What's missing isn't ambition or ideas — it's the bridge: the relationships, the market understanding, and a room full of the right people.

That's what our 2026 cycle is built to provide.

The program runs in a hybrid format — strategic preparation online, followed by an in-person phase in Miami, the city that's become the natural meeting point between Latin America and the U.S. Founders sharpen a go-to-market strategy built for the U.S. market, get matched directly with American investors, and pitch at a Demo Day in front of VCs, family offices, and operators who actually move the ecosystem. It all extends into Miami Tech Week, turning a week of introductions into a lasting network.

But access to capital was never the whole point.

"We want founders to leave the program with real relationships, a deep understanding of the market, and the certainty that they're not building alone," says Barbero.

So we built the program around proximity, not transactions: personalized mentorship, direct founder-to-investor meetings, hands-on commercial strategy sessions, workspace in Miami, and curated networking. The goal isn't to hand founders a check. It's to make sure that when the program ends, the relationships don't.

That's 401. We don't just talk about community — we build it.

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