The Oyster That Supports Pearls in Mexico

By Loralyn Mears PhD Loralyn Mears PhD has been verified by Muck Rack's editorial team
Published on June 6, 2021

Meet Amanda Jacobson, the podcast guest of this week’s Grit Daily News Like a Boss series. She is the Chief of Staff for Oyster Financial. This is a neobank for SMBs co-headquartered in Mexico City and San Francisco. Prior to joining Oyster’s executive management team, she managed a portfolio of nine fintech startups for Fiinlab, the innovation lab of Gentera. While there, she focused on generating sustainable solutions for financial inclusion. Jacobson also led the expansion of Village Capital. In her role, she supported its 50 ventures and eight startups. 

On the podcast, Jacobson spoke about the entrepreneurial environment in Mexico today. “Most of the businesses in Mexico are owned by men. However, 25-30% of our businesses are owned by women. Within Oyster, we’ve been pretty steady over the last year. SMBs have a huge impact in Mexico accounting for 72% of the jobs, 95% of the businesses and more than half of the GDP. That said, it’s really hard to be an entrepreneur in Mexico and Latin America. It’s complicated and the financial system is challenging. It can take months to just get a bank account.”

Making a Difference

Oyster Financial makes it easier for businesses to launch. By offering financial support to help manage cashflows, the SMBs have a greater chance for success. “Oyster is all about how we can use our financial solution as a tool for good to help businesses. Most SMBs (65%) die within five years and that’s something we want to change,” said Jacobson in the podcast. As a result of Oyster’s customer discovery work, they are building financial solutions that fuel the economy.

The Like a Boss podcast offers insights and inspiration. To this end, Jacobson says, “Be confident but also be humble.
Surround yourself with the people who will help you grow.” To hear about partnership opportunities in Latin America, tune into the podcast.

By Loralyn Mears PhD Loralyn Mears PhD has been verified by Muck Rack's editorial team

Journalist verified by Muck Rack verified

Dr. Loralyn Mears is a Columnist at Grit Daily and a podcast host (The Grit Files, which aims to shine the spotlight on female founders). She is a content marketer, founder of the WORKtech startup, STEERus, specializing in personal and professional development to address gaps in soft skills - communication in particular. In her consultancy practice, she helps clients with content and strategy. Loralyn spent over a decade playing with mosquito DNA, got her PhD, decided she would rather market science than be at the bench and has never looked back. Along the way, she’s wined and dined her way around the globe. She's authored two books, including the 2018 Gold Medal Indie Book award-winning, One Sip At a Time: a Memoir and the hard science thriller, "The Battle for Humanity: How Science Saved Us." 

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